Aryans

In one view, a great division of the human family, known also as Indo-European, or Indo-Germanic, comprising all the nations of Europe, except the Magyars, Basques, Finns, and Turks; and of Asia, the Armenians, Afghans, Persians, and inhabitants of n. Hindostan. The theory that all these nations are derived from a common stock is founded on the affinities of their languages. From the nature of the words common to them, it appears that the people from which they all sprung was acquainted with agriculture, built houses and towns, respected the family relations, and had an organized government. There are grounds for believing that its original seat was in central Asia; that the first stream of emigration flowed through Asia Minor and acro the Hellespont, while the second moved around the northeast of the Caspian, and the remnant finally pa ed through Armenia and Persia into the Punjaub. Recent philologists incline to restrict the name to the older group represented by the later Sanscrit and Old Persian. Aryan was originally a national name; in later Sanscrit it signifies "of good family." See SEMITIC LANGUAGES.