History of the Savirs / Suvars: Evidence from Archaeology
https://doi.org/10.22162/2619-0990-2022-64-6-1244-1253
Abstract
Introduction. The paper examines some archaeological evidence for a line of continuity between the Savirs (an ethnic group that had inhabited the Caucasus up to the mid-1st millennium CE), the Suvars (who were part of the northward migration of the Bulgar tribal federation to the middle reaches of the Volga later in the 1st millennium CE), and the present-day Chuvash people (first attested under that name in the early 16th century). Goals. The article aims to shed light on the history of ancestors of the Chuvash. Materials. Pottery and other artefacts support the link postulated to exist between the mentioned ethnic groups from different periods in history, while other archaeological discoveries indicate what connected them to and what distinguished them from their neighbors, suggest how they lived, and show the persistence of certain traditions and practices up to date. Results. Excavations of archaeologists from Makhachkala reject the version of the mid-fifth-century migration of Savirs from the region of Derbent towards southeastern Ciscaucasia allegedly because of the Pseudo-Avars that had arrived from Siberia. In fact, such movement resulted from the offensive of Sassanid Iran. The paper also reviews burial grounds located in Kizilyurtovsky District of Dagestan. The analysis of archaeological evidence confirms there is a continuity of black-and-gray pottery from the North Caucasus and Volga Bulgaria.
Supporting agencies: The reported study was carried out under the R&D Plan of Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera) of the RAS ‘Factors of Ethnocultural Identity’.
About the Author
Anton K. Salmin
Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera) of the RAS (3, Universitetskaya Emb., 199034 St. Petersburg, Russian Federation)
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Dr. Sc. (History), Leading Research Associate
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Review
For citations:
Salmin A.K. History of the Savirs / Suvars: Evidence from Archaeology. Oriental Studies. 2022;15(6):1244-1253. https://doi.org/10.22162/2619-0990-2022-64-6-1244-1253
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