Sarmatian

Sarmatian
Sarmatian [sär mā′shən]
adj.
of ancient Sarmatia its people, language, or culture
n.
a member of an ancient Indo-Iranian people related to the Scythians that lived in southern Russia and the eastern Balkan Peninsula

* * *

* * *

Any member of a people originally of Iranian stock who migrated from Central Asia to the Ural Mountains in the 6th–4th centuries BC and settled in southern European Russia and the eastern Balkans.

Closely related to the Scythians, they were expert horsemen and warriors and gained wide influence through administrative and political astuteness. Women fought alongside men and may have inspired Greek tales of Amazons. By the 5th century BC they controlled the land between the Urals and the Don, and by the 2nd century they had conquered the Scythians to rule almost all southern Russia. Allied with Germanic tribes, they continued to pose a threat to the West until the 1st century AD. After invading Dacia and the lower Danube, they were overrun by the Goths. Many joined the Gothic invasion of western Europe. Sarmatia was destroyed by Huns after AD 370. Their descendants cannot be traced after the 5th century.

* * *

people
      member of a people originally of Iranian stock who migrated from Central Asia to the Ural Mountains between the 6th and 4th century BC and eventually settled in most of southern European Russia and the eastern Balkans.

      Like the Scythians to whom they were closely related, the Sarmatians were highly developed in horsemanship and warfare. Their administrative capability and political astuteness contributed to their gaining widespread influence. By the 5th century BC the Sarmatians held control of the land between the Urals and the Don River. In the 4th century they crossed the Don and conquered the Scythians, replacing them as rulers of almost all of southern Russia by the 2nd century. The Roman province of Lower Moesia (Bulgaria) was penetrated during the time of Nero's rule, and an alliance which the Sarmatians formed with Germanic tribes posed a formidable threat to the Romans in the West as late as the lst century AD. In the final centuries of their existence the Sarmatians invaded Dacia (Romania) and the lower Danube region, only to be overwhelmed by the Goths during the 3rd century AD, though many of them joined their conquerors in the Gothic invasion of western Europe. Sarmatia perished when hordes of Huns migrated after AD 370 into southern Russia. Those surviving became assimilated or escaped to the West to fight the Huns and the last of the Goths. By the 6th century their descendants had disappeared from the historical record.

      When the Sarmatians penetrated into southeastern Europe, they were already accomplished horsemen. They were nomadic, devoting themselves to hunting and to pastoral occupations. Owing to their common nomadic and Central Asian heritage, Sarmatian society paralleled, at first, that of the Scythians, but there were many differences. The Scythian gods were those of nature, while the Sarmatians venerated a god of fire to whom they offered horses in sacrifice. In contrast to the reclusive, domestic role of Scythian women, unmarried Sarmatian females, especially in the society's early years, took arms alongside men. Sarmatian female warriors may have inspired the Greek tales of the Amazons.

      An early matriarchal form of society was later replaced by a system of male chieftains and eventually by a male monarchy. This transition may well have stemmed from the rapid development of horsemanship and a male cavalry corps, attributable to the invention of the metal stirrup and the spur. These innovations contributed greatly to success in military campaigns and even influenced the Roman style of combat.

      Evolving burial customs offer an insight into the progress of the Sarmatian social structure. Early graves held only the remains of the deceased. The somewhat later inclusion of personal objects with the body followed the emergence of class differences. As society became more complex and affluent, more treasures were included with the corpse, until in the final period burial costumes and even jewelry were added to the ritual. The Kuban region is the site of the most elaborate tombs, which in general resemble those of the Scythians, although they are less elaborate in form and decoration. Horse trappings and weapons of the Sarmatians were also less elaborate than those of the Scythians, but they nonetheless evidenced great skill. Sarmatian spears were longer, but knives and daggers were just as varied in style. An outstanding specialty was the Sarmatian long sword, which featured a hilt of wood with gold lacing, topped with an agate or onyx knob. Sarmatian art was strongly geometric, floral, and richly coloured. Jewelry was a major craft, expressed in rings, bracelets, diadems, brooches, gold plaques, buckles, buttons, and mounts. Exceptional metalwork was found in the tombs, including bronze bracelets, spears, swords, gold-handled knives, and gold jewelry and cups.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • sarmaţian — SARMAŢIÁN s.n. Ultimul etaj al miocenului din sud estul Europei, caracterizat prin faună de gasteropode, lamelibranhiate, foraminifere etc. Trimis de MihaelaStan, 13.09.2007. Sursa: DLRC  SARMAŢIÁN, Ă, sarmaţieni, e, s.n., adj. 1. s.n. Ultimul… …   Dicționar Român

  • Sarmatian — Sar*ma tian, Sarmatic Sar*mat ic, a. [L. Sarmaticus.] Of or pertaining to Sarmatia, or its inhabitants, the ancestors of the Russians and the Poles. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Sarmatian — [sär mā′shən] adj. of ancient Sarmatia its people, language, or culture n. a member of an ancient Indo Iranian people related to the Scythians that lived in southern Russia and the eastern Balkan Peninsula …   English World dictionary

  • sarmatian — I. (ˈ)sär|mäshən adjective Usage: usually capitalized Etymology: Sarmatia, anciently a region north of the Black sea + English an 1. a. : of, relating to, or characteristic of ancient Sarmatia b …   Useful english dictionary

  • Sarmatian Review — is an English language peer reviewed academic journal on the Slavistics (culture, history, and society of Central and Eastern Europe) published by Polish Institute of Houston at Rice University three times a year in January, April, and September …   Wikipedia

  • Sarmatian Stage — ▪ geology       major division of Miocene rocks and time (23.7 to 5.3 million years ago). The Sarmatian Stage, which occurs between the Pontian and Tortonian stages, was named for Sarmatia, the ancient homeland of the Sarmatian tribes in what is… …   Universalium

  • Sarmatian craton — In geology and tectonics, the Sarmatian craton is the southern segment/region of the East European craton. The craton contains Archaean rocks 2.8 to 3.7 billion years old. During the Carboniferous Period the craton was rifted apart by the Dneiper …   Wikipedia

  • Sarmatian — adjective or noun see Sarmatia …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • sarmaţián — I. adj. m. (sil. ţi an), pl. sarmaţiéni (sil. ţi eni); f. sg. sarmaţiánã, pl. sarmaţiéne II. s. n. (sil. ţi an), pl. sarmaţiéne …   Romanian orthography

  • sarmatian — sar·ma·tian …   English syllables

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”