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Chapter 15: The Eurasian Steppe
Reaching from Lake Balaton in Pannonia to lake Ussuri in Manchuria, the Eurasian Steppe is the largest grassland area in the world.To the north, it is bound by the taiga - an immense confierous marshy forest covering a large part of Siberia, while to the south lie the deserts of Karakum, Kyzilkum, Taklamakan and Gobi. In order to avoid these hostile envrionments, the tribes were thus forced to move in the east-west direction (mostly westwards, however).
View attachment 428875
The vast grassland had favoured nomadic herdsmen, who mastered the art of horseriding, and became very skilled horse-archers. While the early western steppe had been dominated by Iranic peoples during the antiquity, such as Cimmerians, Scythians and Sarmatians, the eastern parts were home of the Mongolian and Turkic peoples.Yet in the easrly 8 th century, the Iranian speakers have been bushed southwards by the expanding Turkic nomads - the western or Pontic Steppe had become dominated by Khazars, a Turkic people of the Oghur stock, who ruled an empire based on the lower Idhel (1) river, extending as far west as Taurica (2) and to the foothills of the Caucasus. While the Khazars were at first Tengri pagans, there have been several missions aiming to convert them to a major religion. While Zoroastrism had been severely weakened by the collapse discussed earlier, Christianity was making successful inroads into the Khazar held territory. Orthodox missionaries have already converted a significant share of Alanian (3) nobilitiy, and were ministering among the Circassians as well. Further eastwards, in cities such as Semender, in a region called Dagestan by some, Miaphysite missionaries coming from Aghvank(4) were active. Armenian traders brought their religion with them into the major cities of the country, yet even more Jews have been arriving from both the Rhomaic empire, Caucasus and the Balkans as well. Judaism soon became quite popular among many lesser nobles of the realm.
To the west of the Khazars, the Magyars lived in the region between the middle Dniepr and the Don rivers (5). A rather peculiar phenomenom indeed, for their language is witness that they must have migrated from southern Siberia, for they spoke a Uralic tongue akin to that of Khantis. Their northeastern neighbours were the Modvins, another Uralic people inhabitting the steppe woodland region between the Oka, the Don and the Volga.
At the confluence of the Idhil and Kama rivers, another Turkic state emerged.Founded by a branch of Boulghars(6) who fled north after their empires conquest by the Khazars, they were ultimately forced to submit and become a vassal of the Khazars. Yet the Boulghars thrived and prospered, for their capital, Bulghar lay on a major trade route, connecting Scandinavia with the Caspian basin, and it was also center of contact with the Permian and Nenets peoples.
South of the Boulghars lay the lands of Pechenegs on the middle Oural river, at the upper reaches of which were the settlements of the Bashkirs.
The Oghuz Turks have moved into the region of Khorasan, thus their lands north of the Aral Sea have been occupied by the Kipchaks. These formed a tribal confederation with the Kimeks (who had been converting to Manicheism), who occupied much of the land of the central steppe (7). Across the Balkash lake as the Turgesh chiefdom , on its eastern shore lived the Manichean Turkic Chigils, while on the western foothills of the Altai lived the Basmyls, a Turkic tribe gradually adopting Nestorian Christianity. The Karluks were now the easternmost Turkic tribe, living in the Dzungar basin.
East of the Altai lay the still existent Eastern Gokturk Khanate, a nomadic empire encompassing pretty much the Mongolian cultural sphere. Yet unmentioned remains the Tarim basin - a bordered by the Tibetan plateau to the south and the Tianshan to the north, lying along the caravan routes of the Silk road. its majority is inhospitable, for it is filled by the hostile Taklamakan desert, those who live there, survive on its edges. The area had been for long home to East-Iranian speaking Buddhists, organized around the kingdom of Khotan and Sule, yet it has been experiencing an influx of Uyghurs, particularly in its eastern and northern regions. These areas are home to peoples speaking the Arsi (8) languages, a distinct branch of Indo-European languages, most akin to Celtic. The peoples there were exposed mostly to Buddhism and Manicheism, which and been also adopted by the incoming Uyghurs. The Tarim basin was thus mostly Buddhist, and its contact with India is confirmed by the shape of the Arsian script, which took its influence from the Brahman one.
(1)Volgar
(2) Crimea
(3) ancestors of Ossetians
(4)Caucasian Albania
(5) most probably they were not called as such yet , but you know..
(6) the other group invaded the Lower Danube basin
(7) That is, Kazakhstan
(8) Tocharian. This is a name they used for one of their variety from modern Karashahr.
View attachment 428875
The vast grassland had favoured nomadic herdsmen, who mastered the art of horseriding, and became very skilled horse-archers. While the early western steppe had been dominated by Iranic peoples during the antiquity, such as Cimmerians, Scythians and Sarmatians, the eastern parts were home of the Mongolian and Turkic peoples.Yet in the easrly 8 th century, the Iranian speakers have been bushed southwards by the expanding Turkic nomads - the western or Pontic Steppe had become dominated by Khazars, a Turkic people of the Oghur stock, who ruled an empire based on the lower Idhel (1) river, extending as far west as Taurica (2) and to the foothills of the Caucasus. While the Khazars were at first Tengri pagans, there have been several missions aiming to convert them to a major religion. While Zoroastrism had been severely weakened by the collapse discussed earlier, Christianity was making successful inroads into the Khazar held territory. Orthodox missionaries have already converted a significant share of Alanian (3) nobilitiy, and were ministering among the Circassians as well. Further eastwards, in cities such as Semender, in a region called Dagestan by some, Miaphysite missionaries coming from Aghvank(4) were active. Armenian traders brought their religion with them into the major cities of the country, yet even more Jews have been arriving from both the Rhomaic empire, Caucasus and the Balkans as well. Judaism soon became quite popular among many lesser nobles of the realm.
To the west of the Khazars, the Magyars lived in the region between the middle Dniepr and the Don rivers (5). A rather peculiar phenomenom indeed, for their language is witness that they must have migrated from southern Siberia, for they spoke a Uralic tongue akin to that of Khantis. Their northeastern neighbours were the Modvins, another Uralic people inhabitting the steppe woodland region between the Oka, the Don and the Volga.
At the confluence of the Idhil and Kama rivers, another Turkic state emerged.Founded by a branch of Boulghars(6) who fled north after their empires conquest by the Khazars, they were ultimately forced to submit and become a vassal of the Khazars. Yet the Boulghars thrived and prospered, for their capital, Bulghar lay on a major trade route, connecting Scandinavia with the Caspian basin, and it was also center of contact with the Permian and Nenets peoples.
South of the Boulghars lay the lands of Pechenegs on the middle Oural river, at the upper reaches of which were the settlements of the Bashkirs.
The Oghuz Turks have moved into the region of Khorasan, thus their lands north of the Aral Sea have been occupied by the Kipchaks. These formed a tribal confederation with the Kimeks (who had been converting to Manicheism), who occupied much of the land of the central steppe (7). Across the Balkash lake as the Turgesh chiefdom , on its eastern shore lived the Manichean Turkic Chigils, while on the western foothills of the Altai lived the Basmyls, a Turkic tribe gradually adopting Nestorian Christianity. The Karluks were now the easternmost Turkic tribe, living in the Dzungar basin.
East of the Altai lay the still existent Eastern Gokturk Khanate, a nomadic empire encompassing pretty much the Mongolian cultural sphere. Yet unmentioned remains the Tarim basin - a bordered by the Tibetan plateau to the south and the Tianshan to the north, lying along the caravan routes of the Silk road. its majority is inhospitable, for it is filled by the hostile Taklamakan desert, those who live there, survive on its edges. The area had been for long home to East-Iranian speaking Buddhists, organized around the kingdom of Khotan and Sule, yet it has been experiencing an influx of Uyghurs, particularly in its eastern and northern regions. These areas are home to peoples speaking the Arsi (8) languages, a distinct branch of Indo-European languages, most akin to Celtic. The peoples there were exposed mostly to Buddhism and Manicheism, which and been also adopted by the incoming Uyghurs. The Tarim basin was thus mostly Buddhist, and its contact with India is confirmed by the shape of the Arsian script, which took its influence from the Brahman one.
(1)Volgar
(2) Crimea
(3) ancestors of Ossetians
(4)Caucasian Albania
(5) most probably they were not called as such yet , but you know..
(6) the other group invaded the Lower Danube basin
(7) That is, Kazakhstan
(8) Tocharian. This is a name they used for one of their variety from modern Karashahr.
- Tomislav Addai
- Word Count: 820