The North European hypothesis was a linguistic and archaeological theory that tried to explain the spread of the Indo-European languages in Eurasia from an original homeland (Urheimat) located in southern Scandinavia or in the North German Plain. This hypothesis, advanced by Karl Penka, Hermann Hirt, Gustaf Kossinna and others, had some success in the late nineteenth century and the early twentieth century, being endorsed by National Socialism, but is today considered outdated by the majority of the academics, who tend to favor the Kurgan hypothesis.