Hindi, Greek, English and many other European and Indian languages descend from one ancestor, Proto-Indo-European, spoken perhaps 8,000 years ago. Its words were never written down, so linguists reconstruct them by comparing descendant languages. The proof came from systematic sound matches: Sanskrit bhrātṛ (brother) lines up with Germanic b-, and Sanskrit p- matches Latin and Greek p- but Germanic f-. Such regular patterns, rather than coincidence or borrowing, point to a common origin. Reconstructed words like *wogh-no (wagon) and *gwou (cattle) suggest its speakers herded animals and used wheeled transport.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.