At the heart of the book are two masterly surveys of the issues at stake in the interpretation of the available linguistic and archaeological evidence. J.M. Kenoyer brings his reputation as one of the most accomplished Harappan archaeologists of his generation and crafts a measured piece documenting what archaeological reason can illuminate and equally demonstrate what constitutes inappropriate questions for the discipline. Kenoyer highlights the plurality of cultures through the many regions where Aryans have been searched for and brings out the complexity of these often under-evaluated societies. What is salutary about Kenoyer’s piece is his constant stress on the contingent nature of much of our knowledge. His caution operates on two distinct levels: in reviewing the archaeological evidence from many of the distinct regions in the subcontinent he stresses that despite the extensive reportage of sites and artifacts in a meaningful and behavioural sense we understand very little about the societies who created those material cultures.
The second level relates this to the problem of the known existence of the speakers of Indo-European languages in the region: Kenoyer clearly argues that without the presence of deciphered written artifacts suggested equations between material cultures and linguistic/ethnic groups cannot be treated as anything other than weak hypotheses.