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Origin of the Alans - Printable Version

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RE: Origin of the Alans - Michael Kerr - 04-15-2016

Alanus wrote:


 And here we have the Andalusian (corrected to original-- "Vandalusian"). These horses arrived with the Vandal/Alan group that entered France from Pannonia on the last day of 406. They then moved into Spain, a number of Alans remaining behind and not crossing over to Africa. The breed would not be related to Arabians or Barbs, which (I believe) entered Spain from the opposite direction. They must date back to the Aorsi migration.

 I am not really sure about the origins of the Andalusian/Vandalusian horses but it seems that the ancestors of this breed were the Sorraia which some think are a native Iberian breed but others seem to think it was closely related to the Tarpan or Mongolian horse as well, and the North African or West African Barb. I am not disputing your assertion that the Alans might have had some input into the breeding of the ancestors of the Andalusians with their own livestock as Andalusia was in their zone of control after they invaded Spain with the Vandals and Suebi, but according to Deb Bennett in her book “Conquerors the Roots of New World Horsemanship” the Barb breed were introduced to the Spanish peninsula long before the Moorish Invasions. 

 The Barb itself is considered an ancient breed being a mixture of small herds of North African wild horses with a strong Oriental breed admixture, Numidian & Cyrenaicans, being the result of oriental horses being passed along via Egypt from both Anatolia and Persia via the Phoenicians/Carthaginians and also their trading rivals, the Greeks via Marseille and certain other Greek trading posts who would have traded Thessalonian  and other breeds of eastern stock. The Carthaginians even traded horses with the Irish and the Britons. The Barbs of the Moorish invasion which occurred much later had a lot of Arabian horse features. Carthage traded with the Iberians and established colonies in Spain and horses, especially Numidians and Barbs would have been prominent in the barter for silver. Even in 308 BC Carthage could field 2000 chariots against the forces of Agathocles of Syracuse so she had access to a lot of horses. 

Diodorus mentions the countryside surrounding Carthage itself as being well irrigated and divided into plantations of vines, olives and a variety of fruit trees with herds of cattle and sheep pastured on the plain and the neighbouring meadows were filled with grazing horses. Carthaginian coins of the mid 3rd century BC also show large powerful horses with well-developed legs, well muscled necks and alert ears. Their allies the Numidians were acknowledged as the best horsemen with their tough Numidian horses, of their day and they constantly embarrassed their Roman rivals in cavalry warfare that they had to be bought off by the Romans for them to get the upper hand. When Hannibal’s father Hamilcar Barca conquered most of Spain he would have bought over considerable cavalry and horses to mix with the local breeds. The Celts themselves were excellent horsemen so the Celtiberians would have had some quality horseflesh as well. In the days where there were no studbooks for breeds I do take your point that the introduction of new blood for horses from the Alans who would have been the eminent horse breeders of their day would have helped the local horse population. Smile 
 Just on the Akhal-Tekes and Ferghana horses it would have been nice if Sima Qian and the writer of the HanShu had been knowledgeable about horses as we don't seem to have a physical description of the animals themselves. We just read in Sima Qian that although the Wusun horses were magnificent they just weren't as magnificent as the Ferghana horses. Alfalfa must have made a big difference. Smile Smile
Regards
Michael Kerr



RE: Origin of the Alans - Alanus - 04-15-2016

Hi, Michael

Point taken! Smile

I was thinking in terms of the c. 710 invasion. However, with the Barb already established in Spain I can see where a lot of Barb blood would end up in the Andalusian. I don't see the Arabian's delicate conformation in the Andalusian, and it would seem the Alan presence in that southernmost locality might add a breeding input. I've not read Bennett's book... yet. I do know that Spanish horses landed in Peru, and I have a conquistador's stirrup from one of the graves of Pizarro's men. (It's bronze and shaped like a shoe.)

On another note, I'm stymied by the mysterious article on the "golden horse" found in Xinjiang. Supposedly the color was ascertained by using DNA. I've never heard of how DNA could isolate the color of a horse's coat... or the hue of a human's eyes. What is most interesting is the golden color, which shows up most prominently within the Akhal-teke. Once again, we have a theoretical link to the Pazyryk breed... if it was a "breed."

After looking at photos of Gansu Province, it seems to be mostly desert and uninhabitable mountains. The Province also has green pastures, but they appear secondary and seasonal. As you mentioned (as did Sima Qian), the Yuezhi horses were "top notch," the best to be had. One obvious reason would be the quality of their feed, alfalfa for instance. In that respect, the geographical flora of Gansu appears inferior. I wouldn't attempt to raise a quality horse in that environment. It looks suitable for breeding small donkeys.

The "2010" study I mentioned above is actually undated but contained a footnote to a 2009 paper. When you examine 500 Gansu skulls and can't find a Europoid one, what might your conclusion be on the socalled "Yuezhi homeland?" I believe we need to look elsewhere. I'm asking, not just Michael, but other RATers who follow this thread-- Any wild suggestions for an alternative location?  Wink


RE: Origin of the Alans - Michael Kerr - 04-16-2016

I do think that the Yuezhi controlled a much larger area than the western end of the Gansu corridor but this corridor was a very important and strategic region, no matter how harsh the landscape and conditions as like its title, it was the corridor to the west for the movement of Chinese silks and if you travelled with grazing livestock and camels as well it was the most direct route and I think the Yuezhi protected both the region and the caravans militarily from other tribes. "This is our turf and we will protect it". This was the important route to the west although there were other routes they were probably over harder geographical features like mountains or through regions containing dangerous tribes and that is why I think the Yuezhi prospered in their trading relationship with China. The Chinese got their goods moving west without spending a lot of money to protect their caravans and the Yuezhi chiefs also did well out of the relationship with top money paid for jade and horses and probably had a mortgage on "the ancient infrastructure and transport/ the oases towns and the Bactrian camel". Good middlemen. Most of the Turkoman and their descendant breeds thrived in semi desert regions and they and the Akhal-tekes and others were noted for their endurance and stamina.

 It seems strange that before the Xiong-nu became a threat and expelled the Yuezhi from the Gansu corridor that there is very little record of what lies west of Gansu  until  Zhang Qian travelled west in search of the Yuezhi for the Han. Benjamin does mention one earlier source but again it could have doubtful origins. But the sources which tell us of the Yuezhi living in the Gansu are Chinese.

Mu Tianzi zhuan, Chapter 1.
On the day of jiawu the king travelled westwards. Thereafter he crossed the pass and the slope of Yu. On the day of jihai he arrived at Yanju, the flat land of the Yuzhi.
King Mu reigned 976-922 BC,  the reference to “crossing the Pass of Yu to reach the land of the Yuzhi" seems to indicate reasonably accurate Chinese knowledge of the location of the  the Gansu and what they thought was the region where Indo-Europeans resided and not knowing that the area they controlled was probably a lot larger.

It does strike me that once the Yuezhi had migrated west or whether they just abandoned the Gansu corridor and Tarim basin to the Xiong-nu, that after containing the Xiong-nu threat the Chinese filled in the vacuum and occupied Xingjian province as I think the Silk route was too important to let go. A lack of Yuezhi grave sites probably confirms your theory that the kings and elite of the Yuezhi confederation were buried elsewhere as befitting their rank.
 In 1969 they found a tomb near the city of Wuwei in Gansu province that probably belonged to an important Han general. It contained the flying horse of Kansu which was dated to the 2nd Century CE and was probably a representation of the Ferghana horse. Smile

 In regards to Arabians & Andalusians, Bennett also sees a difference between the Andalusians & the Arabians, the Arabian breed was bred for Bedouin tastes & with the Arab conquest a lot of the North African barbs were bred with Arabians. Moi Watson would know a lot about the South American connection with Spanish horses but for the laymen like myself Bennett's book Conqueror gives a good insight on the history & ancient breeds of horses, including steppe breeds but concentrates too much on South American horses IMHO. We seem to owe a lot to the ancient Hittites for the breeding of high stamina oriental horses. Cool

   
 
Regards
Michael Kerr


RE: Origin of the Alans - Alanus - 04-16-2016

The Flying Horse on a Swallow

Thanks, Michael Smile

I'll try to add some insight on two of the subjects you mentioned, both important in relation to the Yuezhi-- the Flying Horse on a Swallow, and the Journey of King Mu to Visit the Queen Mother of The West.

       
The Flying Horse found in Gansu was dated to the Western Han period. You posted it above, and it's perhaps the finest Chinese bronze sculpture of the era. I took photos of my bronze copy to record closer details. The first photo shows a single crenelation at the apex of the mane. The second pic illustrates the distinctive tail, as if it were broken in the middle. This feature, the sharply-angled tail, is due to a leather or cloth "tail sheath."

   
Here we have an older bronze sculpture, this one from the Eastern Han period. It's a bit crude, but again it shows the bent tail signifying the horse wore a tail sheath. Where did these Han (and Qin) tail sheaths come from?

   
We might look at some of the horses from Berel Kurgan 11, early 3rd century BC and just before the Han era. Here we have the same stylistic bend in the horse's tail, caused by a sheath covering its upper portion. I lifted this illustration from an excellent thesis by Gala Argent, knowledgeable on both horses and the Pazyryk culture.

   
If we go further back another century, to Pazyryk Kurgan 5, we find the same tail sheath depicted on a felt wall hanging.

This is One More Chinese-Pazyryk connection, as the list gets longer. With the current academic premise-- that the Pazyryk Culture cannot be the Yuezhi-- we find another case of "deja vu all over again." In the meantime, we have a culture (Pazyryk) leaving absolutely no historical trace behind in China, and we have a historically-mentioned culture (Yuezhi) leaving virtually no archaeological remains for anyone to discover. How inextricably odd. Wink


RE: Origin of the Alans - Michael Kerr - 04-18-2016

 Ilyasov mentions in his paper Covered Tail and "Flying Tassels" that there are tail sheaths depicted in various pieces of Sarmatian/Alan artworks, even in the Bosporan kingdom and on the Orlat battle plaque and to him that proves that the warriors depicted on Orlat plaques are not Huns (Hsiung-nu) as there is no record or description of them using tail sheaths for their horses and that the warriors depicted are possibly either Yuezhi, Sogdians or Sakas. There are lots of examples of tail sheaths in artwork depicting Saka/Sarmatians/Alans or Yuezhi. The fact that the Pazyryk burials contain a tail sheath possibly means that they were in turn Yuezhi or Saka.

   

 Interesting that Argent, in her thesis showed how over time since the discovery of Pazyryk that later artists depictions of the horses found in most recent publications were drawn as Akhal-tekes thus giving the impression that these types of horses were common in the Altai but the original artists depicted the horses as Tarpans or Altai pony like horses like the depiction on left, although they were still bigger than ponies (around 14.5 hands). This seems reinforced by DNA matching where there is no trace of Akhal-teke DNA in the Berel horses. The geography of the Altai meant no wagons but plenty of pack horses to carry possessions and riders over some pretty rough terrain when travelling from summer to winter pasture. The residents probably had semi-permanent structures to live in negating the need for wagons and tents, something Alan mentioned earlier in the thread with the availability of birch and the construction and woodworking skills needed to make the burial places in the first place. Something that the long legged slender Turkoman would not be suited for. The favourite horses of the occupants of Pazyryk and possibly also Berel were their riding horses who were probably stabled and fed grains while the pack horses were left to fend for themselves seeking fodder underneath the snow. Rudenko mentioned that the horny walls of the hoofs of many horses had uneven creases like the rings of trees testifying to grazing through both famines and harsh winters while the riding horses were stalled and did not show these features. As Alan mentioned the Turkoman/Akhal-teke horses were more suited to drier semi-desert conditions. (Surena's Saka horsemen would have probably had Turkoman horses available at the battle of Carrhae in conditions that would have suited them while chipping away & destroying Crassus' army.)

   
 
I think I posted some pics of the tail and mane sheaths found a Pazyryk earlier in this thread but I shall post again.  Smile

   

Also here is a clip of people riding horses in the Altai and why the sturdy local Altai horse was bred to these conditions. Only a tourist clip but it shows how a sturdy surefooted horse was needed in these parts if you wanted to get around. Even the old Russian archaeologists like Rudenko knew a fair bit about horses because they relied on them to get to Pazyryk and had to rough it a bit.



Regards
Michael Kerr



RE: Origin of the Alans - Alanus - 04-19-2016

The Birth of Central Asian Trade: Khotan Jade & Bactrian Turquoise.

Good work, Michael

(I just gave you a rating, which can only show up as "Neutral." But it looks to me like your actual positive rating would be 28, not 23. What a glitchy system!)

Thanks for mentioning the findings of Ilyasov. The tail sheath is certainly indicative of the Yuezhi/Alans as it arrives in every location-- from Pazyryk to Bactria and then the Crimea. As you mentioned, this horse dressing indicates the Pazyryk culture probably was the Yuezhi, if we add all the other cultural links between them and the Qin and Han Chinese, including the tattoos, the Quiling "monster," the S-shaped cheek-pieces, and the crenellated mane.

As a primary Central Asian trading society, the Pazyryk-Berel horsemen appear to have controlled the eastern end of northern trade route from an early period. Frankly, it looks like the route can be linked to Arzhan 1. In both Arzhan kurgans (1 &2), artifacts point to a "multiple of cultures." With the premise of "admixture," I've just studied 3 scholarly papers on Europoid-Asiatic admixtures of the Altai and Xinjiang Province. All 3 papers are valuable, yet flawed.

In 2013, Tan JingZe et al published, Craniometrical Evidence for Population Admixture in Bronze Age Southwest Xinjiang, very recent and extremely "Beijing biased." Xinjiang Province has a high non-Chinese ethnic population, and I'll bet a huge percentage would rather live under an authority beyond the Communist status quo. In this view, Tan JingZe's study is designed to "prove" the Chinese were overpoweringly the dominant cultural group in Bronze and Iron Age Xinjiang. I think Mallory, Mair, Kangxin, or Yu, could successfully debunk this premise in a heartbeat. Cool

   
The Tarim basin is in the heart of Xinjiang. According to historical tradition, the southern "Silk Road" ran through Niya (where the famous bow and quiver were found), westward to Khotan (jade country), then to Bactria (and it's turquoise), and finally down to India. Supposedly, the "Silk Road" was initiated by the Chinese in the 2nd century BC. As they say in Mazatlan, "I don' thin' so." Rolleyes  I think "someone else" founded it.

Let's take a closer look at Khotan. Our team of JingZe and associates studied 52 tombs, C14-dated to 950-850 BC, at Liushui Village, Keriya County, much later part of the Khotanese Kingdom. What interests us is Khotan's production of nephrite jade, which appears to be the earliest recorded trade item of the Yuezhi. This is prime jade country, the stone a pure white. For east-west cranial references, the study used skulls from Anyang (Eastern Asian) and the Volga Pit Tombs (called "Western Asian," no references to "Caucasoid" or "European.") How odd!-- the references (from Anyang and the Volga) were Bronze Age, but Liushui cemetery was Iron Age, making the title of the study an anachronism. A total of 16 skulls were used, and here is the total count and variance of the craniology:

Western Asian Type (let's face it-- Europoid or Caucasian) 9 positive identifications.
Eastern Asian Type (and JingZe really means "Han Chinese") 3 positive identifications.
Eastern & Western Asian Type (I do believe the real word is "Admixtured") 4 positive identifications.

According to the above results, JingZe and associates claimed the Liushui Village cemetery contained "predominantly Eastern Asian crania," proving the Chinese inhabited the entire province of Xinjiang as far back as the Bronze Age. Even if you're Sino-centric liberal and add the admixtured skulls to the Asiatic ones, you get 7 Chinese-type people discovered at Liushui, and you get 9 Western-foreigners, the "others," in the same cemetery. Once again, we find scholars who can't count. Angel   

But we can salvage some great stuff from this bogus "study." First we have, "The styles of pottery in Khotan were very similar to the Chust Culture found in Fergana Valley of Uzbekistan [next to Bactria]. However, geometric carving patterns on the Khotan pottery were most similar to those in Tibet and Qiunghai [still no Han Chinese at this time]. A single-handled gallipot found in Khotan can find an almost exact copy in the Qosgong graveyard, Lhasa, Tibet." To me, the report shows these jade gatherers were probably Tibetans. But who were they working for?

Here's more than a clue, "There were also bronze wares excavated from Khotan. Those bronze wares had the same styles with those from Charwighul and Yanbulaq. [imports from Western Zhou?] The bronze and gold bell-shaped eardrops [earrings] from Khotan were most similar to those of the early Scythians from Siberia. Bronze harnesses and arrows with tail-hooks were most similar to those of Arzan in Siberia."

   
After reading this report, I dug through my artifacts and found this-- a bronze Arzhan-styled arrowhead with a tail-hook. How and why did it arrive in circa 900 BC Khotan?

   
Here's more! Take a look at this earring found at Arzhan. It's bell-shaped, just like the Khotan ones, and has Bactrian tourqoise pendants. How wickedly odd!

   
Here we see a variety of horse gear from Arzhan 1, dated to roughly 800 BC. This was the very beginning of mounted warfare and trade, the great step beyond chariots. The Arzhan bronze bits are toggled, the earliest defined "snaffle bits." Snaffles worked so well they remained unchanged for almost 3,000 years and are still used today. At Khotan, we're looking at the earliest archaeological remains of a steppe trade route, established by horsemen almost a millennium before the Han Chinese "Silk Road." But who initiated the route?

   
The route itself-- and the trade in Bactrian turquoise and Khotan jade-- was obviously initiated by Arzhan horsemen, perhaps the earliest sign of the Arimaspi, the Horse Lovers, who evidently existed as a culture more than two centuries before the Western Scythians arrived on the Pontic steppe. The "Arzhans" were the same culture that moved down to the Altai, first at Pazyryk, then south to Ukok and Berel. Here in this photo, we have a Siberian-styled horseman, his mount decorated with Arzhan fittings, as he wears a multitude of gold appliques on his kaftan-- exactly like the "king" discovered at Arzhan 2. We are looking at an early Central Asian trader from Arzhan, Siberia. The Chinese knew him, or his great-grandson, as a "Yuezhi." Wink


RE: Origin of the Alans - Michael Kerr - 04-19-2016

Thanks anyway for the neutral ratings Alan although I don't know what the point of neutral is but I put it down to system glitch.
Regards
Michael Kerr


RE: Origin of the Alans - Robert Vermaat - 04-19-2016

(04-14-2016, 05:16 PM)Alanus Wrote: And here we have the Andalusian (corrected to original-- "Vandalusian"). These horses arrived with the Vandal/Alan group that entered France from Pannonia on the last day of 406. They then moved into Spain, a number of Alans remaining behind and not crossing over to Africa.

Why would they not have entered the Empire before that? Alans and before them Sarmatians had been settled within the borders, and used as federates as well. Would these all have been supplied by the Roman army?


RE: Origin of the Alans - Alanus - 04-19-2016

Hi, Robert,

I think they did enter the Empire at an earlier date. We have the story of Hadrian's prized mount Borysthenes given to him by Rasparagus, king of the Roxolani... certainly early. Michael mentioned Deb Bennett's book on the origins of New World horses, which I think arrived with Pisarro. Supposedly, these horses had the same DNA as the Berel Kurgan 11 horses. Then we have the same DNA found in northern horses of Scandinavia. These too, may have arrived in the north through the very speculative and legendary emergence of Odin and the Asirs.

The latter may have been a spin-off of the "Triple Peoples" of Safrax and Alatheus, a group of Alans, Greutungi, and Huns. "Odin" is amazingly close to "Ondin" the Hunnic chieftain of Stilicho's time. The Safrax-Alatheus group went into Pannonia during the last quarter of the 4th century. The Asirs, if they were more than a folktale recorded by Snorri, could have entered Scandinavia after the last Roman histories were written. This would account for the Berel DNA reaching Iceland.

Personally, I think the DNA of Berel horses trickled into Europe over a long period of time and from an early date, more or less as you suggested. It seems logical that some Berel blood entered the Roman cavalry. Frankly, I don't understand why the gene sequence (of the study) was absent in Southern Europe. But I've never had access to the DNA results, and my speculation has been based on the unusual color-- the "white-spotted horse." Plus, the long period of time can't help accuracy:

From Berel to Hadrian's court-- 425 years.
From Berel to Andalusia/Seville-- 650 years
From Berel to Scandinavia-- 750 years
From Berel to Iceland-- 1200 years
From Berel to Peru-- 1750 years
(What about the Mustang of the American Plains?)

Hopefully, Michael might have something positive to add. My studies are attempting to isolate, unequivocally, the Yuezhi confederation as the Arzhan/Pazyryk/Berel culture. If we can build-up undisputable supportive evidence, through cultural connectives, then we have found the origin of the Alans.

Frankly, I'm shocked that Tan JingZe and his 10 associates missed the incredible significance found in the Khotan burials. In 900 BC, we have 3 positive links between Khotan and "Scythian" Arzhan (the arrowheads, snaffle bits, and bell-shaped earrings). With turquoise, we have a direct connection between Arzhan, Khotan, and Bactria. This form of evidence points to a trade route, the earliest one discovered in Central Asia. Looking for "Eastern Asian" skulls in his myopic (and Beijing-funded) manner, good Tan JingZe never made the important connection.

This evidence helps place the Yuezhi, and perhaps "Scythians" in general, in a new light. Researchers like Chernikov, Rudenko, Sulimirsky, and a host of others, all viewed the "Pazyryks" as a militaristic and paternalistic society in which warfare was the prime modus. This is not what we are seeing. The famous petroglyphs at the edge of the Altai in Western Mongolia do not depict significant warfare, but show men leading small groups of horses by tethers. They show hunting scenes, even women giving birth, but few "battles" which actually appear to be skirmishes.

In light of the petroglyphs, and what we find in every kurgan and simple grave, we see horses and trade goods. In almost every case the accompanying "weapons" represent hunting, not necessarily warfare. The Yuezhi were not primarily warriors. They were traders in every commodity they could barter, from Siberia to Khotan to Bactria. They were primarily "businessmen."

Also, researchers are now realizing the women buried with these "kings" were not concubines, nor were they "sacrificed" to accompany the overlord to "Paradise." They were wives who were buried in the kurgan prior to or after the chieftain was interred. When we look at the Asiatic "queen" found at Berel, and the "priestess" discovered at Akal-aka, we see tremendous respect (and honors) given to woman. We also find no bias to race; and elite Pazyryk burials contain a minimum of 3 skull types, perhaps more.

These recent findings contradict Marxist-influenced studies of the mid 20th century. The Arzhan and Altai people were not "nomads," but simply practiced vertical pastoralism. Yuezhi and Alans were not the backward barbarians described by the Chinese and Romans, but a sophisticated culture that, in some cases, technologically exceeded their sedentary societies. They simply had a different worldview. Sorry for the sermon. Wink


RE: Origin of the Alans - Michael Kerr - 04-21-2016

To discuss the horses used by the Roman cavalry would entail an entire separate thread & maybe knowledgeable horsepersons like Moi Watson could add to this particular query but from my reading it seems that Spanish horses were quite sought after and renowned for their speed and in big demand for the circuses of the empire in the days before there was an Arabian breed. We didn’t have breeds then like what we have today but according to Bennett’s book all breeds of domestic horses today originated as 4 distinct groups (Draft, Warmblood, Tarpan and Oriental, 5 if you include the Przewalski horse) and all modern breeds are the result of thousands of years of selectively breeding the progeny of these ancient types, but getting back to our subject, the origins of Andalusians Vegetius wrote of various breeds of his time named after the regions where they originated, like Thuringians, Hunnic, Cappadocians, Persians, to name a few but the three breeds relating to this subject worth mentioning were the Barbari (Barb), Spanish (Hispani) and he also mentioned the African horses of Spanish blood (Hispani Sanguinis). Although Sarmatians and Alans settled in the empire before 409 when the combined Alan/Vandal/Suebi migration into Spain took place, we don’t know if their horses made it into Spain as most of the settlements took place in Northern Italy and Gaul.

  Alan is correct in pinpointing that the region in the south where the Andalusians originated, although many centuries later were settled by the Siling Vandals and that accounts for the name Vandalusia but the Alans were given Lusitania roughly to the west and north-west of the Silings while the Asdings and Suebi received the north-western areas in the carve up. So it seems I was wrong when I said in a previous post that it was in their zone of control. Bennett mentions in her book that the local Roman landlords in Spain would have been happy to see the back of the invaders when they journeyed to Africa and would have been prepared to lose a few thousand horses to see them depart Spain as a small price to pay so this would have boosted the African stock of the Vandals and Alans and it seems that their armies were predominantly cavalry, but mainly lancers as they were defeated a few times by the Moors who shot them up from a distance with missiles as they knew that the Vandal/Alan horses did not like the smell of camels and the Vandals having no missile troops of their own preferred the charge. What happenned to the Alan mounted archers? Maybe there were not enough of them. The Vandals did win a few battles against the Moors but also lost a few as well with losses that hurt their military effectiveness.

 However the Alans could have been involved in the breeding of the Sorraia horse which was in their region of control. This horse was always considered a native wild Iberian horse but recent DNA seems to link them to the Tarpan and Mongolian horse and so possibly Berel horse DNA & the Alans in Spain seem a likely lead to how Mongolian/Altai blood were introduced to the local Iberian herds (maybe some were left behind & mingled with the native horses rather than a concerted breeding effort). Some seem to have gone over to Africa though and mixed with Barbs and returned centuries later in the bloodlines of the Spanish jennet. The Spanish used the Sorraia mainly as pack horses in their conquest of the New World so they could be related to the Mustang. They seem to have also been used by the monks of Carthusia to breed with their horses to keep the Andalusian breed pure as they supposedly ignored an edict issued in Spain to breed the Andalusian with draft horses to make them bigger to carry more armour. Only one of many versions but a good one. Also the Lusitano which is very similar to the Andalusian came from Lusitania but it seems that these two types of horses didn’t develop till the middle ages.

   


 I think that if you are looking for the type of horse which would be popular with the Alans then you would have to look at a horse similar to the Kabarda horse found in the Caucasus, although it is only supposed to be bred since the 16th century this land was the land of the Alans and like a lot of horse breeds they have a longer history than when breed standards and studbooks came into play and the Russians started breeding them with Arabians. They have Turkoman, Mongolian and some Persian breeds in their DNA and are good for work in mountain areas, they are also suited to extreme conditions on a regular basis because they accumulate fat quickly.  Smile  But the Alans of Spain in early to mid 5th century do not help us with seeking the origin of the Alans in Central Asia and the Altai of 300-100 BC but DNA of modern horse breeds give us little clues and hints. That is why the horses found at Berel are an interesting story as to the trading links of their occupants if not their migratory patterns. Cool

   
 
Regards
Michael Kerr



RE: Origin of the Alans - Alanus - 04-22-2016

Well, Michael, I think you located the breed closest to the Berel Kurgan 11 horses. The Kabardin arrives from Alan country, just where we would hope to find it. Some Caucasus breeds have been "improved" as breeders strive for a "racehorse," but the Kabardin has many original qualities that would be found in Altai horses. I can't remember where I copied this from but it's right on the money:

"Kabardins have a strongly-built, thick-set body and short powerful limbs. Like many mountain horses, the hind legs are characteristically sickle-shaped. [We see this on the Pazyryk felt hanging and the Orlat Battle Plaque.] The action is energetic and fairly high, as befits a mountain horse that has to pick its way over rough ground. Although not a fast galloper, its walk is even and cadenced, and some Kabardins pace naturally... highly regarded for its very calm and obedient temperament. It stands at around 15 to 15.2 hands high. Kabardins have a remarkable ability to negotiate steep mountain passes, cross rivers, and go through deep snow. They also have an unerring sense of direction, which enables them to find their way through heavy mountain mist."

   

The breed is capable of great feats of endurance. During a trial in the 1930s, following a route encircling the Caucasian Ridge, Kabardins covered 3,000 km, in bad weather, in 33 days, an achievement not equaled by any other breed. Today, at the Malokaracnaev stud farm, they are kept at pasture on the high ground throughout the summer and in the foothills during the winter. This corresponds, precisely, with the vertical pastoralism used in the Altai.

I've discovered more about Kurgan 11 and Altai horse furnishings in general. The horses were positioned in two layers. The first layer (7 horses) was interred with the "king," while the second layer (6 horses) went into the grave years later with the "queen." Each layer contained 2 primary "exhibition dress" horses, the others fitted for warfare or hunting. All the horses exhibited "good fatness." Gala Argent, plus Samashev & Zhumatayev (S&Z), agree that the primary occupation of the Berel people was horse breeding.

   
All Pazyryk culture horses were sacrificed by the same method. "The process of killing animals was deeply symbolic, perhaps comparable to the blow of a beak of the fantastic prey bird-- Griffin-- whose beak was the model for creating striking surface of combat weapon, 'chikan' [sagaris]... Thus, the animals did not experience any other injuries, their body integrity maintained, since horses were supposed to deliver the souls of the dead to the other world." (S&Z). Argent notes the position of the fatal blow on the skull's forehead corresponds with the method American ranchers would shoot a fatally wounded horse-- as quick and painless as possible. The lead horses (those in fancy regalia) were killed first and simultaneously.

The Berel Kurgan 11 examples show a significant attention to "breed." Their skulls were larger than other Altai horses: Berel--490mm; Pazyryk--485mm; Ak-Alaka--475mm; and Ulandryk--468mm. If this data is accurate, the Berel Kurgan 11 couple become prime candidates for Yuezhi horse-breeding elite.

Pazyryk culture saddles were in two basic styles with slight variations incorporated by their makers. Pazyryk-styled saddles have also been found at Subeshi in the Takla Makan. To quote Samashev and Zhumatayev, "This allows, in the context of the numerous findings of "Pazyryk style" saddles with mummified human remains in the deserts of the Tarim and Turfan, to raise the question about the enlargement of the eastern area of Pazyryk culture..."

We also have this from the authors, "Exactlly the same as from Subeshi, nomadic saddles (more narrowly Pazyryk ones), judging by the terracotta figures, were used in the cavalry of Qin Shi Huandi. At the same time, it is possible that these clay models could generally depict a body of warriors-mercenaries from nomad society serving during the unification wars of 228-210 BC in the Qin Shi army..." We can add to this, considering the Qin use of S-shaped cheek-pieces identical to those found in Berel Kurgan 11 and Pazyryk Kurgan 1.

reference, Zaynolla Samashev and Serikovich Zhumatayev, 2015, PDF, online, A Horse Burial Ceremony of Ancient Nomads in Kazak Altay Region. Thanks, Michael and all. Smile


RE: Origin of the Alans - Alanus - 04-29-2016

John Franklin Haskins: a Tribute to a Warrior


   
This post is somewhat different, but sometimes a warrior needs recognition. John F. Haskins was born in 1919 in Colorado, a seasoned horseman who never quite fit "the mold." During the Second World War, he was a member of the Flying Tigers and defended China from invasion, becoming fluent in both the Chinese and Russian languages. He was recalled to duty during the Korean Conflict, operating as an Intelligence Officer.

As an academic, he became interested in the art and prehistory of Eastern Asia. Here's what his biographer, K. Lindaff, thought of him, "John was not content to catalog and arrange materials from existing collections, but instead decided to tackle newly excavated materials at a then little-known site called Pazyryk; and in unprecedented fashion, he insisted on going to see them. This was in 1958-- imagine the dismay of the Soviet officials when they found him, without official consent, riding into the sites on a range pony!

This kind of unexpected, unauthorized behavior characterized his scholarship-- he chose unchosen topics, he read neglected texts (in 13 languages), he asked unasked questions and came up with unexpected interpretations. Who were the royal occupants of these tombs at Pazyryk? He told his students that they were the ancient Yueh-chih mentioned by Chinese historians and, increasingly, current archaeological evidence supports his thesis against a myriad of others." 

John Haskins held a professorship at Pittsburgh University from 1964 to 1987, remaining Professor Emeritus of that institution until his death in 1991. He was the first American academic to write about the Pazyryk-Chinese connection. In 1956, he made public the linkage of the Pazyryks to the Yuezhi. His ground-breaking work is often overlooked, simply because it's found online under, The Bulletin of the Needle and Bobbin Club, Vol. 40, Nos. 1 & 2. The 45-page paper was a result of a 1955 New York lecture, "Pazyrik, the Valley of the Frozen Tombs," and contains an analysis of Kurgan 5, the Pazyryk culture, and its relationship to China and the West.

    O
A silk-covered saddle cloth with a Chinese embroidered pheasant, Pazyryk Kurgan 5

In 1963, he published an article on Shih-chia-shan (Fortress Hill) in ancient Yunnan Province, and featured a connection between early Chinese and the "nomads." Later, in 1988, he published a short paper, "China and the Altai," an encapsulated edition of his 1956 work. Professor Haskins wasn't a prolific writer: he was a maverick, and a teacher. Most important, he had grit-- riding into Russia on horseback during the hottest point of the Cold War. He thought for himself, and was the first historian (majoring in Scythian art and Oriental fabrics) to realize the Pazyryk elite were nobles of the Yuezhi. I salute him. Big Grin


RE: Origin of the Alans - Steven James - 04-29-2016

Thanks for that posting Alan. His story is inspirational.


RE: Origin of the Alans - Alanus - 05-02-2016

The Arimaspi and Argippeans: an R1a1a Link to Haplogroup Q1a2a

In my last post, we discovered Professor Haskins noticed cranial variations within the Yuezhi/Pazyryks. And previous to this, I suggested the eastward movement of "proto-Arimaspi" ended in the Altai where they became neighbors of the Argippeans (Tuvans). What we didn't have was a solid link: it was conjectural. Now we have the needed proof.

In 2014, Clemence Hollard et al. published a paper, "Strong genetic admixture in the Altai at the Middle Bronze Age." Hollard and associates used DNA from a dozen individuals buried on the eastern side of the Altai, at Tsagaan Asga (Mongolia) and Takhilgat Uzuurs-5 (China). They not only compared the DNA but refined their search to include probable hair and eye color.

   
The individuals in the Hollard study were dated from the Bronze age to the very early Iron Age, and one grave dated back to the Afanasievo culture. The majority of the results comprised of R1a1a (4 individuals) and Q1a2a (3 individuals). (The Q haplogroup was dominant in ancient Central Siberian people, Tuvans included.) According to Hollard, 7 out of 10 individuals had a, "major proportion of European ancestry."

   
Here are two of the individuals from the Tsagaan Asga cemetery. Three individuals in this cemetery were R1a1a and three others were Q1a2a, showing a cultural blending between "steppe intruders" and a local population. We are looking at direct ancestors of the Arimaspi and Argippeans in the Middle Bronze age. They have yet to become a "horse-culture;" and in fact they are buried with NOTHING, no horse... not even a clay pot. What we do see is a person lying on his or her right side-- the classic Pazyryk position.

   
To visualize the people in the Hollard study, we need cranial characteristics. At left (A) we have a Pazyryk skull, then (B) a Tagar skull, and finally © a Tuvan skull. The Pazyryk cranium is wide and short, just like we see on the wide-faced horsemen pictured in Kushan Bactria and again on the Alan vessel from Kosicka, Russia. The Tagar skull is robust with a jaw that can still be found on cult-film actor Bruce Campbell. The Tuvan skull is delicate, and the chin is prominently pointed (in fact cropped from the bottom edge of the photo). This Tuvan skull is precisely what Herodotus records within the Argippeans, "bald headed people with pointed chins."

The women found in Pazyryk kurgans generally fall into the latter class, indicating prevalent intermarriage between the Yuezhi and their dependent tribe, the Tuvans. Also interesting-- most of the skulls are classified as "Europoid," both the Pazyryk and Tuvan examples. Modern Altaians and Tuvans are heavily Mongoloid, due to a strong Xiongnu genetic infusion after c. 162 BC. But an interesting fact remains-- the Bronze and Iron Age Tuvans, typical Siberian people, were classified as "Europoid."

My question is this, "What did ancient Tuvans actually look like?" Looking at a "bare bones" skull really doesn't do it. Can we ever "flesh out" this empty stare?  Confused


RE: Origin of the Alans - Robert Vermaat - 05-09-2016

(05-02-2016, 07:04 PM)Alanus Wrote: To visualize the people in the Hollard study, we need cranial characteristics. At left (A) we have a Pazyryk skull, then (B) a Tagar skull, and finally © a Tuvan skull.
Are these skulls indeed typical for a whole group of people? Or are these just 3 individual from a certain region?