Research Article

The Origin of the Scythians and the Identity of the Scythians and the Alans in John Tzetzes’ Work

Volume: 8 Number: 1 February 23, 2024
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The Origin of the Scythians and the Identity of the Scythians and the Alans in John Tzetzes’ Work

Abstract

Much has been said about the origin of the Scythians, but no academician or researcher has ever been able to provide evidence to reveal the identity of the Scythians. Today, the prevailing view about the origin of the Scythians is the view that they are of Indo-European origin. And this argument is supported by Western academics. No written sources say that the Scythians were of Indo-European origin or spoke an Indo-European language. The only thing that makes those a community of Indo-European origin is the arbitrary explanations of the personal names belonging to their language in Indo-European languages and the kinship relationship established between the Ossetians and Alans. No consistent explanation of the words of the Scythian language in Indo-European languages has been provided to date. However, very recently, in the light of written sources, more than one piece of evidence has been presented to shed light on the origins of the Scythians. This article aims to reveal the true identity of the Scythians and Alans in the work of the 12th-century Byzantine writer John Tzetzes in the ligt of these new evidences.

Keywords

References

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

History of Central Asia

Journal Section

Research Article

Publication Date

February 23, 2024

Submission Date

January 14, 2024

Acceptance Date

January 18, 2024

Published in Issue

Year 2024 Volume: 8 Number: 1

APA
Şengül, F. (2024). The Origin of the Scythians and the Identity of the Scythians and the Alans in John Tzetzes’ Work. Journal of Old Turkic Studies, 8(1), 104-129. https://doi.org/10.35236/jots.1419539