▁cast es ▁being ▁most ▁similar ▁to ▁Europe ans ▁whereas ▁lower ▁cast es ▁are ▁more ▁like ▁A si ans . ▁The ▁research ers ▁believe ▁that ▁the ▁Ind o - Europe an ▁speak ers ▁entered ▁India ▁from ▁the ▁North west , ▁mixing ▁with ▁or ▁disp la cing ▁proto - D rav id ian ▁speak ers , ▁and ▁may ▁have ▁established ▁a ▁cas te ▁system ▁with ▁themselves ▁primarily ▁in ▁higher ▁cast es . ▁ ▁Re ception ▁Supp or ters ▁of ▁the ▁hypothesis ▁include ▁sch ol ars ▁such ▁as ▁É mile ▁Ben ven iste , ▁Bernard ▁Ser gent ▁and ▁I ar oslav ▁Leb ed yn sky , ▁who ▁con cludes ▁that ▁" the ▁basic ▁idea ▁seems ▁proven ▁in ▁a ▁convin cing ▁way ". ▁ ▁The ▁hypothesis ▁was ▁emb rac ed ▁outside ▁the ▁field ▁of ▁Ind o - Europe an ▁studies ▁by ▁some ▁myth ograph ers , ▁anth rop olog ists , ▁and ▁histor ians ▁such ▁as ▁Mir ce a ▁El ia de , ▁Claude ▁Lé vi - St ra uss , ▁Marshall ▁S ahl ins , ▁Rod ney ▁Need ham , ▁Jean - Pierre ▁Vern ant ▁and ▁Georges ▁D uby . ▁ ▁On ▁the ▁other ▁hand , ▁Allen ▁con cludes ▁that ▁the ▁tri part ite ▁division ▁may ▁be ▁an ▁arte fact , ▁a ▁selection ▁effect ▁rather ▁than ▁an ▁organ izing ▁principle ▁used ▁in ▁the ▁soci eties ▁themselves . ▁Benjamin ▁W . ▁Fort son ▁reports ▁a ▁sense ▁that ▁Dum é zil ▁bl ur red ▁the ▁lines ▁between ▁the ▁three ▁functions ▁and ▁the ▁examples ▁that ▁he ▁gave ▁often ▁had