吐火罗人的族属与族源

The Race and Origin of the Tocharians

比较语言学、体质人类学乃至分子考古学等诸多学科的研究成果表明,吐火罗人属于印欧人种,为古老的原始印欧人群(Proto-Indo-Europeans)中的一支.吐火罗人原居地可能在中欧或东欧某地,大约在公元前第三千纪上半期,他们从自己的同胞中脱离出来,经过黑海草原和中亚草原,逐渐向东南迁徙、发展到中国西北地区.整个迁徙过程的时间长达1000多年.

From the study of Comparative Linguistic, Physical Anthropology and Molecular Archaeology, it can be concluded that the Tocharians is one branch of the Proto-Indo-Europeans, who spoke some kind of language belonging to the centum group of Indo - European family. In the first half of the third mellenium, they separated themselves from their other compatriots, and their homeland in Central or Eastern Europe as well. Afterwards, they moved southeastward through the Pontic Steppes and Central Asia Steppes, then developed gradually to the northwest regions of China. The course of their migration is as long as more than one thousand years.