In the later part of the eighteenth century many European scholars felt curious to know about civilisations and countries of the East. These scholars who studied the Indian Civilization had respect and admiration for it. They were known as ‘Orientalists’.
They studied similarities between Sanskrit and some of the European languages, focussing more on Vedic traditions and Sanskrit literature. It resulted in the notion that an ancient language could be the mother of all Indo-European languages. Notable Orientalist scholars are Friedrich Max Muller and William Jones.
