warriors of the steppe in movies, music and art

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This is a song about the Nart Saga in the Balkar language of the Northern Caucasus, they speak a Turkic language. There are different versions of the Saga in the myriad of Caucasian language groups and of course the Indo-European version's represented by the Ossetians who live in the north of Georgia and over the border in the Russian Federation. The Iranic speaking Ossetians are probably the only extant descendants of the Alan tribe.

The Nart Saga is probably of Indo-European origin - unless, of course you're of Altaic, Caucasian, Circassian, Chechen or Ingush descent. 

Anyways, enjoy this Balkar version called Nartla 

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Kinda excited about this exhibition at the British Museum in London, Can't wait for this.

Scythians: Warriors of Ancient Siberia, 14 September 2017 – 14 January 2018 

link: www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/exhibitions/scythians.aspx

more info from the Exhibition

Who were the Scythians?

We’re assuming you probably don't know very much about the Scythians. But that's OK! Ahead of our major exhibition opening in September 2017 we’ve compiled a handy beginner’s guide to these nomadic warriors, who galloped into the pages of history…


Artist's impression of a Scythian and his horse. Reconstruction by D V Pozdnjakov.

The Scythians (pronounced ‘SIH-thee-uns’) were a group of ancient tribes of nomadic warriors who originally lived in what is now southern Siberia. Their culture flourished from around 900 BC to around 200 BC, by which time they had extended their influence all over Central Asia – from China to the northern Black Sea.

From September 2017 you can discover these fearsome warriors and their culture in a special exhibition at the British Museum. But before that, swot up on some key facts and impress your friends down the pub with your new-found Scythian knowledge.

1. They were formidable warriors



Until the 1700s, a lot of what we knew about the Scythians was cobbled together from a range of ancient sources – none of them written by the Scythians themselves as they didn’t ‘do’ writing. So what we had was a collection of accounts written by Greeks, Assyrians and Persians – and they were usually terrified (although often also impressed).

The Greek historian Herodotus, in his Histories (Book 4, 5th century BC), wrote: ‘None who attacks them can escape, and none can catch them if they desire not to be found.’ Assyrian inscriptions from the 7th century BC also refer to fighting Scythians, with one mentioning a peace treaty secured by marrying off an Assyrian princess to a Scythian king.

When the Scythians weren’t being hide and seek champions, or being fobbed off with foreign princesses, they even developed a powerful new type of bow which was made from different layers of wood and sinew. It was much more powerful than a regular wooden bow, as the different layers increased the forces and energy when the string was released.

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Scythians: Warriors of Ancient Siberia, 14 September 2017 – 14 January 2018, part 2


Gold sew-on clothing appliqué in the form of two Scythian archers.

In battles, the Scythians would use large numbers of highly mobile archers who could shower hundreds of deadly arrows within a few minutes. As late as the 6th century AD a Byzantine writer described the deadly effect of mounted archers like these: ‘they do not let up at all until they have achieved the complete destruction of their enemies.’ If this were not terrifying enough, several classical writers state that the Scythians dipped their arrows in poison!


Scythian arrow heads. © The State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, 2017. Photo: V Terebenin.

When the Scythians fought on foot, their weapon of choice was a battle-axe with a long narrow pointed blade (like a narrow pick-axe). This type of fighting was personal and face to face – the weapons’ tell-tale puncture marks have been found on the heads of excavated human remains.

So all in all, pretty fearsome.

2. They were nomads


Scythians with horses under a tree. Gold belt plaque. Siberia, 4th–3rd century BC. © The State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, 2017. Photo: V Terebenin.

The brilliantly named ‘pseudo-Hippocrates’ wrote that: ‘The Scyths… have no houses but live in wagons. These are very small with four wheels. Others with six wheels are covered with felt; such wagons are employed like houses, in twos or threes and provide shelter from rain and wind … The women and children live in these wagons, but the men always remain on horseback.’

Nomadic peoples tended not to leave a lot behind in terms of cities or literature – what used to be called ‘civilisation’. What we know of the Scythians is largely through excavations of burial mounds (kurgans), and examples of rock art. It is from these remains that we have the archaeological evidence to see if the ancient writers like Herodotus were right – or if they were making it up as they went along.

In fact, our old friend Herodotus thought that the fact they were nomads meant they were extra scary:

‘For when men have no stablished cities or fortresses, but all are house-bearers and mounted archers, living not by tilling the soil but by cattle-rearing and carrying their dwellings on wagons, how should these not be invincible and unapproachable?’ (Histories, Book 4)

Being nomadic, of course, meant having portable possessions that were robust. The objects the Scythians buried with their dead are generally small or lightweight – such as small drinking flasks and wooden bowls. There is no furniture to speak of – the few surviving tables are low and come apart. Thick floor coverings were essential though – sheepskins, felt rugs and even an imported pile carpet have all been found in tombs.

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Scythians: Warriors of Ancient Siberia, 14 September 2017 – 14 January 2018, part 3

3. They loved their horses


Artist’s impression of a Scythian on a horse. Reconstruction by D V Pozdnjakov.

Siberia is vast. It stretches over eight time zones and borders Europe, China, the Pacific Ocean and Arctic Circle. It is made up of three major ecological zones – icy tundra at the north, dense forest in the central part, and mixed woodland and grassy steppe in the south. This last section forms a wide grassy corridor of rich grazing from Mongolia and China to the Black Sea. It is here that the Scythians began to develop more efficient ways of riding horses which meant they could move bigger herds to new grazing grounds over larger distances.

The Scythians developed horse breeding and riding to a new level. They were accomplished riders and did not use spiked bits or muzzles. Scythian horse gear (saddles, bridles, bits etc) was also highly developed and functional, durable and light. We know this because the large burial mounds contain large numbers of sacrificed horses. These were accompanied by halters, bridles and saddles, and occasionally whips, pouches and shields.

The saddle horses were buried with very elaborate costumes including headgear with griffins or antlers, saddle covers decorated with combat scenes, and long dangling pendants.


Horse headgear. © The State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, 2017. Photo: V Terebenin.

Scythian horses were well looked after – many were aged between 15 and 20 years when they were put to the grave. Almost all the buried horses were killed in the same manner – a hard blow of a pointed battle-axe to the mid-forehead. Although this is regarded today as a ‘humane’ method, within a society which prized horses, the killing of horses must have made a deep impression.

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Scythians: Warriors of Ancient Siberia, 14 September 2017 – 14 January 2018, part 4

4. They liked getting drunk and high!


Gold plaques showing Scythians drinking. © The State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, 2017. Photo: V Terebenin.

Like many cultures, the Scythians drank to excess and got high. Feasting was an important part of Scythian funeral ceremonies – it was also important for social bonding between individuals and tribes. Originally known as ‘milk drinkers’, the Scythians adopted wine consumption from Greeks and Persians. They soon acquired a reputation for excessive drinking of undiluted wine (the Greeks used to mix their wine with water). Greek authors then commented on how the Scythians, like the Persians, liked to drink to excess. You can lead a horse(man) to water (but he’d prefer wine, apparently).

Herodotus also describes how the Scythians had a ritual which involved getting high on hemp in a kind of mobile ‘weed sauna’:

‘They anoint and wash their heads; as for their bodies, they set up three poles leaning together to a point and cover these over with woollen mats; then, in the place so enclosed to the best of their power, they make a pit in the centre beneath the poles and the mats and throw red-hot stones into it… The Scythians then take the seed of this hemp and, creeping under the mats, they throw it on the red-hot stones; and, being so thrown, it smoulders and sends forth so much steam that no Greek vapour-bath could surpass it. The Scythians howl in their joy at the vapour-bath. This serves them instead of bathing, for they never wash their bodies with water.’ (Histories, Book 4)

The Scythians realised the pain relieving effects of marijuana, which no doubt came in useful if they had been in a riding accident or a fierce battle.

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Scythians: Warriors of Ancient Siberia, 14 September 2017 – 14 January 2018, part 5

5. They were tattooed


Fragment of mummified skin showing a Scythian tattoo. © The State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, 2017. Photo: V Terebenin.

All the frozen Scythian bodies examined so far from different sites are heavily tattooed. The designs covered the arms, legs and upper torsos. They include fantastic animals locked in combat, rows of birds and simple dots resembling modern acupuncture.


Line drawings of tattoos on a Scythian man.

Other than tattoos, what did the Scythians look like? Some of the women have fair hair and blue eyes but the men are strongly built and have red or dark hair.

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Scythians: Warriors of Ancient Siberia, 14 September 2017 – 14 January 2018, part 6

6. They liked a bit of bling


Gold torc with turquoise inlays. © The State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, 2017. Photo: V Terebenin.

Scythian craftsmen were good at casting metal. They worked gold, bronze and iron, using a combination of techniques like casting, forging and inlaying with other materials. None of these required large amounts of equipment and Siberia is rich in metal ores, but it did require skill. There will be many exquisite examples of Scythian metalwork in the exhibition.

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Scythians: Warriors of Ancient Siberia, 14 September 2017 – 14 January 2018, Conclusion!

7. They mummified their dead


Artist’s impression of a burial mound. Watercolour illustration, 18th century. Archive of the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St Petersburg.

In the high Altai mountain region near the borders of Russia, Kazakhstan, China and Mongolia, the frozen subsoil has meant that the organic remains of Scythians buried in tombs have been exceptionally well preserved in permafrost.

The Scythians took great effort to preserve the appearance of the dead using a form of mummification. They removed the brain matter through holes cut in the head, sliced the bodies and removed as much soft tissue as possible before replacing both with dry grass and sewing up the skin.


Wooden coffin. Late 4th–early 3rd century BC. © The State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, 2017. Photo: V Terebenin.

As already noted, nomads do not leave many traces, but when the Scythians buried their dead they took care to equip the corpse with the essentials they thought they needed for the perpetual rides of the afterlife. They usually dug a deep hole and built a wooden structure at the bottom. For important people these resembled log cabins that were lined and floored with dark felt – the roofs were covered with layers of larch, birch bark and moss. Within the tomb chamber, the body was placed in a log trunk coffin, accompanied by some of their prized possessions and other objects. Outside the tomb chamber but still inside the grave shaft, they placed slaughtered horses, facing east.

WOAH! That’s enough for now…

Although Scythian culture remains relatively unknown, new discoveries are happening all the time. Stay tuned to the blog and our other social media channels to find out more about these fascinating nomadic warriors, and book your tickets now to see their culture on display in our special exhibition.



The BP exhibition Scythians: warriors of ancient Siberia is on at the British Museum from 14 September 2017 to 14 January 2018. Supported by BP.

Find out more about some of the key objects on display in this blog post.

blog.britishmuseum.org/what-do-nomads-leave-behind/

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Turkoman horseman, 14th century, by McBride...

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Jun 22, 2016 21:35:49 GMT -5 deuce said:

A report on the mtDNA of the Wanngu tribe, closely related to the Uzbeks and Uighurs:


dienekes.blogspot.com/2006/04/mtdna-of-ancient-inner-mongolian-tribe.html



As would be expected, there is "European" mitochondrial DNA to be found therein, as has been discovered generally in tribes west of Manchuria and Siberia. 

Here's an interesting study on the Öngüt (Wanngu in Chinese) tribe.

Thanks, to their loyalty Öngüt kings became son-in-laws to the Mongol imperial family. This son-in-law status was shared with 3 other tribes;

1. The Oyirat tribe to the north-west of the Mongols
2. The Karluks to the west
3. The Uyghur to the south-west in Xinjiang
4. The Öngüts to the south by the great wall.

Tjalling H.F. Halbertsma, Early Christian Remains of Inner Mongolia: Discovery, Reconstruction and Appropriation. Second Edition, Revised, Updated and Expanded, Brill 2015.



Description.
The early Christian presence in Inner Mongolia forms the subject of this book. These Nestorian remains must primarily be attributed to the Öngüt, a Turkic people closely allied to the Mongols. Writing in Syriac, Uighur and Chinese scripts and languages, the Nestorian Öngüt drew upon a variety of religions and cultures to decorate their gravestones with crosses rising from lotus flowers, dragons and Taoist imagery. This heritage also portrays designs found in the Islamic world. Taking a closer look at the discovery of this material and its significance for the study of the early Church of the East under the Mongols, the author reconstructs the Nestorian culture of the Öngüt.
The reader will find many newly discovered objects not published before. At the same time this study demonstrates how many remaining objects were appropriated and, in many cases, vanished after their discovery.

'I find myself obliged to make a special effort to avoid over-praising this book, a treasure-house of information, drawn on a comprehensive array of sources, some of them hitherto untapped, and splendidly presented on the important subject of Christian presence in East Asia.'
DENIS SINOR, (Indiana University), Journal of Asian History, 43/1 (2009)

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The Fantastic Art of Ganbat Badamkhand

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Here's another one from Ganbat Badamkhand.

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Jun 14, 2017 18:14:48 GMT -5 @hunnu said:

Here's another one from Ganbat Badamkhand.

Ganbat's art never grows old.  A major talent.

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István Zimonyi, Muslim Sources on the Magyars in the Second Half of the 9th Century: The Magyar Chapter of the Jayhānī Tradition, Brill, 2016.

This interesting publication concerns the history of the Magyars before their eventual Conquest of the Carpathian Basin in 895AD.



Description.
The Jayhānī tradition contains the most detailed description of the Magyars/Hungarians before the Conquest of the Carpathian Basin (895). Unfortunately, the book itself was lost and it can only be reconstructed from late Arabic, Persian and Turkic copies. The reconstruction is primarily based on the texts of al-Marwazī, Ibn Rusta and Gardīzī. The original text has shorter and longer versions. The basic text was reformed at least twice and later copyists added further emendation. This study focuses on the philological comments and historical interpretation of the Magyar chapter, integrating the results in the fields of medieval Islamic studies, the medieval history of Eurasian steppe, and the historiography of early Hungarian history.


Contents
Preface ix
List of Maps and Illustrations xiii
Introduction 1
1 The Jayhānī Tradition 7
1 The Personality of al-Jayhānī 7
2 Al-Jayhānī’s Literary Activity and His Geographical Work 11
3 The Sources of al-Jayhānī’s Geographical Work 16
Ibn Khurdādhbih 16
4 The Works Which Preserved the Jayhānī Tradition 18
Ibn Rusta 18
Ḥudūd al-ʿālam 19
Gardīzī 19
Al-Bakrī 20
Abūʾl-Fidāʾ 23
Al-Marwazī 23
ʿAwfī 24
Shukrallāh 24
Muḥammad Kātib 25
Ḥājjī Khalīfa 25
5 Al-Jayhānī’s Report on Central Asia and Eastern Europe 26
2 The Versions and Translations of the Magyar Chapter 38
3 The Interpretation of the Magyar Chapter 56
1 The Name of the Magyars 56
Folk Etymologies of the Designation Magyar 62
2 The Eastern Magyars 67
Pechenegs 67
Volga Bulgars 72
Äskäl 74
First Border 77
3 The Magyars as Turks 83
Turk Meaning Magyar 85
Magyars Belonging to the Turk Peoples 90
4 The Strength of the Magyar Army 102
5 The Political Organization 116
The Interpretation of the Word shiʿār 117
The Magyar King Kündä 118
The King Gyula 120
Dual Kingship 120
The Structure of Nomadic Empires 125
6 Houses and Nomadic Life 139
Yurts and Tents 139
Nomadic Way of Life 160
7 The Dimensions of the Magyar Lands 186
8 The Sea of Rūm and Its Two Rivers, Fishing in the Winter
Quarters 202
The Roman Sea 204
Jayḥūn Amu Darya 230
Winter Quarters 233
Fishing 236
9 The Bulgars on the Danube 239
Onogundur ~ W.n.nd.r 241
Bulgars and Ogurs 244
Danube Bulgars 262
10 Etil and Danube 265
Danube 266
Volga 270
Etelköz, Habitat of the Magyars before the Conquest 281
The Role of Rivers in the Nomadic Way of Life 284
11 Moravia 290
12 The Characteristic of the Magyar Lands 303
13 Magyar Agriculture 306
14 Magyars and Slavs 309
Ṣaqāliba 317
Rūs 320
Kiev and the Magyars 324
Provisions 327
15 The Religion of the Magyars 330
16 Magyar-Byzantine Trade 334
Karkh 336
Slave Trade 337
Byzantine Merchandise 338
17 Khazar-Magyar Relations 340
Sarkel 340
Trench 342
Khazar-Magyar Relations 344
18 The Appearance of the Magyars 354
19 Clothes and Weapons 356
Weapons 357
20 Prosperity and Trade 358
21 Raids against the Slavs 359
22 The Distance between the Slavs and the Magyars 359
23 Bride-Price 360
24 The Eastern Border of the Magyar Territory 363
25 Slavic Castles against the Magyars 364
Summary 365
Bibliography 377
Index 409

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Magyar Folk Music.


Hungarian folk song: "Határtalanság" (According to the video translates as Boundlessness!) by TÖRÖK Tilla Orchestra.