The Alans or Alani (occasionally but more rarely termed Alauni or Halani) were an Iranian^[1][2] nomadic group among the Sarmatian people, warlike nomadic pastoralists of varied backgrounds, who spoke an Iranian language and to a large extent shared a common culture. The Iranian people are a collection of Ethnic groups defined along linguistic lines as speaking Iranian languages. The Sarmatians, Sarmatae or Sauromatae ( Old Iranian Sarumatah 'archer' Σαρμάτες Pastoralism or pastoral farming is the branch of Agriculture concerned with the raising of Livestock. The Iranian languages are a branch of the Indo-European language family and its subfamily Indo-Iranian. ^[3]

Name

The various forms of Alan — Greek: Αλανοί, Αλαννοί; Chinese: 阿蘭聊 Alanliao (Pinyin) in the 2nd century ^[4], 阿蘭 Alan (Pinyin) in the 3rd century ^[5] — and Iron (a self-designation of the Alans' modern Ossetian descendants, etymologically unrelated to the English name of the metal iron), indicating early tribal self-designation) are Iranian dialectical forms of Aryan^[6][7]. Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly Pinyin, more formally Hanyu pinyin, is the most common Standard Mandarin Romanization system in use Pinyin, more formally Hanyu pinyin, is the most common Standard Mandarin Romanization system in use The Ossetians (ирæттæ irættæ are an Iranic Ethnic group indigenous to Ossetia, a region that spans the Caucasus Mountains The Iranian languages are a branch of the Indo-European language family and its subfamily Indo-Iranian. Aryan is an English word derived from the Sanskrit " Ārya " meaning "noble" or "honorable" These and other variants of Aryan (such as Iran), were common self-designations of the Indo-Iranians, the common ancestors of the Indo-Aryans and Iranian peoples to whom the Alans belonged. Indo-Iranian peoples consist of the Indo-Aryan, Iranian, Dardic and Nuristani peoples that is speakers of Indo-Iranian languages The Iranian people are a collection of Ethnic groups defined along linguistic lines as speaking Iranian languages.

The Alans were also known over the course of their history by another group of related names including the variations Asi, As, and Os (Hungarian Jász, Russian Jasy, Georgian Osi). It is this name which is the root of the modern Ossetian. ^[8]

Timeline

Early Alans

The first mentions of names that historians link with the "Alani" appear at almost the same time in Greco-Roman geography and in the Chinese dynastic chronicles. ^[9]

The Geography (xxiii, 11. v) of Strabo (63/64 BC - ca. Strabo ( Greek: Στράβων 63/64 BC – ca AD 24 was a Greek historian, geographer and philosopher. 24 AD), who was born in Pontus on the Black Sea, but was also working with Persian sources, to judge from the forms he gives to tribal names, mentions Aorsi that he links with Siraces and claims that a Spadines, king of the Aorsi, could assemble two hundred thousand mounted archers in the mid-1st century BC. Geography The Black Sea region loosely called Pontus by various scholars has a steep rocky coast with rivers that cascade through the gorges of the coastal ranges The Black Sea is an inland Sea bounded by southeastern Europe, the Caucasus and the Anatolian peninsula ( Turkey The Persian Empire was a series of Iranian empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the original Persian homeland and beyond in Western Asia But the "upper Aorsi" from whom they had split as fugitives, could send many more, for they dominated the coastal region of the Caspian Sea

"and consequently they could import on camels the Indian and Babylonian merchandise, receiving it in their turn from the Armenians and the Medes, and also, owing to their wealth, could wear golden ornaments. The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged Sea. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Babylonia was an Amorite state in lower Mesopotamia (modern southern Iraq) with Babylon as its capital Armenia (Հայաստան transliterated: Hayastan,) officially the Republic of Armenia (Հայաստանի Հանրապետություն Hayastani The Medes were an ancient Iranian people who lived in the northwestern portions of present-day Iran. Now the Aorsi live along the Tanaïs, but the Siraces live along the Achardeüs, which flows from the Caucasus and empties into Lake Maeotis. The Don (Дон is one of the major rivers of Russia. It rises in the town of Novomoskovsk 60 Kilometres southeast from Tula, southeast Kuban River (Куба́нь ku'banʲ Adyghe: Псыж Psyzh) is a River in Russia, in the North Caucasus region The Caucasus ( also referred to as North Caucasus) is a geopolitical region located between Europe Asia & Middle East The Sea of Azov (Азо́вское мо́ре - Azovskoye more; Азо́вське мо́ре - Azovs'ke more, Azaq deñizi is the world's shallowest sea linked "

Chapter 123 of the Shiji (whose author, Sima Qian, died circa 90 BC) reports:

"Yancai lies some 2,000 li [832 km]^[10] northwest of Kangju. Early life and education Sima Qian was born and grew up in Longmen, near present-day Hancheng Shaanxi. Kangju (Chinese 康居 was the name of an ancient people and the kingdom they established in central Asia The people are nomads and their customs are generally similar to those of the people of Kangju. The country has over 100,000 archer warriors, and borders on a great shoreless lake". ^[11]

The mouth of the Syr Darya or Jaxartes River, which emptied into the Aral Sea was approximately 850 km northwest the oasis of Tashkent which was an important centre of the Kangju confederacy. Syr Darya (Сырдария Сирдарё Sirdaryoسيردريا also transliterated Syrdarya or Sirdaryo) is a River in Central Asia The Aral Sea ( Kazakh: Арал Теңізі Aral Tengizi, Orol dengizi Russian: Аральскοе мοре Tajik / Persian: Daryocha-i This provides remarkable confirmation of the account in the Shiji.

The Later Han Dynasty Chinese chronicle, the Hou Hanshu, 88 (covering the period 25-220 and completed in the 5th century), mentioned a report that the steppe land Yancai was now known as Alanliao (阿蘭聊):

"The kingdom of Yancai [literally "Vast Steppe"] has changed its name to the kingdom of Alanliao. The Han Dynasty ( 206 BC–220 AD followed the Qin Dynasty and preceded the Three Kingdoms in China. The Book of the Later Han ( is one of the official Chinese Historical works which was compiled by Fan Ye in the 5th century, using The 5th century is the period from 401 to 500 in accordance with the Julian calendar in Anno Domini / Common Era. They occupy the country and the towns. It is a dependency of Kangju (the Chu, Talas, and middle Jaxartes basins). Kangju (Chinese 康居 was the name of an ancient people and the kingdom they established in central Asia Syr Darya (Сырдария Сирдарё Sirdaryoسيردريا also transliterated Syrdarya or Sirdaryo) is a River in Central Asia The climate is mild. Wax trees, pines, and ‘white grass’ [aconite] are plentiful. Their way of life and dress are the same as those of Kangju. "^[12]

The 3rd century Weilüe states:

“Then there is the kingdom of Liu, the kingdom of Yan [to the north of Yancai], and the kingdom of Yancai [between the Black and Caspian Seas], which is also called Alan. The Weilüe ( Wade-Giles: Wei-lüeh written by Yu Huan ( between CE 239, the end of Emperor Ming’s reign and 265 CE the end They all have the same way of life as those of Kangju. Kangju (Chinese 康居 was the name of an ancient people and the kingdom they established in central Asia To the west, they border Da Qin [Roman territory], to the southeast they border Kangju [the Chu, Talas, and middle Jaxartes basins]. Daqin ( is the ancient Chinese name for the Roman Empire and the Near East. These kingdoms have large numbers of their famous sables. They raise cattle and move about in search of water and fodder. They are close to a large shoreless lake. Previously they were vassals of Kangju [the Chu, Talas, and middle Jaxartes basins]. Now they are no longer vassals. ”^[13]

By the beginning of the 1st century, the Alans had occupied lands in the northeast Azov Sea area, along the Don and by the 2nd century had amalgamated or joined with the Yancai of the early Chinese records to extend their control all the way along the trade routes from the Black Sea to the north of the Caspian and Aral seas. The 1st century was the Century that lasted from 1 to 100 according the Julian calendar. The Sea of Azov (Азо́вское мо́ре - Azovskoye more; Азо́вське мо́ре - Azovs'ke more, Azaq deñizi is the world's shallowest sea linked The Don (Дон is one of the major rivers of Russia. It rises in the town of Novomoskovsk 60 Kilometres southeast from Tula, southeast The Black Sea is an inland Sea bounded by southeastern Europe, the Caucasus and the Anatolian peninsula ( Turkey The written sources suggest that from the second half of the 1st to 4th century the Alans had supremacy over the tribal union and created a powerful confederation of Sarmatian tribes. As a means of recording the passage of Time, the 4th century (per the Julian calendar and Anno Domini / Common era) was that Century

From a Western point-of-view the Alans presented a serious problem for the Roman Empire, with incursions into both the Danubian and the Caucasian provinces in the 2nd and 3rd centuries. The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial The 3rd century is the period from 201 to 300 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era.

Main article: Massagetae

Ammianus Marcellinus considered the Alans to be the former Massagetae: "iuxtaque Massagetae Halani et Sargetae", "per Albanos et Massagetas, quos Alanos nunc appellamus", "Halanos pervenit, veteres Massagetas"; he stated that "Almost all of the Alans are tall and good looking; their hair is generally blond, and their eyes are frighteningly fierce"^[14], and elsewhere, "The Alans were a tall, blond people"^[15]. The Massageteans ( Massagetai; Massagetae or Massagetaeans were an Iranian people of antiquity known primarily from the writings of Herodotus Amiricanus Gambilinus (325/330-after 391 was a fourth-century Roman historian. The Massageteans ( Massagetai; Massagetae or Massagetaeans were an Iranian people of antiquity known primarily from the writings of Herodotus

Archaeology

Archaeological finds support the written sources. Late Sarmatian sites were first identified with the historical Alans by P. D. Rau (1927). Based on the archaeological material, they were one of the Iranian-speaking nomadic tribes that began to enter the Sarmatian area between the middle of the 1st and the 2nd century.

The Alani were first mentioned in Roman literature in the first century and were described later as a warlike people that specialized in horse breeding. They frequently raided the Parthian empire and the Caucasian provinces of the Roman Empire. Parthia ( Middle Persian: اشکانیان Ashkâniân) was an Iranian civilization situated in the northeastern part of modern Iran In the Vologeses inscription^[16] one can read that Vologeses, the Parthian king, in the 11th year of his reign, battled Kuluk, king of the Alani.

This inscription is supplemented by the contemporary Jewish historian, Josephus (37–100), who reports in the Jewish Wars (book 7, ch. Josephus (AD 37 – c 100 also known as Yosef Ben Matityahu (Joseph son of Matthias and after he became a Roman citizen, as Titus Flavius Josephus 8. 4) how Alans (whom he calls a "Scythian" tribe) living near the Sea of Azov, crossed the Iron Gates for plunder and defeated the armies of Pacorus, king of Media, and Tiridates, King of Armenia, two brothers of Vologeses I (for whom the above-mentioned inscription was made):

"4. In Classical Antiquity, Scythia ( Greek Skuthia) was the area in Eurasia inhabited by the Scythians, from the 8th The Sea of Azov (Азо́вское мо́ре - Azovskoye more; Азо́вське мо́ре - Azovs'ke more, Azaq deñizi is the world's shallowest sea linked Pacorus II of Parthia ruled the Parthian Empire from about 78 to 105 The Medes were an ancient Iranian people who lived in the northwestern portions of present-day Iran. Tiridates I ( Տրդատ Ա EA: Trdat I WA: Drtad I was King of Armenia beginning in AD 53 and the founder of the Arshakuni Dynasty The Kingdom of Armenia (or Greater Armenia) was an independent kingdom from 190 BC to AD 387 and a client state of the Roman and Persian empires until Vologases I of Parthia (in Persian Balash or Valakhsh ruled the Parthian Empire from about 51 to 78 Now there was a nation of the Alans, which we have formerly mentioned somewhere as being Scythians, and inhabiting at the Lake Meotis. The Sea of Azov (Азо́вское мо́ре - Azovskoye more; Азо́вське мо́ре - Azovs'ke more, Azaq deñizi is the world's shallowest sea linked This nation about this time laid a design of falling upon Media, and the parts beyond it, in order to plunder them; with which intention they treated with the king of Hyrcania; for he was master of that passage which king Alexander shut up with iron gates. The Medes were an ancient Iranian people who lived in the northwestern portions of present-day Iran. Hyrcania was the the name of a Satrapy located in the territories of present day Golestan, Mazandaran, Gilan and part of Turkmenistan The Darial Gorge (Дарьял დარიალის ხეობა Darielis Kheoba) is the gorge on the border between Russia and Georgia. Alexander the Great ( or, Mégas Aléxandros; July 20 356 BC June 10 or June 11 323 BC also known as Alexander III of Macedon (el Ἀλέξανδρος Γ' This king gave them leave to come through them; so they came in great multitudes, and fell upon the Medes unexpectedly, and plundered their country, which they found full of people, and replenished with abundance of cattle, while nobody durst make any resistance against them; for Pacorus, the king of the country, had fled away for fear into places where they could not easily come at him, and had yielded up everything he had to them, and had only saved his wife and his concubines from them, and that with difficulty also, after they had been made captives, by giving them a hundred talents for their ransom. The Medes were an ancient Iranian people who lived in the northwestern portions of present-day Iran. These Alans therefore plundered the country without opposition, and with great ease, and proceeded as far as Armenia, laying all waste before them. Now Tiridates was king of that country, who met them, and fought them, but had like to have been taken alive in the battle; for a certain man threw a net over him from a great distance, and had soon drawn him to him, unless he had immediately cut the cord with his sword, and ran away, and prevented it. So the Alans, being still more provoked by this sight, laid waste the country, and drove a great multitude of the men, and a great quantity of the other prey they had gotten out of both kingdoms, along with them, and then retreated back to their own country. "

Flavius Arrianus marched against the Alani in the first century and left a detailed report (Ektaxis kata Alanoon or 'War Against the Alans') that is a major source for studying Roman military tactics, but doesn't reveal much about his enemy. For others with this name see Arrianus (disambiguation. Lucius Flavius Arrianus 'Xenophon' (ca Military tactics ( Greek: Taktikē, the art of organizing an army are the techniques for using weapons or military units in combination for engaging and defeating In the late fourth century, Vegetius conflates Alans and Huns in his military treatise— Hunnorum Alannorumque natio, the "nation of Huns and Alans"— and collocates Goths, Huns and Alans, exemplo Gothorum et Alannorum Hunnorumque^[17]

The Alans in Gaul

Alan and Vandal migrations 4th–5th centuries. Publius Flavius Vegetius Renatus was a writer of the Later Roman Empire. Red: migrations; Orange: military expeditions; Yellow: settlement areas.

Around 370, the Alans were overwhelmed by the Huns. The Huns were an early confederation of Central Asian equestrian nomads or semi-nomads with a Turkic core of aristocracy They were divided into several groups, some of whom fled westward. A portion of these western Alans joined the Germanic tribes of Vandals and Sueves in their invasion of Roman Gaul. The Germanic peoples are a historical group of Indo-European -speaking peoples originating in Northern Europe and identified by their use of the Germanic The Suebi or Suevi (from Proto-Germanic * swēbaz based on the Proto-Germanic root * swē- meaning "one's own" Gaul (Gallia was the Roman name for the region of Western Europe comprising present day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western Gregory of Tours mentions in his Liber historiae Francorum ("The book of the history of the Franks") that the Alan king Respendial saved the day for the Vandals in an armed encounter with the Franks at the crossing of the Rhine on December 31, 406). Saint Gregory of Tours ( November 30, c 538 &ndash November 17, 594) was a Gallo-Roman historian and bishop of Tours Liber historiae Francorum ("The book of the history of the Franks " is a book that briefly starts as secondary source for early Franks in the The Franks or Frankish people (Franci or gens Francorum) were West Germanic tribes first identified in the 3rd century as an Ethnic group Respendial or Respindal was king of a group of Alans in western Europe in the early 5th century CE The Franks or Frankish people (Franci or gens Francorum) were West Germanic tribes first identified in the 3rd century as an Ethnic group The date 31 December 406, is the often-repeated date of the crossing of the Rhine by a mixed group of Barbarians that included Vandals, Alans Events 406 – Vandals, Alans and Suebians cross the Rhine, beginning an invasion of Gallia. Events By Place Western Roman Empire Roman legions in Britain mutiny against Honorius and select According to Gregory, another group of Alans, led by Goar, crossed the Rhine at the same time, but immediately joined the Romans and settled in Gaul. Goar (born before 390 died between 446 and 450 was a leader of the Alans in 5th century Gaul.

In Gaul, the Alans originally led by Goar were settled by Aetius in several areas, notably around Orléans and Valentia. This article is about the French city of Orléans for other meanings see Orleans (disambiguation. Valence ( Occitan Valença) is a commune in southeastern France, the capital of the department of Drôme, situated ^[18] Under Goar, they allied with the Burgundians led by Gundaharius, with whom they installed the usurping Emperor Jovinus. The Burgundians or Burgundes were an East Germanic tribe which may have emigrated from mainland Scandinavia to the island of Bornholm, whose Gunnar redirects here Gunnar is also a character from the 2000AD comic strip Rogue Trooper Gunther (Gundahar Jovinus is a Roman Cognomen, most often used for a 5th century Roman usurper emperor Under Goar's successor Sangiban, the Alans of Orléans played a critical role in repelling the invasion of Attila the Hun at the Battle of Chalons. Sangiban was a fifth-century Alan king at the time of Attila 's invasion of Gaul (451 After the fifth century, however, the Alans of Gaul were subsumed in the territorial struggles between the Franks and the Visigoths, and ceased to have an independent existence. Flavius Aëtius settled large numbers of Alans in and around Armorica in order to quell unrest. Aëtius is also the name of several other persons Flavius Aëtius or simply Aëtius, (c Armorica or Aremorica is the name given in ancient times to the part of Gaul that includes the Brittany Peninsula and the territory between the The Breton language name Alan (rather than the French Alain) and several towns with names related to 'Alan', such as Allainville and Alainville-en Beauce (Loiret), Allaines and Allainville (Eure-et-Loir), and Les Allains (Eure) are taken as evidence that a contingent settled in Armorica (Brittany), which retained a reputation for outstanding horsemanship with Gregory of Tours and into the Middle Ages, preferring to remain mounted to fight in contrast with all their neighbors, who dismounted in battle. The Breton language ( Brezhoneg) formerly often called Armoric or Armorican, is a Celtic language spoken by some of the inhabitants of Brittany Saint Gregory of Tours ( November 30, c 538 &ndash November 17, 594) was a Gallo-Roman historian and bishop of Tours ^[19]

The Alans in Hispania and Africa

Following the fortunes of the Vandals and Suevi into the Iberian peninsula (Hispania, comprising modern Portugal and Spain) in 409, the Alans led by Respendial settled in the provinces of Lusitania and Carthaginiensis: "Alani Lusitaniam et Carthaginiensem provincias, et Wandali cognomine Silingi Baeticam sortiuntur" (Hydatius). The Suebi or Suevi (from Proto-Germanic * swēbaz based on the Proto-Germanic root * swē- meaning "one's own" The Iberian Peninsula, or Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe, and includes modern day Spain, Portugal, Andorra Hispania was the name given by the Romans to the whole of the Iberian Peninsula (modern Portugal, Spain, Andorra, Gibraltar Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. This article concerns the Roman province For the ship see RMS Lusitania. Hispania was the name given by the Romans to the whole of the Iberian Peninsula (modern Portugal, Spain, Andorra, Gibraltar Hydatius or Idacius (c 400— c 469 Bishop of Aquae Flaviae in the Roman province of Gallaecia (almost certainly the modern The Siling Vandals settled in Baetica, the Suevi in coastal Gallaecia, and the Asding Vandals in the rest of Gallaecia. Hispania Baetica was one of three Imperial Roman provinces in Hispania, (modern Iberia) Gallaecia or Callaecia was the name of a Roman province that comprised

In 418 (or 426 according to some authors, cf. Events By place Roman Empire Foundation of the Visigothic Kingdom, Roman Emperor Honorius rewarded his Events By Place Europe King Gunderic of the Vandals becomes king of the Alans as well (approximate e. g. Castritius, 2007), the Alan king, Attaces, was killed in battle against the Visigoths, and this branch of the Alans subsequently appealed to the Asding Vandal king Gunderic to accept the Alan crown. Addac or Attaces (died 418 was king of the western Alans in Hispania (the Iberian Peninsula, modern Spain and Portugal The Visigoths (Visigothi, Wisigothi, Vesi, Visi, Wesi, or Wisi were one of two main branches of the Goths, an East Gunderic (379-428 King of the Vandals and Alans (407-428 led the Vandals, a Germanic tribe originally residing near the Oder The separate ethnic identity of Respendial's Alans dissolved. ^[20] Although some of these Alans are thought to have remained in Iberia, most went to North Africa with the Vandals in 429. The Iberian Peninsula, or Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe, and includes modern day Spain, Portugal, Andorra North Africa or Northern Africa is the Northernmost Region of the African Continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan Later Vandal kings in North Africa styled themselves Rex Wandalorum et Alanorum ("King of the Vandals and Alans").

There are some vestiges of the Alans in Portugal^[21], namely in Alenquer (whose name may be Germanic for the Temple of the Alans, from "Alen Ker", and whose castle may have been established by them; the Alaunt is still represented in that city's coat of arms), in the construction of the castles of Torres Vedras and Almourol, and in the city walls of Lisbon, where vestigies of their presence may be found under the foundations of the Church of Santa Luzia. The Alaunt is a now extinct Molosser Dog breed. A number of modern breeds are believed directly Torres Vedras ( pron 'toʁɨʃ 'vɛdɾɐʃ is a city and a municipality in the district of Lisbon, Portugal, about 50 km north of Lisbon. The Almourol Castle is situated in the small Almourol island,a rocky island in the middle of the Tagus river (rio Tejo) in Praia do Ribatejo Lisbon (Lisboa liʒˈboɐ is the Capital and largest city of Portugal.

In the Iberian peninsula the Alans settled in Lusitania and the Cartaginense provinces. This article concerns the Roman province For the ship see RMS Lusitania. They became known in retrospect for their massive hunting and fighting dog, the Alaunt, which they apparently introduced to Europe. The dog ( Canis lupus familiaris) is a domesticated Subspecies of the gray wolf, a Mammal of the Canidae family of the order The Alaunt is a now extinct Molosser Dog breed. A number of modern breeds are believed directly The breed is extinct, but its name is carried by a giant breed of dog still called Alano that survives in the Basque Country. Alano Español or Spanish Bulldog is a Spanish breed of Dog that derives its name The Basque Country ( Basque Euskadi, Spanish País Vasco) is an autonomous community in northern Spain. The dogs are traditionally used in boar hunting and cattle herding. The boar or wild boar ( Sus scrofa) is an Omnivorous, gregarious Mammal of the biological family Suidae. Cattle, colloquially referred to as cows, are domesticated Ungulates a member of the Subfamily Bovinae of the family

Modern genetic science's disclosure of the geographical distribution of historical genetic markers has convinced certain theorists of the connection between Sarmato-Alanic deep ancestral heritage in Europe and the Y-DNA paternal Haplogroup G (Y-DNA), specifically G2. A genetic marker is a known DNA sequence. It can be described as a variation which may arise due to mutation or alteration in the genomic loci that can be observed In Human genetics, a Human Y-chromosome DNA haplogroup is a Haplogroup defined by differences in the non- recombining portions of DNA from the In Human genetics, Haplogroup G (M201 is a Y-chromosome Haplogroup.

Alans and Slavs

Alan tribes living north of the Black Sea may have moved northwest into what is now Poland, merging with Slavic peoples there to become the precursors of historic Slav nations (notably Serbs and Croats). The Black Sea is an inland Sea bounded by southeastern Europe, the Caucasus and the Anatolian peninsula ( Turkey Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland Serbs ( Serbian: Срби Srbi) are a South Slavic people living in the Balkans and Central Europe, mainly in Serbia, Croats (Hrvati are a South Slavic people mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries Third-century inscriptions from Tanais, a town on the Don River in modern Russia, mention a nearby Alan tribe called the Choroatos or Chorouatos. Tanais ( Greek: Τάναϊς Tánaïs) is the ancient name for the River Don in Russia. The Don (Дон is one of the major rivers of Russia. It rises in the town of Novomoskovsk 60 Kilometres southeast from Tula, southeast Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending Croats (Hrvati are a South Slavic people mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries Croats (Hrvati are a South Slavic people mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries The historian Ptolemy identifies the 'Serboi' as a Sarmatian tribe who lived north of the Caucasus, and other sources identify the Serboi as an Alan tribe in the Volga-Don steppe in the third century. Claudius Ptolemaeus ( Greek: Klaúdios Ptolemaîos; after 83 &ndash ca The Sarmatians, Sarmatae or Sauromatae ( Old Iranian Sarumatah 'archer' Σαρμάτες The Caucasus ( also referred to as North Caucasus) is a geopolitical region located between Europe Asia & Middle East

Accounts of these names reappear in the fifth century, with the Serboi, or Serbs, established east of the river Elbe in what is now western Poland, and the Croats in what is now Polish Galicia. Serbs ( Serbian: Срби Srbi) are a South Slavic people living in the Balkans and Central Europe, mainly in Serbia, The Elbe ( die Elbe Low German: de Ilv) is one of the major Rivers of Central Europe. Croats (Hrvati are a South Slavic people mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries Galicia (Галичина ( Halychyna) Galicja is a historical region in East Central Europe, currently divided between Poland and Ukraine, The Alan tribes likely moved northeast and settled among the Slavs, dominating and mobilizing the Slavic tribes they encountered and later assimilating into the Slav population. In the seventh century the Serbs and Croats migrated into the western Balkans, supposedly at the invitation of the Eastern Roman Emperor Heraclius, and settled there among earlier Slavic migrants to become ancestors of the modern Serbs and Croats. Heraclius, or Herakleios (Flavius Heraclius Augustus;) (c 575 - February 11, 641) was a Byzantine Emperor, who ruled the East Some Serbs remained on the Elbe, and their descendants are the modern Sorbs. The Elbe ( die Elbe Low German: de Ilv) is one of the major Rivers of Central Europe. Sorbs (Serbja Serby also known as Wends, Lusatian Sorbs or Lusatian Serbs, are a Slavic people settled in Lusatia Tenth-century Byzantine and Arab accounts describe a people called the Belochrobati (White Croats) living on the upper Vistula, an area later called Chrobatia. The araB gene Promoter is a bacterial promoter activated by e L-arabinose binding White Croats ( Byelohravati) is the designation for one group of Slavic (Croatian tribes which migrated to Dalmatia (the coastal part of today's Croatia White Croats ( Byelohravati) is the designation for one group of Slavic (Croatian tribes which migrated to Dalmatia (the coastal part of today's Croatia White Croatia (also Chrobatia) is an ill-defined area said to lie somewhere in Central Europe, near Bavaria, beyond Hungary, and adjacent to

It's believed, that some Alans resettled to the North (Barsils), merging with Volga Bulgars and Burtas, eventually transforming to Volga Tatars^[22]

Medieval Alania

Map showing the location of Alans, c. The Baysi / Barsils were a semi- Nomadic Eurasian tribe probably of Turkic linguistic affiliation and possibly identical with the Bagrasik. Volga Bulgaria or Volga-Kama Bolghar, is an historic state that existed between the 7th and 13th centuries around the confluence of Burtas or Bortas (plural Bortaslar) were a tribe of uncertain ethnolinguistic affiliation inhabiting the Steppe region north of the Caspian Sea Volga Tatars are a Turkic people of Russia most of whom occupy the west central portion of the Ural Mountains. 650

Main article: Alania

Some of the other Alans remained under the rule of the Huns. Alania was a medieval kingdom of the Alans (proto- Ossetians) that flourished in the Northern Caucasus, roughly in the location of latter-day Circassia Those of the eastern division, though dispersed about the steppes until late medieval times, were forced by the Mongols into the Caucasus, where they remain as the Ossetians. The Ossetians (ирæттæ irættæ are an Iranic Ethnic group indigenous to Ossetia, a region that spans the Caucasus Mountains Between the ninth and twelfth centuries, they formed a network of tribal alliances that gradually evolved into the Christian kingdom of Alania. The 9th century is the period from 801 to 900 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era. Alania was a medieval kingdom of the Alans (proto- Ossetians) that flourished in the Northern Caucasus, roughly in the location of latter-day Circassia

In 1253, the Franciscan monk Guillaume de Rubrouck reported numerous Europeans in Central Asia. William of Rubruck (c 1220 in Rubrouck Flanders - c 1293 was a Flemish Franciscan missionary and explorer Numerous Europeans are known to have been in Medieval China during the second half of the 13th century and the first half of the 14th century (from 1246 to around 1350 at a time when It is also known that 30,000 Alans formed the guard of the Mongol court in Khanbaliq (Beijing). The Yuan Dynasty ( Pinyin: Yuáncháo Dai Ön Ulus (Дай Юан Улс was a ruling Dynasty founded by the Mongol leader Kublai Khanbaliq or Cambuluc / Cambaluc, also Kaan-baligh ("Great residence of the Khan " is the ancient Mongol name for the city John of Montecorvino, archbishop of Khanbaliq, reportedly converted many Alans to Roman Catholic Christianity. John of Montecorvino, or Giovanni Da/di Montecorvino in Italian also spelled Monte Corvino (1246 Montecorvino, Southern Italy - 1328 ^[23][24]

Religion, language, and later history

In the 4th–5th centuries the Alans were at least partially Christianized by Byzantine missionaries of the Arian church. As a means of recording the passage of Time, the 4th century (per the Julian calendar and Anno Domini / Common era) was that Century The 5th century is the period from 401 to 500 in accordance with the Julian calendar in Anno Domini / Common Era. Arianism is the theological teaching of Arius (c AD 250-336 who was ruled a heretic by the Christian church at the Council of Nicea. In the thirteenth century, fresh invading Mongol hordes pushed the eastern Alans further south into the Caucasus, where they mixed with native Caucasian groups and successively formed three territorial entities each with different developments. Around 1395 Timur's army invaded Northern Caucasus and massacred much of the Alanian population. Timur also written Emir Timur or Amir Temur ( Chagatai: تیمور - Tēmōr " Iron " (1336 – 19 February 1405 among The North Caucasus, also Ciscaucasus, Ciscaucasia or Forecaucasia, is the northern part of the Caucasus region between Europe

As the time went by, Digor in the west came under Kabard and Islamic influence. Kabarda or Kabard are terms referring to a people of the northern Caucasus more commonly known by the plural term Kabardin (or Kebertei For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. It was through the Kabardians (an East Circassian tribe) that Islam was introduced into the region in the 17th century. Kabarda or Kabard are terms referring to a people of the northern Caucasus more commonly known by the plural term Kabardin (or Kebertei Circassia, also known as Cherkessia in Russian is a region in Caucasia. For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. As a means of recording the passage of Time, the 17th Century was that Century which lasted from 1601 - 1700 in the Gregorian calendar Tuallag in the southernmost region, Georgian Samachablo, became once again part of what is now Georgia, and Iron, the northernmost group, came under Russian rule after 1767, which strengthened Orthodox Christianity considerably. Georgia ( საქართველო, Sakartvelo) is a Transcontinental country in the Caucasus region situated at the dividing line between Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending Year 1767 ( MDCCLXVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world Most of the Ossetes today are Eastern Orthodox Christians. The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world

The linguistic descendants of the Alans, who live in the autonomous republics of Russia and Georgia, speak the Ossetic language which belongs to the Northeastern Iranian language group and is the only remnant of the Scytho-Sarmatian dialect continuum which once stretched over much of the Pontic steppe and Central Asia. Ossetic or Ossetian (Ирон ӕвзаг Iron ævzag or Иронау Ironau) also sometimes called Ossete, is an Iranian The Eastern Iranian languages are a subgroup of the Iranian languages emerging in Middle Iranian times (from ca The Scythian languages form a North Eastern branch of the Iranian language family and comprise the distinctive languagesspoken by the Scythian ( Sarmatian A dialect continuum is a range of Dialects spoken across a large geographical area differing only slightly between areas that are geographically close and gradually decreasing The term Pontic-Caspian steppe summarizes the vast Steppelands stretching from north of the Black Sea as far as the east of the Caspian Sea, from central Central Asia is a region of Asia from the Caspian Sea in the west to central China in the east and from southern Russia in the north to northern Pakistan in the south Modern Ossetic has two major dialects: Digor, spoken in the western part of North Ossetia; and Iron, spoken in the rest of Ossetia. A third branch of Ossetic, Jassic (Jász), was formerly spoken in Hungary. Hungary (Magyarország 'mɔɟɔrorsaːg) officially in English the Republic of Hungary ( Magyar Köztársaság, literally Magyar (Hungarian Republic The literary language, based on the Iron dialect, was fixed by the national poet, Kosta Xetagurov (1859–1906). Iron (Ossetic Ирон Iron or Ирон ӕвзаг Iron ævzag) is one of the two main dialects of the Ossetic language. A national poet or national bard is a Poet held by tradition and popular acclaim to represent the identity beliefs and principles of a particular national Konstantin (Kosta Khetagati (Хетæгкаты Къоста &mdash) was a national poet of the Ossetian people who is generally regarded as the founder of the

Notes

References

• Agustí Alemany, Sources on the Alans: A Critical Compilation. Brill Academic Publishers, 2000 ISBN 90-04-11442-4
• Bernard S. Founded in 1683 in Leiden, The Netherlands, Brill (known as E Bachrach, A History of the Alans in the West, from their first appearance in the sources of classical antiquity through the early Middle Ages, University of Minnesota Press, 1973 ISBN 0-8166-0678-1
• Bachrach, Bernard S. The University of Minnesota Twin Cities ( U of M or The U) is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system. "The Origin of Armorican Chivalry." Technology and Culture, Vol. 10, No. 2. (Apr. , 1969), pp. 166–171.
• Castritius, H. 2007. Die Vandalen. Kohlhammer Urban.
• Golb, Norman and Omeljan Pritsak, Khazarian Hebrew Documents of the Tenth Century. Norman Golb (1928-) is the Ludwig Rosenberger Professor in Jewish History and Civilization at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago. Omeljan Pritsak ( 7 April 1919, Luka Sambir County eastern Galicia – May 29, 2006, Boston MA) was the first Mykhailo Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press, 1982.
• Hill, John E. 2003. "Annotated Translation of the Chapter on the Western Regions according to the Hou Hanshu. " 2nd Draft Edition. [3]
• Hill, John E. 2004. The Peoples of the West from the Weilüe 魏略 by Yu Huan 魚豢: A Third Century Chinese Account Composed between 239 and 265 CE. Draft annotated English translation. [4]
• Yu, Taishan. 2004. A History of the Relationships between the Western and Eastern Han, Wei, Jin, Northern and Southern Dynasties and the Western Regions. Sino-Platonic Papers No. 131 March, 2004. Dept. of East Asian Languages and Civilizations, University of Pennsylvania.

See also

• Migrations period
• Ossetians

External links

• Strabo and Hou Han Shureferences discussed
• Caucasus Foundation: Caucasus Today: Ossets
• Brief histories of the pre-Imperial Iranian peoples, Dr Oric Basirov
• The Alans Timeline