The study of Romance dialects, as well as the historical linguistics of all the Indo-European languages of Europe, is strictly dependent on the chronological picture hypothesised for the origins of IE. Given that today the conclusions drawn from the traditional IE theory based on the assumption of a Great Invasion during the Chalcolithic era have not simply been placed into doubt but are considered completely unacceptable by archaeology, it is necessary to take into consideration the consequences that two new alternative theories about IE Renfrews theory of Neolithic Dispersal and the theory of Continuity by Otte, Häusler and this author have on the study of Romance dialects
