warriors of the steppe in movies, music and art

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The Mongols in Iran: Qutb Al-Din Shirazi's Akhbar-i Moghulan, translated by George Lane, Routledge, 2018.



Description:
The polymath, Qutb al-Dīn Shīrāzī, operated at the heart of the Ilkhanate state (1258–1335) from its inception under Hulegu. He worked alongside the scientist and political adviser, Nasir al-Dīn Ṭūsī, who had the ear of the Ilkhans and all their chief ministers.

The Mongols in Iran provides an annotated, paraphrased translation of a thirteenth-century historical chronicle penned, though not necessarily authored, by Quṭb al-Dīn Shīrāzī. This chronicle, a patchwork of anecdotes, detailed accounts, diary entries and observations, comprises the notes and drafts of a larger, unknown, and probably lost historical work. It is specific, factual, and devoid of the rhetorical hyperbole and verbal arabesques so beloved of other writers of the period. It outlines the early years of the Chinggisid empire, recounts the rule of Hulegu Khan and his son Abaqa, and finally, details the travails and ultimate demise and death of Abaqa’s brother and would be successor, Ahmad Tegudar. Shirazi paints the Mongol khans in a positive light and opens his chronicle with a portrait of Chinggis Khan in almost hallowed terms.

Throwing new light on well-known personalities and events from the early Ilkhanate, this book will appeal to anyone studying the Mongol Empire, Medieaval History, and Persian Literature.


Links:
www.amazon.co.uk/Mongols-Iran-Shirazis-Akhbar-i-Routledge/dp/1138500526

www.routledge.com/The-Mongols-in-Iran-Qutb-Al-Din-Shirazis-Akhbar-i-Moghulan/Lane/p/book/9781138500525

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Incredible haul of gold from 2,800 years ago unearthed in Kazakhstan
metro.co.uk/2018/07/30/incredible-haul-gold-2800-years-ago-unearthed-kazakhstan-7777369/

An incredible haul of 2,800-year-old gold jewellery has been unearthed by archaeologists in Kazakhstan. Some 3,000 golden and precious items were found in a burial mound in the remote Tarbagatai mountains. The ‘priceless’ treasure trove is believed to belong to royal or noble members of the Saka people who held sway in central Asia eight centuries before the birth of Christ.


The treasure trove is described as ‘priceless’ by the archaeologists who found it (Picture: Oleg Belyalov-east2west news)


The intricate jewellery proved there was sophisticated craftsmanship 2,800 years ago (Picture: East-Kazakhstan region/east2west news)

Among the stash are earrings in the shape of bells, gold plates with rivets, plaques, chains, and a necklace with precious stones. Gold beads decorating clothes were made using sophisticated techniques, indicating an exceptional level of jewellery-making skills for the period. Archaeologists expect to find the remains of the prestigious couple who owned the glittering treasures, but they haven’t opened their graves yet. Professor Zainolla Samashev, in charge of the excavations, said: ‘A large number of valuable finds in this burial mound let us believe a man and a woman are buried here – the reigning persons or people who belonged to the elite of Saka society.’

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Incredible haul of gold from 2,800 years ago unearthed in Kazakhstan, part 2.


Some 3,000 golden and precious items were found in a burial mound (Picture: East-Kazakhstan region/east2west news)


Archaeologists believe they will find more treasure in the area (Picture: East-Kazakhstan region/east2west news)

Head of the East-Kazakhstan region Danial Akhmetov said: ‘This find gives us a completely different view of the history of our people.’ The ancient people clearly had exceptional skills in mining, or extraction, selling and jewellery making, he said. ‘We are the heirs of the great people and great technologies,’ he said. There are some 200 burial mounds on the Eleke Sazy plateau, where these treasures were found, but many were robbed in ancient times.

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Incredible haul of gold from 2,800 years ago unearthed in Kazakhstan, conclusion.


The trove included earrings in the shape of bells, gold plates with rivets, plaques, chains, and a necklace with precious stones (Picture: East-Kazakhstan region/east2west news)


The treasure trove is believed to belong to royal members of the Saka people (Picture: East-Kazakhstan region/east2west news)

The plateau is surrounded by rich pastures and was seen as a ‘paradise’ by the Saka kings. Despite some of the treasure being removed in the time of Russian emperor Peter the Great, experts believe they will find more golden remains. ‘There are a lot of burial mounds here and the prospects are very large,’ said leading Kazakh archaeologist Yerben Oralbai. The Saka people were a branch of the Scythians – a sophisticated nomadic civilisation in central Asia stretching into Siberia.

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Jun 30, 2018 16:36:58 GMT -5 @hunnu said:

Here's a trailer for a new Russian movie: The Scythian (A.K.A. The Last Warrior) Skif (original title) 
Released on Blu-ray, DVD and VOD platforms on August 14, 2018.


The Russian Trailer.


English Version.


Description thanks to IMDB.
These are times when one civilization is replacing another. A new era is about to begin in Central Eurasia. Scythians, the proud warriors, are all but gone. The few of their descendants have become ruthless mercenary assassins, the "waves of Ares." Lutobor, is a soldier with a difficult task at hand. He becomes involved in internecine conflicts and sets off on a perilous journey to save his family. His guide is a captive Scythian by the name of Weasel. Lutobor and Weasel are enemies. They pray to different gods but must embark on this journey together. They brave the wild steppes, moving toward the last haven of the Scythians, to what seems to be their inevitable demise.

Directed by Rustam Mosafir.

Here's a review:

‘The Scythian’ Review: Swordplay and Other Manly Acts Collide In Ancient Times (Fantasia 2018)
filmschoolrejects.com/the-scythian-review/

[Deleted]

Link to another review of The Last Warrior (The Scythian) at Blackgate by Matthew David Surridge:
www.blackgate.com/2018/08/07/fantasia-2018-day-4-part-3-the-scythian-aka-the-last-warrior/

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Post by hun on Feb 22, 2017 at 9:10am

Circa A.D. 626 volcanic eruption, climatic cooling, and the collapse of the Eastern Turkic Empire by Jie Fei & Jie Zhou & Yongjian Hou.

The severe winters (Zud) of Mongolia can be catastrophic for the nomadic peoples and their livestock. Between the years of 627-629 AD the Türks of Mongolia suffered a 3 year Zud, the heavy snowfall led to mass livestock deaths and starvation. By 630, the Türks were defeated by the Tang dynasty and served the Chinese till 682AD.

Was there a connection between the Zud and the volcanic explosion of 626 AD?

link
www.aari.ru/docs/pub/070316/fei07.pdf


Unfortunately, this winter is not looking good.
www.newser.com/story/238681/a-dzud-comes-every-12-years-except-for-this-time.html

Here's another study related, kinda, to the post above:


Türk (Göktürk) Empire in the late 6th century

Could climate change affect the development of Turkic Khaganate?

Scientists of Ural Federal University defined the causes of growth and decline of the nomadic empire of the ancient Turks
URAL FEDERAL UNIVERSITY

'According to paleoclimatologists, the main cause of the majority of climatic extremes of that period was volcanic activity. Often these changes occurred on a global scale,' explains Rustam Ganiev. 'The main consequences of natural disasters - in our case in the territory of the Türkic Kaganate - were the cooling and prolonged droughts of 536, 581 and 679, as well as an early and protracted winter with heavy snowfalls. The most critical situation was noted among the Turks in 627-630, when the Khaganate practically ceased to exist because of the mass death of livestock and hunger.'

The authors of the article singled out several periods during which the most important events that changed the course of Turkic history took place:

534-550 - The first mention of the Türkic Khaganate and its "Golden Age";
581-583 - Separation of Khaganate into the Western and Eastern Khaganates;
627-630 - The conquest of the eastern Turks by China;
679-687 - The Second "Golden Age" of the Eastern Turks.

In the first period 536, 537, 541, 543 and 545 years were anomalously cold. The consequences were severe for many people of Middle Ages: one of the most serious epidemics occurred - the Justinian Plague - the first historically known pandemic, with millions of victims.

'It was believed that the plague started in Egypt in 540-541, reached Constantinople through the Mediterranean channels and spread through Byzantium, North Africa, Europe, Central Asia, and Arabia,' explains Rustam Ganiev. 'However, according to recent studies, the causative agent of plague appeared in Central Asia, where the Turks lived. As the Silk Road ran through this territory, traders could spread the pandemic: Byzantium was the main trading partner of the Khaganate and China; about 80% of the population in the northern part of which died at that time. It was at the end of this period that the Turks began to strengthen their position: they subjugated their neighbors, concluded trade and military-political agreements with China, and by 551 became independent, and their ruler receive the title "khagan".

During the study, the authors of the article used data from tree-ring chronologies (show climatic differences), samples of ice cores of Greenland and Antarctica (volcanic eruptions). The third set of data formed the Chinese dynastic chronicles, which reflect the main historical information about the ancient Turks.

'The Ural Division of the Russian Academy of Science has the largest in Europe, and perhaps in the world, amount of fossil wood. For nearly 40 years, the Institute's employees have been collecting semi-fossil wood on the Yamal Peninsula. To build the "Yamal chronology," they have studied more than 3,500 samples,' explains Vladimir Kukarsky. 'In the study, we rely on ice core data, the Yamal, Altai, Mongolian tree-ring chronologies, which can be found in the public domain. There was a large number of materials, and we had to choose the ones suitable for our research: to select chronologies that react to changes in temperature, humidity of the territory, extreme events. For example, a volcanic eruption in the tropics can be traced in tree rings in both Altai and Yamal: a huge amount of ash creates the effect of a "volcanic winter," and thin rings form in the trees, and sometimes the cellular structure is broken.'

According to the researchers, dendrochronology is one of the most accurate ways to date extreme events in nature. 'We plan to apply for a grant to extend the chronology of research to the millennium. A more global goal is to create a historical and climatic chronology for the nomadic societies of Central Asia in the first millennium of our era. This is a very complex, large, labor-intensive and expensive project,' says Rustam Ganiev.

The results of the study are published in the journal Climatic Change (Impact Factor - 3.57, Springer Nature publishing company):
link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10584-018-2236-9

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Genghis Khan: The Great Civilizer Exhibition opens on the 29th of January 2019 at the Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center, Mobile, Alabama. 



MOBILE, Alabama (WKRG) - Mobile Exploruem submitted press release:

In the tradition of years past, the Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center is proud to announce a return to major blockbuster exhibitions in the Spring of 2019. On the scale of its China and Pompeii exhibits, the Exploreum invites visitors to take a journey back in time with one of history’s most prolific and controversial figures - Genghis Khan. Through artifacts, performers, artwork, and other historically significant items, discover the eye-opening story of the world’s most well-known conqueror, civilizer and innovator in the exhibition Genghis Khan: The Great Civilizer – opening at the Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center on Saturday, January 26, 2019.



Curated and developed by dinosaur expert Don Lessem, the exhibition features more than 300 spectacular objects on display, including rare and sophisticated weapons, costumes, jewels, ornaments, instruments and numerous other fascinating relics and elaborate artifacts from 13th-century Mongolia. “I went to Mongolia to look for fossils and discovered the truth about Genghis Khan, a civilizing genius,” said Lessem. “It’s a great story best told in a major exhibition.”



Experience life in 13th-century Mongolia, entering the tents, battlegrounds and marketplaces of a vanished world that was once the largest land empire in history. Explore Genghis Khan’s life and those of his sons and grandsons during the formation, peak and decline of the Mongol Empire.



As the exhibit strikingly portrays, Genghis’s reputation as the greatest conqueror is well-deserved – he dominated three times more land in his lifetime than either Julius Caesar or Alexander the Great, a conquest attested to by the formidable array of swords, bows, arrows, saddles and armor included on display in Genghis Khan. In fact, the historic exhibition showcases hundreds of artifacts from Genghis’s 13th century Empire, the largest such collection ever to tour.



However, this special exhibition presents a more complete image of the legendary leader whom Time Magazine and CNN named “The Man of the Millennium.” As visitors discover, Genghis not only created the nation of Mongolia and its written language, but his lineage established the modern borders of nations from India to Iran, Korea to China and opened the trade routes that united East and West, forever after.



Visitors will experience the exhibition through the eyes of a Mongolian resident, receiving a civilian identity card at the beginning of their journey. From warrior to spy to princess, they will follow this character’s life throughout the rise of the great Mongol Empire across six key scenes:



•The Grasslands: Discover the daily life of a nomad on the high plateaus of Central Asia and learn about the outcast Genghis Khan’s earliest struggles. Walk into an ancient Mongol ger (yurt) home. Stand in the midst of a herd of stampeding horses.



• Rise of the Mongols: Learn how the young, charismatic Genghis Khan united warring tribes in order to form an unrivaled cavalry. Explore the equestrian culture and innovations in weaponry Genghis Khan mastered to conquer four times more land than any Empire in history.



• The Walled City: Enter the recreation of Karakorum, the walled city, which became the capital of the Mongolian Empire after Genghis Khan’s son inherited the kingdom. See how life changed for Mongols once they had vanquished all of their enemies, and arts and diverse religions and cultures flourished as the need for war subsided.



• The Silk Road: While Genghis Khan was a ruthless warrior, he was also a savvy statesman and benevolent ruler. He developed a written language and a sophisticated society with fair taxation, stable government, appreciation of the arts, religious freedom and open trade along the Silk Road. Explore this vital trade route which enabled the exchange of both goods and ideas between cultures.



• The Palace of Kublai Khan - Enter the sumptuous Chinese palace of Xanadu, the center of the Empire of Genghis’s grandson, Kublai, who united China for the first time. See porcelain treasures and a sword with the emblem of a guardian of Marco Polo, among many others.



• Mongolia Today: Trace the influence of Genghis Khan in images of modern Mongolian life. The distinctive horse-based culture of Genghis Khan’s time persists today as the nation and language he created lives on eight centuries after his rule. See how his legend lives on through the namesake of many modern Mongolian brands, and how he was revered as a god among the Mongolian people.

Genghis Khan will open to the general public on Saturday, January 26, 2019. Additional details to come in the following months.

[kemp]

Aug 21, 2018 10:50:42 GMT -5 @hunnu said:

A couple of lectures by Kenneth W. Harl of Tulane University.


Nomadic Tribes of Eastern Europe and the Steppes

This lecture deals with Iranian speaking Nomads of Eastern Europe.



King Attila and the Huns

This lecture takes a special look at the Huns and their most famous King Attila and their role in breaking up the Empire and the shaping of the political and cultural landscape that followed.

Could not help but notice in the Nomadic Tribes of Eastern Europe and the Steppes video the depiction of a cataphract, a heavily armoured warrior with lance and mounted on a charger. They seemed to have influenced the later European Knights, and Harl does note that Sarmatian Heraldry was passed on to the Romans and ultimately adopted in medieval Europe.

The sculpture in the video was of a Sasanian cataphract in Taq-e Bostan, Iran: One of the oldest depictions of a cataphract.

[deuce]

The great Michael Wm. Kaluta turns 71 today. This is one of his very first comic stories ever. He was about 20 when he drew it:




Here's some more Central Asian action from about 6yrs later...

[Deleted]

Thanks Deuce.

Here's the rest of the comic.







Flash Gordon #18, Charlton Comics.

[kemp]

40 Minutes of Mongolian Folk Metal. 

[kemp]

Turkish folk Metal. I am reminded of some of the stuff I have heard from Finland. Probably not surprising since the Finns and Turks have an ancient connection.  

Yaşru - Atalara (Official Video)

[kemp]

[Deleted]

Aug 25, 2018 21:45:34 GMT -5 kemp said:

Turkish folk Metal. I am reminded of some of the stuff I have heard from Finland. Probably not surprising since the Finns and Turks have an ancient connection.  

Yaşru - Atalara (Official Video)

Thanks for the Altaic (Turkish/Mongol) Folk metal videos.

Here's the lyrics and an English translation.

Atalara (roughly translates as To the Ancestors).

Gök mavi bayrağın altında

Beneath the sky-blue flag

Karlı dağların ardında

Beyond the snowcapped mountains

Kutlu bir budun yaşarmış

Live a fortunate people

Göktanrı'ya inancı varmış

they Believe in Sky-Tengri.


Odun başında oturur bir kam

Sitting before the hearth-fire, a shaman

Alkışını yapar karanlıklardan

Makes his/her prayer through the darkness

Kam türe vurduğunda

When the shaman beats the drum,

Karanlık ruhlar kaybolduğunda

When the dark spirits fade away,

Gökbörü ulur ay ışığında

The blue wolf howls under the moonlight :

Bin selam olsun ulu atalara

A thousand greetings to the great ancestors