The family did not directly influence Proto - Indo - European in its steppe homeland .
Proto - Indo - European influenced individual branches in Central and Southeastern Europe ( Germanic , Celtic , Italic and Greek ) only during the Bronze and the Iron Ages .
The family did not directly influence Proto - Indo - European in its steppe homeland , but it influenced individual branches in Central and Southeastern Europe ( Germanic , Celtic , Italic and Greek ) only during the Bronze and the Iron Ages .