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A family of languages that includes most of the languages spoken in Europe, as well as parts of Asia. Originated in the Pontic-Caspian steppe
The Kurgan hypothesis is one of the most prominent theories regarding the origins and spread of the Indo-European languages. This hypothesis was first proposed by Lithuanian-American archaeologist Marija Gimbutas, in the mid-20th century. A vast region spanning parts of present-day northeastern Bulgaria and southeastern Romania. Through Moldova, eastern Ukraine. The North Caucasus of southern Russia. And, into the Lower Volga region. Where it straddles the border of southern Russia and western Kazakhstan. Around the in the Pontic-Caspian steppe.

The idea originated around the 1800s
First theories were formulated by Otto Schrader in 1883. And, built upon by Austrailian archaeologist V. Gordon Childe in 1926.

It is now the widely accepted proposal to identify the Proto-Indo-European homeland from which the Indo-European languages spread out throughout Europe and parts of Asia.

Part of the “Kurgan culture”:
Bug–Dniester (6000BC 6th millennium);
Samara (5th millennium);
Khvalynsk (5th millennium);
Dnieper–Donets (5th to 4th millennia);
Sredny Stog (mid-5th to mid-4th millennia);
Maikop–Deriivka (4500-3500BC mid-4th to mid-3rd millennia);
Yamnaya (Pit Grave): This is itself a varied cultural horizon, spanning the entire Pontic–Caspian steppe from the mid-4th to the 3rd millennium; and,
Usatovo culture (late 4th millennium).

“Kurgan” comes from the word for a type of burial mound found in this region
The culture, which is associated with these burial practices. Is believed to have been a warrior society, that spread its language and culture through migration, conquest, and assimilation.

According to the hypothesis, the spread of the Indo-European languages was driven by waves of migration
These migrations spread the Proto-Indo-European language across Europe and into parts of Asia. Starting around 4000 BC.

It explains the widespread distribution of Indo-European languages
There are common linguistic features, and landmarks found amongst.

Archaeological evidence supports
There are specific types of pottery, burial practices, and other cultural artifacts. As supporting ideas.

The Kurgan Hypothesis is not the only theory about the origins of Indo-European languages. Other hypotheses include the Anatolian Hypothesis, which suggests that the Indo-European languages spread from present-day Turkey (Anatolia). Through agricultural expansion around 7000–6000 BC. The Kurgan Hypothesis, however, remains one of the most widely accepted explanations among scholars.

Bibliography: Renfrew, Colin (1990). Archaeology and Language: The Puzzle of Indo-European Origins. CUP Archive. pp. 37–38. ISBN 978-0-521-38675-3

Jones-Bley, Karlene (2008). “Proceedings of the Eighteenth Annual Indo-European Conference, Los Angeles, November 3–4, 2006”. Historiographia Linguistica. 35 (3): 465–467.doi:10.1075/hl.35.3.15koe (https://doi.org/10.1075%2Fhl.35.3.15koe). ISSN 0302-5160 (https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0302-5160)