The history of the origin of the Ossetian people. Ossetians. Distribution by language groups

OSSETIANS

Ossetians are the descendants of the ancient Alans, Sarmatians and Scythians. However, according to a number of well-known historians, the presence of the so-called local Caucasian substratum in the Ossetians is also obvious. At present, Ossetians mostly inhabit the northern and southern slopes of the central part of the main Caucasian ridge. Geographically, they form the Republic of North Ossetia - Alania (area - about 8 thousand square kilometers, the capital - Vladikavkaz) and the Republic of South Ossetia (area - 3.4 thousand square kilometers, the capital - Tskhinvali).

Despite the geographical and administrative division in both parts of Ossetia, a single people lives, with the same culture and language. The separation took place by a strong-willed decision from the Kremlin in 1922, without any consideration of the opinion of the Ossetians themselves. According to this decision, North Ossetia was assigned to Russia, and South Ossetia - to Georgia. For seven decades, if you do not take into account the feelings of the poor stepdaughter and attempts to instill Georgian culture and language, the citizens of South Ossetia did not experience any particular inconvenience from this division, since they lived in a single family of fraternal peoples of the USSR.

But times have changed. Russia and Georgia have become separate states with very strained relations. The Ossetians found themselves on opposite sides of the state border. Moreover, even many families whose members live in different parts of Ossetia have become divided. But more on that below.

At present, the total number of Ossetians in the world is about 640-690 thousand people. Of these (according to unofficial data) live:

In North Ossetia - 420-440 thousand people

In South Ossetia - 70 thousand people

In the republics and regions of Russia - 60-80 thousand people

In Georgia - 50-60 thousand people

In the states in the territory former USSR- 20-30 thousand people,

In Turkey and Syria - 11-12 thousand people,

In Europe, America, Australia - about 12-15 thousand people.

Ossetia borders: in the east - with the Republic of Ingushetia, in the northeast - with Chechnya, in the west and northwest - with the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, in the south - with Georgia and in the north - with the Stavropol Territory.

The nature of Ossetia is rich and varied: sultry steppes, flourishing foothill plains, the peaks of the Caucasus Mountains, the highest in Europe, eternally covered with ice, deep gorges and swift rivers.

Ossetians are a people, due to their uniqueness (the absence of related peoples close in language and culture), which has long attracted the close attention of Russian and well-known foreign historians and researchers of the Caucasus, such as Miller, Shegren, Klaproth, Vernardsky, Dumezil, Bahrakh, Sulimirsky, Littleton, Bailey, Cardini, Abaev, Rostovtsev, Kuznetsov and many others.

The history of Ossetia from the Alans, Sarmatians and Scythians to the present day is quite well described in the books of many reputable scientists, and in particular M. Bliev and R. Bazrov "History of Ossetia", as well as in the preface cited in this section, academician M. Isaev "Alans . Who are they?" to the Russian edition of the book "Alans in the West" by Bernard S. Bahrakh. This book itself (“A history of the Alans in the West”, by Bernard S. Bachrach)* brightly illuminates the history of the Western Alans, who settled in large numbers in the countries of Western and Central Europe, and left a noticeable mark on the development of the culture of the peoples of these countries, from the British Isles and northern Italy to the Balkan countries and Hungary. There, the descendants of the Alans (Asses) later formed a separate Iasi region, preserving the culture and language of their ancestors for many centuries. By the way, most studies of the history of the Western Alans completely refute the theories of some North Caucasian historians that the Alans were not Iranian-speaking. The Iranian-linguality of the Western Alans is recognized without much effort.

Throughout its history, the Ossetian people went through periods from rapid prosperity, strengthening of power and huge influence in the first millennium of our era, to almost complete catastrophic extermination during the invasions of the Tatars - the Mongols and the lame Timur in the 13-14 centuries. The comprehensive catastrophe that befell Alania led to the mass destruction of the population, undermining the foundations of the economy, and the collapse of statehood. The miserable remnants of the once powerful people (according to some sources, no more than 10-12 thousand people) were locked up in the high mountain gorges of the Caucasus Mountains for almost five centuries. During this time, all "external relations" of the Ossetians were reduced only to contacts with the closest neighbors. However, there is no evil without good. According to scientists, largely due to this isolation, the Ossetians have preserved their unique culture, language, traditions and religion almost in their original form.

Centuries passed and the people rose from the ashes, grew noticeably in numbers. And by the first half of the 18th century, due to the tightness, severity and limited conditions of the highlands and the difficult geopolitical situation in the region, the Ossetian people faced the urgent need to join Russia and resettlement to the flat lands. Through elected ambassadors - representatives of various Ossetian societies, a corresponding petition was sent to St. Petersburg addressed to Empress Elizabeth Petrovna. After the defeat of Turkey in the Russian-Turkish war of 1768-1774. Russia's influence in the region increased markedly and it was able to act more decisively than before in the implementation of its colonial goals in the Caucasus. And following the conclusion of the Kuchuk-Kainarji peace treaty in 1974, it was decided to join Ossetia to Russian Empire. However, the administrative subordination of Ossetia at first had a formal character. And the people continued to maintain independence from the Russian administration for a long time. In the Ossetian gorges, uprisings like Digorsky in 1781 broke out every now and then, which were of a national liberation character.

However, in general, joining Russia was in the national interests of Ossetia. It brought closer the solution of such important issues as resettlement to the foothill plains, ensuring external security and the establishment of trade relations in Russia.

Over the next 100-150 years, hundreds of educated teachers, educators, writers, military leaders, statesmen and public figures grew up in Ossetia. Most of them received a good education in St. Petersburg, Moscow and other major Russian cities. By the beginning of the last century, there were already dozens of Ossetian military generals, and thousands of officers awarded the highest military awards of Russia. Faithfully, with Alanian honor, they defended the interests of the Fatherland throughout, from the Far East to the Balkans and Turkey.

Years passed and the political events of the beginning of the 20th century dealt a new blow to our people, as well as to all other peoples of the country. The revolution of 1917 and the civil war that followed it split the Ossetian society into hostile irreconcilable camps for a long time. They significantly undermined the foundations of intra-social relationships, foundations and traditions. Often on different sides of the barricades were neighbors, relatives, and even members of the same family. Many advanced people of their time were killed in battles, others emigrated abroad forever. Well, the greatest damage to Ossetian culture was inflicted during the well-known repressions of the 30-40s, when the color of the nation was almost completely destroyed.

The famous Alanian military art and craving for feats of arms did not go down in history with them. Through the centuries, they were reborn in their descendants, for whom military service and the defense of the Fatherland have always been in special honor. The craving for officer service is manifested in Ossetians from early childhood. And the fact that this project includes information about 79 generals and admirals of the Soviet period and modern Russia convincingly confirms this conclusion.

Most clearly, the Ossetian people showed their best qualities, inherited from proud ancestors, during the Second World War.

With a total population of 340 thousand people in 1941:

90 thousand Ossetians left to defend their homeland from the fascist invaders.

46 thousand of them died in the battles for the freedom and independence of our Motherland.

34 Ossetians became Heroes Soviet Union. This is the highest figure in relation to the total population, among all the peoples of the USSR (See the table in the "Heroes of the Soviet Union" section).

More than 50 people became generals and admirals

The Ossetian Gazdanov family lost all 7 on the war fronts

Two families lost 6 sons each,

In 16 families, 5 sons did not return from the war,

52 Ossetian families lost 4 sons in this war,

The defeat of the fascist troops in the Caucasus began with their defeat in fierce battles on the outskirts of Vladikavkaz in the winter of 1942, and the liberation of the regions of North Ossetia occupied by the Nazis.

In the ranks of the commanders of the Red Army, dozens of military generals - Ossetians fought bravely. The most famous of them are twice Hero of the Soviet Union Army General Issa Pliev, Hero of the Soviet Union, Army General Georgy Khetagurov, Hero of the Soviet Union, Colonel General, one of the most prominent Soviet intelligence officers, who was called the father of Soviet special forces, Khadzhi-Umar Mamsurov and commander famous Soviet air aces, Hero of the Soviet Union, Major General Ibragim Dzusov.

The post-war period in the history of Ossetia is characterized by the rapid development of industry, economy, agriculture, culture and sports. Thanks to the rich natural resources, in Ossetia, such large enterprises of the mining and processing industries as the Sadonsky and Kvaisinsky lead-zinc plants, the Electrozinc and Pobedit plants, whose products were widely used in the country and abroad, the Tskhinvali plants "Emalprovod" and "Vibromashina" , the Alagir resistance plant, the largest Beslan maize plant in Europe, the Kazbek furniture company, a number of large electronics enterprises, etc.

The capital of the Republic of North Ossetia - Alania, Vladikavkaz (population - a little over 300 thousand people) is one of the most beautiful cities in the region, a cultural, economic and transport center. Here, as well as throughout the republic, people of many nationalities live in peace and harmony. Vladikavkaz is famous for its prestigious higher educational institutions, including the North Ossetian State University named after K.L. Khetagurov, Gorsky State Agrarian University, North Caucasian State University of Technology, North Ossetian State Medical Academy, higher military schools and others. The cultural life of Ossetia is varied and rich. There are several state theaters, a philharmonic society, the state academic ensemble of folk dance "Alan", the equestrian theater "Narty", known in the country and abroad.

Ossetian culture and art have given the country and the world such famous people, as one of the best conductors in the world, head of the St. Petersburg Mariinsky Theater Valery Gergiev, the world's first female conductor, People's Artist of the USSR Veronika Dudarova, soloist of the Bolshoi Ballet, People's Artist of the USSR Svetlana Adyrkhaeva, the Kantemirov dynasty of circus artists, headed by the founder Soviet equestrian and circus art Alibek Kantemirov, theater and film artists, People's Artists of the USSR Vladimir Tkhapsaev and Nikolai Salamov, famous pop singers Felix Tsarikati and Akim Salbiev and many others.

At competitions of the highest rank, Ossetian athletes glorify their homeland in freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling, judo, karate, tae kwon do, weightlifting, arm wrestling, football, rhythmic gymnastics and many other sports. Ossetians are rightfully proud of 12 champions Olympic Games, several dozen champions of the world, Europe, the USSR and post-Soviet Russia.

So at the last Olympics in 2004 in Athens, Ossetians won four gold, two silver and two bronze medals. This result is truly unique for a people of less than 700 thousand people and is unlikely to be surpassed anywhere in the world in the foreseeable future.

The achievements of representatives of Ossetia in various fields of science and economics are truly invaluable. Suffice it to mention one of the pillars of world aerodynamics and rocket technology, Grigory Tokati, who worked on NASA space programs in England and the USA, Vaso Abaev, the well-known patriarch of Russian linguistics and Iranian studies in the scientific world, the captain of the Arktika nuclear-powered ship, Yuri Kuchiev, who conquered the North Pole for the first time in the world, Taimuraz Bolloev, former General Director of the Baltika Brewing Concern.

Today's Ossetia is developing, establishing contacts, achieving success in all areas and looking to the future with hope, praying to God for peace, tranquility and prosperity.

About interethnic conflicts.

Together with all the positive things described above, not everything is so cloudless over the sky of Ossetia, as the Ossetians themselves wish.

In the early 90s of the last century, the nationalists who came to power in Georgia led a policy of ousting the Ossetian population, and then under the slogan "Georgia for Georgians!" unleashed a new bloody conflict on the territory of South Ossetia, intending to repeat the acts of the Ossetian genocide of 1920. By his decree of December 11, 1990, the then leader of Georgia, Z. Gamsakhurdia, abolished the South Ossetian Autonomous Region. South Ossetians, by way of a referendum, decided to secede from Georgia and form the Republic of South Ossetia. Georgian armed formations invaded the territory of South Ossetia and began to “put things in order” in their own way. Later, having received a worthy answer, they went home, sowing poisonous seeds of hatred and distrust between peoples for a long time. The war was short, but with a large number of victims, including among the civilian population. The Ossetian people will never forget their sons who died at the hands of national chauvinists while defending their Motherland. He will not forget the brutally tortured civilians, the shooting by Georgian militants of a bus with old people, women and children on the Zar road, as well as other acts of monstrous crimes against our people. The thoughtless, great-power chauvinistic policy of the Georgian leadership has led to the emergence of hatred and irreconcilable discord between the once most friendly peoples in the region. But in spite of everything, the Ossetians do not see the enemy in the Georgian people. They know that years will pass, history will send national chauvinists of various stripes to the dustbin, and ordinary people will live the way their ancestors lived for centuries - in peace and harmony, helping each other.

The events of those days were widely covered in the press and in other materials. And in this brief historical review there is no way to describe everything in detail.

Years have passed. Leaders have changed both in Georgia and Russia, as well as in Ossetia. But the conflict has not yet been resolved. The new Georgian leadership, as in the past, is pursuing a policy of fighting separatism by any available means, including through threats, blockades, political pressure through third countries, and organizations, in particular the United States and the OSCE. At the same time, it is increasingly moving away from Russia, which for many years has been the guarantor of stability, peace and prosperity in the region.

The Ossetian side resolutely and irrevocably took a course towards the restoration of historical justice * - reunification with its brothers in North Ossetia as part of Russian Federation and, having survived three waves of genocide (in 1920, 1990 and 2004) does not intend to return to the administrative bosom of Georgia. In 2004, the leadership of the Republic sent a petition to the State Duma of the Russian Federation for the admission of South Ossetia to Russia. To date, the question remains open, the problems are unresolved, and the conflict is smoldering.

Separatism rarely brings positive results. And at first glance, the Georgian leadership has the right to fight the separatism of their former regions. But this is only at first glance, since the intentions of the people of South Ossetia cannot be called separatist for two reasons.

Firstly, the Ossetian people, having lived on this land for many centuries, never expressed a desire to be part of Georgia, and was attached to it only by a strong-willed decision of the then leaders of the Soviet state, without taking into account the opinion of the Ossetians themselves. Prior to this, there was not a single state-legal act that would have fixed the belonging of South Ossetia to Georgia. The age-old claims of the princes Machabeli and Eristavi to the possession of this territory, as well as the frequent complicity of the Russian elite, have never been recognized by the people of Ossetia.

Secondly, every nation has the right to be “undivided” and choose its own destiny. The artificially divided peoples of Germany, Vietnam and other states were reunited. And by force, political pressure or blockade to keep one people on different sides of the state border is nothing but a crime against this people.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, a no less difficult situation developed in North Ossetia. In the 1990s, interethnic problems and contradictions, which had been accumulating and driven deep into the depths for decades, in the face of the weakening of the central government, began to result in conflicts on ethnic grounds between the Ossetians and their closest neighbors in the east - the Ingush. The reason for them was several villages in the Prigorodny district of North Ossetia, inhabited by a mixed Ossetian-Ingush population and for 6 decades being a disputed territory between the two peoples. The history of these villages dates back to the time of the mountaineers' migration to the plain. In the same years, the settlement of the North Caucasus with Russian Cossacks began, carried out by the tsarist authorities to maintain order and pacify the local peoples. These disputed villages were basically founded by the Terek Cossacks. The Cossacks lived prosperously, freely, and when the years of the revolution came and civil war, they for the most part sided with the white guard, fighting against the communists. In response, local communist leaders, led by Lenin's ally, the "fiery" Sergo Ordzhonikidze, began to incite the Ingush to punitive operations against the Cossack population. There were quite a lot of raids on their villages in order to force the Cossacks beyond the Terek and seize land (see the article about Georgy Bicherakhov in the section "Ossetians Abroad"). The Ingush tried in every possible way to eliminate the "strips" of Cossack lands on their territory in order to strengthen their influence in the "rounded" territories. In the end, in 1922, the Ingush, together with the soldiers of the Red Army, managed to implement this idea and settle in these villages for 22 years. Such is the history of the territories now called by the Ingush side "primordially - Ingush".

In 1944, on the part of the central Soviet government, there was an absolutely no less serious crime, but already against the Ingush, Chechens and some other peoples. For, mass desertion from the ranks of the Red Army and support for banditry in the rear, these peoples, in a matter of hours, were completely loaded into freight wagons and deported to the barren steppes of Kazakhstan. Many innocent people died along the way, including frail old people, women and children. For a small Ingush people, this resettlement was almost catastrophic. Severe conditions and the struggle for survival from scratch have delayed for a long time the formation of statehood, the development of education, culture and other spheres of life. At the same time, Ossetians were almost forcibly relocated to the territory of the former Ingushetia from the mountainous regions of South and North Ossetia.

In 1957, the already new Kremlin leadership, headed by Nikita Khrushchev, decided to correct the mistakes of their predecessors and returned the repressed peoples to their historical homeland. With the return of the Ingush, the Ossetians, who had managed to settle down in a new place (some had already managed to build new houses in 12 years), were forced to leave it and start everything from scratch, settling in wastelands on the outskirts of other settlements in North Ossetia. At the same time, part of the Prigorodny district was not returned to Chechen-Ingushetia, mainly those villages that were taken from the Cossacks in 1922 and from the Ossetians in 1926. This territory was left under the jurisdiction of North Ossetia. In return, three regions of the Stavropol Territory were annexed to Checheno-Ingushetia.

This part of the Prigorodny district became the cause of the outbreak of a bloody conflict between North Ossetia and Ingushetia. Tension has been building for a long time, now and then baring its teeth. So in the autumn of 1981 in Ordzhonikidze (now Vladikavkaz), after the murder of a young taxi driver by the Ingush, mass unrest broke out, brutally suppressed by special forces with a large number of victims and several victims. After such facts, the central authorities in Moscow, without delving into the essence of the problem, usually tried to treat the symptoms of the disease, driving the disease itself deep inside.

About how, sent from Moscow by the new leader of the republic, V. Odintsov, this “treatment” was carried out in North Ossetia, history has yet to say its weighty word. Out of a desire to rise and make a name for himself, allegedly by putting things in order, in a short time in the republic by the hands of visiting heads of law enforcement agencies, with a dubious reputation, and local servants, Odintsov created a situation similar to the years of repression of the 30s. Through trumped-up accusations and other unworthy methods, many major leaders were arrested, including a number of those who enjoyed great prestige and respect among the people. They stood in the way of the rampant lawlessness of Odintsovo and paid the price for it. And although, after several months, after thorough checks by the authoritative commissions of the Prosecutor General's Office, justice prevailed and all those illegally accused were fully acquitted, the harm done to the people of Ossetia over the years was already irreparable. Unfortunately, today's younger generation does not know the truth about the facts of lawlessness and repressions committed in North Ossetia in those years, because very little has been written about this period in the history of Ossetia.

The years of Odintsovo's rule deepened and aggravated the Ossetian-Ingush contradictions as well. Those who were at the head of the republic cared little about the real relationship between the two peoples. It was important for them to use force to create an outer shell of well-being and report to Moscow that order in this matter had been restored by heroic efforts. Time has shown that the creation of the most favored nation regime for representatives of one people living in the territory of another was an additional detonator for subsequent bloody events.

Signed by B. Yeltsin in June 1992, at first glance, the humane and fair “Law on the Rehabilitation of Repressed Peoples”, having neither a constitutional basis nor a mechanism for implementation, became only a catalyst in the aggravation of Ossetian-Ingush relations. In villages with a mixed population, armed skirmishes, murders, and robberies became more frequent. On the squares of the then capital of Ingushetia - the city of Nazran, thousands of rallies were held every now and then demanding the return of these several villages and the right-bank part of Vladikavkaz by any means, including military actions. There were open threats against the Ossetians. In this situation of impending danger, the leadership of North Ossetia has set a course for a comprehensive strengthening of the defense capability and preparation to repel possible aggression. The situation escalated to the limit.

After a series of mutual "exchanges of bloody courtesies", on the night of October 30-31, 1992, Ingush military formations, consisting of mobile, well-armed detachments, crossed the border of North Ossetia and began fighting to seize the villages of the Prigorodny district. They were joined by many residents of North Ossetia of Ingush nationality. In these villages, Ossetian houses were set on fire, property and cattle began to be taken out, vehicles of Ossetians, as well as enterprises, were stolen. At the slightest resistance, people were destroyed. The first to fight were the employees of the Chermen settlement police department, but the forces were unequal. The surviving, wounded policemen were pelted with anti-tank grenades, and the disfigured corpses lay under the rubble of the building for several days. Another atrocious crime was committed in the village of Kartsa, where 25 Ossetian hostages were shot by the Ingush in a local club. And these were far from isolated cases.

The suddenness of the blow played its part. In 2-3 days Ingush militants advanced 10-15 km and reached the outskirts of Vladikavkaz. In these bloody days for Ossetia, more than 100 people were killed, a large number of the civilian population was taken and taken to Ingushetia as hostages. Many went missing and their fate is unknown to this day. Many Ossetian houses were destroyed and burned in the occupied villages of the Prigorodny district. All these events stirred up the people, caused a reciprocal rage and a thirst for revenge for what they had done. Thousands of young people rushed to defend the republic from all settlements, joining the National Guard, the people's militia and the forces of the Ministry of the Interior, which were previously created in case of aggression. A well-armed and combat-experienced battalion of 400-500 men arrived from South Ossetia to help the brothers. Under the menacing pressure of the indignant masses, the army leadership also provided some assistance in arming the militias and law enforcement agencies of the republic (see the article about G. Kantemirov in the section "Generals and Admirals"). All this had its effect, and by the end of the new week, the entire territory of the Prigorodny district was cleared of the attackers. Anger for what they had done, in some cases, overflowed and there were noticeably more victims from the Ingush side. Moreover, for the sake of justice, it must be admitted that due to the high intensity of the fire and the use of heavy weapons, among these victims were also civilians.

Earlier, Russian troops were brought into the conflict zone, which, having taken a neutral position, entered the battle only in response to acts of direct attack on them. By November 5, the troops took up positions between the opposing sides in order to prevent a further escalation of hostilities.

The results of this, the first on the territory of Russia, armed conflict are sad for both the Ossetians and the Ingush.

-A total of 546 people died (including 105 Ossetians and 407 Ingush)

About a thousand people were injured and maimed

Hundreds of hostages were taken, which were then mostly exchanged between the parties to the conflict.

In the war zone, many houses and buildings, both Ingush and Ossetian, were completely destroyed.

Almost the entire Ingush population of the Prigorodny district and Vladikavkaz (more than 30 thousand people) left their homes and became refugees for a long time.

Over the past 14 years, most refugees have returned to their villages. They were allocated land for the construction of new homes, cash loans and compensation. But the problem of the Prigorodny district is raised by the Ingush side again and again, not allowing the tension to ease. The Ossetian side rejects any options for redrawing the existing borders, in view of the fact that for more than 60 years, by the will of fate, Ossetians have been living in these villages. More than one generation has been born of those for whom this land is their homeland, and they have no other. And they are determined to defend it resolutely from any encroachment.

In the Caucasus, all conflicts have always been resolved peacefully through dialogue between people, between peoples. So far this dialogue between Ossetians and Ingush has not been achieved. And the bloody events that are played out every now and then in many ways contribute to the strengthening of distrust and hostility between neighboring peoples. One of these events was an explosion in the crowded central market of Vladikavkaz on March 19, 1999, arranged by 4 young Ingush - residents of the Prigorodny district. Then 52 people died on the spot and another 168 people were injured, mostly women, old people, students. Subsequently, a number of explosions were carried out in the markets and other crowded places in the capital of North Ossetia, in which many people also died.

But the most monstrous and inhumane act that stirred up the whole world was the seizure of the Beslan secondary school on September 1, 2004. Early in the morning on Knowledge Day, large group armed to the teeth, having entered from the territory of Ingushetia in a truck, surrounded the school with children, teachers and parents and, locking them in the school gym, held them hostage for three days, without food or drink. Many of the children, unable to withstand hunger and stuffiness, ate flowers, traditionally brought for teachers, drank their own urine, and lost consciousness. Immediately after the capture, many young people were shot. The bandits brought suicide bombers with them, stuffed the entire building of the school with mines. After the explosion of two of them, a chaotic assault began. In these most mournful days for the Ossetian people over the past few decades, 331 hostages died, of which 186 were children of different ages, from one to 16 years old. The monsters encroached on the most sacred thing for every nation - children, our future.

According to the official version today, almost all of them, except for one, were destroyed during the assault. But those who organized and planned this act of intimidation with the aim of unleashing a big war in the North Caucasus are still alive. For some reason, they are still at large and threaten with new terror.

It is rightly said that bandits have no nationality. But at the same time, the fact that the vast majority of the identified militants turned out to be Ingush cannot hide anywhere. And Ossetians are unlikely to be able to force themselves to close their eyes to this in the near future and extend a hand of friendship towards Ingushetia. Moreover, so far from that side, neither at the official nor at the national level, not a word of repentance has been sounded for those who came to Beslan to kill children.

Years will pass and generations will change before the pain of wounds and losses subsides. Before all people understand that peace and tranquility in the region is vital for all peoples and every person. Before wisdom triumphs over ambition, political and national adventurism.

*The Russian edition of this book is printed in the library of the magazine "Daryal"

Review prepared by R. Kuchiev

September 2005

List of some interesting books on the history of the Scythians, Alans, Ossetians:

1. Scythians. Grakov V.M. (Russian)

2. To the problem of the genesis of the Ossetian Nart epic. Guriev T.A (rus)

3. Ossetians. B.A. Kaloev (rus)

4. A grammatical sketch of Ossetic./ by V.I. Abaev. Edited by Herbert H. Paper, Translated by Steven P. Hill,

5. A history of the Alans in the West. / by Bernard S. Bachrach

6. The Sarmatians./ by T. Sulimirsky

7. The world of the Scythians./ by Renate Rolle

8. Iranians and Greeks in South Russia./ by M. Rostovtsev

9. The Scythians./ by Tamara Talbot Rice

10.From Scythia to Camelot./ by C.Scott Littleton&Linda A.Malcor

11.Alle Radici Della Cavalleria Medievale. / by Franco Cardini (in Italian)

12.Searching For The Scythians/ by Mike Edwards/ National Geographic, September 1996

13. Alans in Gaul. / by Bernard S. Bachrach

14. Sources on the Alans. A critical compilation./ by Agusti Alamany

15. The Sarmatians 600 BC - AD 450. / by R. Brzezinski & M. Mielczarek

16. The Scythians 700-300 BC / by Dr. E.V. Cernenko

Ossetian people is the result of a mixture of the ancient Iberian population of the Caucasus and the Alans, the descendants of the inhabitants of the Eurasian steppe.
In the X-III millennia BC. Europe was inhabited by Iberian peoples who carried the Y-haplogroup G2. They were brown-eyed (blue-eyed people appeared later), had brown hair and did not digest dairy food. By occupation, they were goat herders - they ate goat meat, and dressed in goat skins.
After the invasion of Europe by the Indo-Europeans, the Iberians, who had previously been tied to the mountainous and foothill regions because of the goats living there, remained mountaineers. Now their descendants are distributed only in the Pyrenees and on the islands of the Mediterranean. The only place where the Iberians survived in large numbers is the Caucasus. As arable land, due to the mountainous terrain, no one needed it, except for the carriers of the G2 haplogroup themselves, who were just tied to mountain pastures.
It is this haplogroup that prevails among Ossetians. However, it prevails not only among them. It is most common among Svans (91%) and Shapsugs (81%). Among Ossetians, 69.6% of men are its carriers.
Many of our readers ask why Ossetians, whose language is considered a descendant of Alanian, have a Caucasian haplogroup, while Alans- the descendants of the Scythians and Sarmatians - should have had the haplogroup R1a1. The fact is that Ossetians are descendants not so much of the Alans as of the Alans - carriers of the mitochondrial haplogroup H. The male part of the Alans was completely exterminated by Tamerlane, and the remaining women intermarried with Caucasian autochthons. It was they who gave the Ossetians the Y-haplogroup G2.
As you know, children speak the language of their mothers. That's why Ossetians and preserved the Aryan language. The Ossetian language belongs to the Iranian branch of the Indo-European family, more precisely, to the northeastern group of Iranian languages, which includes the Khorezmian, Sogdian and Saka languages, as well as the languages ​​of the ancient Scythians and Sarmatians. True, now this language is littered with borrowings from the Adyghe, Nakh-Dagestan and Kartvelian languages.
Significantly enriched the Ossetian language, especially its vocabulary, the influence of the Russian language. The modern Ossetian language is divided into two main dialects: Iron (Eastern) and Digor (Western). By definition of linguists, the Digor dialect is more archaic. The basis of the literary language is the Iron dialect, which is spoken by the vast majority of Ossetians. The Digor and Iron dialects of the Ossetian language differ mainly in phonetics and vocabulary, and to a lesser extent in morphology. In Digor, for example, there is no vowel [s] - Iron [s] in the Digor dialect correspond to [y] or [and]: myd - mud "honey", syrk - surkh "red", tsykht - tsikht "cheese". Among the words that are completely different in the two dialects, one can name gædy - tikis "cat", tæbægъ - tefseg "plate", ævzær - læguz "bad", rudzyng - kærazgæ "window", æmbaryn - lædærun "understand".

Ossetian wedding
In 1789, a written language based on the Church Slavonic alphabet was adopted in Ossetia. Modern Ossetian writing was created in 1844 by a Russian philologist of Finnish origin Andreas Sjogren. In the 1920s, the Latin alphabet was introduced for the Ossetians, but already in the late 1930s, the North Ossetians were again transferred to the Russian script, and the Georgian alphabet was imposed on the southern, administratively subordinate to the Georgian SSR, but in 1954 the southern Ossetians achieved the transition to the alphabet used in North Ossetia.
All Ossetians speak Russian. Education in elementary school is conducted in Ossetian, and after the fourth grade - in Russian with the continuation of the study of the Ossetian language. In everyday life, many families use Russian.
The self-name of the Ossetians is upon, and they call their country Iristoi or Ir. However, the inhabitants of the Digorsky gorge and people from it call themselves digorons. These self-names reflected the former tribal divisions of the Ossetian people. In the past, the inhabitants of individual gorges also called themselves special names (after the names of the gorges) - Alagnrs, Kurtatpntsayi, etc.

Orthodox worship in the Ossetian church
Most believing Ossetians are considered Orthodox, having adopted Christianity in several stages from Byzantium, Georgia and Russia. Some Ossetians profess Sunni Islam, adopted in the 17th-18th centuries from the Kabardians. Many Ossetians retain elements of traditional beliefs. So, among the Ossetians, under the guise of St. George, the god of war, Uastyrdzhi, is revered, and under the guise of Elijah the prophet, the thunder god Uatsilla is revered.

Dzheorguyba is a traditional holiday dedicated to St. Uastirdzhi, celebrated only by men.
In the old days Ossetians lived in rural settlements called kau (khӕgu). Comparatively small villages predominated in the mountainous zone, often scattered along the slopes of mountains or along the banks of rivers. The location of the villages on the steep slopes of the mountains was explained by the fact that convenient lands were used for arable land and hayfields.
The buildings were built of natural stone, and in the gorges rich in forest, dwellings were built of wood.

Remains of an Ossetian watchtower in South Ossetia
Stone houses were built in one or two floors. IN two-story house the lower floor was intended for livestock and utility rooms, the upper - for housing. The laying of the walls was carried out dry with filling the voids between the stones with earth, less often with clay or lime mortar. Wood was used for floors and doors. The roof is flat earthen, the walls were often raised above the roof, so that a platform was obtained, which was used for drying grain, wool and for recreation. The floor was made of earth, less often - wooden. The walls of the living quarters inside were coated with clay and whitewashed. Instead of windows, small holes were made in one of the walls of the house, which were closed in the cold season with stone slabs or boards. Often from the side of the facade two-storey houses there were balconies or open verandas. In the conditions of the existence of large families, houses were usually multi-room.

Ossetian house-fortress Ganakh in section

The largest room "hadzar" (hӕdzar) was both a dining room and a kitchen. This is where the family spent most of their time. In the center of the hadzar there was a hearth with an open chimney, which caused the walls and ceiling to be covered with a thick layer of soot. Above the hearth, a chain for the boiler was hung from a wooden beam in the ceiling. The hearth and the chain were considered sacred: sacrifices and prayers were made around them. The hearth was considered a symbol of family unity. At the hearth, supporting the ceiling beam, wooden poles were installed, which were richly ornamented with carvings. The hearth divided the Hadzar into two halves - male and female. In the male part, weapons, turya horns, and musical instruments were hung on the walls. There was a semi-circular wooden chair, decorated with carvings, intended for the head of the house. On the women's side there were household utensils. For married family members, the house had separate rooms - bedrooms (wat). In the homes of wealthy Ossetians, the kunatskaya (uҕgӕgdon) stood out.

Ossetian village
Homemade food, from bread to drinks, was prepared in the Ossetian village by a woman. Bread in the mountains in the distant past was baked from millet and barley flour. In the 19th century used barley, wheat and corn bread. Corn chureks were baked without yeast, wheat bread was also mostly unleavened. Currently, wheat bread is the most common. Of the national flour products, pies with meat and cheese, stuffed with beans and pumpkin, are especially common.
Of the dairy products and dishes, the most common are cheese, ghee, kefir, milk soups and various cereals with milk (especially corn porridge). Made from cheese mixed with flour National dish Ossetian - Dzykka.

Modern Ossetians

At home, cheese is made old and in a simple way. It is not boiled: freshly milked, unskimmed milk, still warm or heated, is filtered and fermented. Sourdough is made from dried lamb or calf stomach. Fermented milk is left for one to two hours (until it curdles). Casein is carefully crushed by hand, separated from the whey and churned into a lump, after which it is salted and cooled. When the cheese hardens, it is put into the brine. In the same way Ossetians make curd.
In Digoria, the production of kefir has become widespread. Kefir is made from fresh milk fermented with special fungi. Ossetian kefir has healing properties and is very useful for tuberculosis patients.
The national drink of the Ossetians is the mountain beer bӕgӕny, made from barley and wheat. Along with beer, southern Ossetians produce wine.
Back in the Middle Ages Ossetians, who lived south of the Caucasus Range, fell under the power of the Georgian feudal lords. The bulk of the South Ossetian peasants were in serfdom from them. In the mountains of South Ossetia, the princes Machabeli and the eristavs of Ksani ruled. The best lands in the plains were owned by the princes Palavandishvili, Kherkheulidze and Pavlenitvili.

Ossetian agricultural implements
With the annexation of Georgia to Russia, many southern Ossetians moved north.
The vast majority of working Ossetians adhered to monogamy. Among the feudal lords, polygamy was common. It existed to a certain extent among the wealthy peasantry, despite the struggle against it by the Christian clergy. Most often, a peasant took a second wife in the case when the first was childless. The landlords, along with legal wives, who were of equal social origin, also had illegal wives - nomylus (literally, "wife by name"). Nomylus were taken from the families of peasants, since the peasants themselves could not marry them - there was no money for kalym, which was called ired by the Ossetians. Children from nomylus were considered illegitimate and from them a feudal-dependent class of Kavdasards (in Tagauria) or Kumayags (in Digoria) was formed. In other regions of North and South Ossetia, the Kavdasards did not constitute a specific social group and, in terms of their position, did not differ much from other highlanders.

The capital of North Ossetia, the city of Ordzhokidze (now Vladikavkaz) in Soviet times

The traditional clothing of Ossetian men was tsukhha - Ossetian Circassian. For tailoring tsukhy, dark cloth was used - black, brown or gray. Under the Circassian, they wore a beshmet made of satin or other dark fabric. The beshmet is much shorter than the Circassian and has a stand-up stitched collar. In terms of cut, the beshmet, like the Circassian coat, is a loose garment tailored to the waist. The sleeves of the beshmet, unlike the sleeves of the Circassian, are narrow. Bloomers were sewn from cloth, and for work on the field - from canvas, very wide. There were also bloomers from sheep skins. In winter, they wore a sheepskin coat, tailored to the figure with fees at the waist. Sometimes they wore sheepskin coats. They put on a cloak on the road.
The winter headdress was a sheepskin or astrakhan hat with a cloth or velvet top, and a light felt hat with wide brim in summer. Woolen home-knitted socks, leggings and dudes made of morocco or lined cloth were put on their feet. The soles of the chuvyak were made of smoked cowhide. In winter, hay was added to the chuvyaks for warmth. Leggings made of morocco or cloth served as bootlegs. Very often they wore boots, Caucasian or Russian. The dagger was an invariable accessory and decoration of the national costume. The Circassian was decorated with gazyrs.

Male choir of the North Ossetian Philharmonic
Women's festive long dress (kaba), reaching to the heels, cut to the waist with a continuous front slit. Usually it was sewn from light silk fabrics: pink, blue, cream, white, etc. The sleeves of the dress are very wide and long, but sometimes straight narrow sleeves were made, beveled at the wrist. In the latter case, velvet or silk armlets were worn on a straight sleeve, wide and long, descending down from the elbows by about a meter. Under the dress they wore a silk underskirt of a different color than the dress, which was visible from the front due to the continuous slit of the dress. Gilded ornaments were sewn to the bib from the same material as the underskirt. The camp was pulled together with a wide belt (most often made of gilded gimp), decorated with a gilded buckle. With a dress with armlets, a short apron was strengthened in front under the belt.
A round low velvet cap embroidered with gold thread was put on the head. A light tulle or white silk scarf was thrown over the cap, and often limited to one scarf. On their feet they wore morocco boots or factory shoes.