Cyrtians
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TheCyrtiansorKyrtians(Ancient Greek:Κύρτιοι,romanized:Kýrtioi,Latin:Cyrtii) were an ancient tribe inhistoric IrannearZagros Mountains.[1]Based on their name,[1]it has been suggested that they may be ancestors of theKurds.[2][3]
According to Rüdiger Schmitt,[2]they were a tribe dwelling mainly in the mountains of Atropatenian Media (Northern ZagrosMountains) together with theCadusii,Amardi(or "Mardi" ),Tapyri,and others (Strabo 11.13.3). Strabo characterized the Cyrtians living in Persia as migrants and predatory brigands.
In the Hellenistic period, they seem to have been in demand asslingers,for they fought as such for theMediansatrapMolonin his revolt against KingAntiochus IIIin 220 BC.[2]
The Cyrtians were not connected to theCarduchi(Cordyaei, Gordyaei, Karduchoi) and the like, who lived farther west.[2]According toGarnik Asatrian,Cyrtians were a collection of indigenous, non-Iranian tribes who only shared a nomadic lifestyle.[4]
References
[edit]- ^abG. Asatrian, Prolegomena to the Study of the Kurds, Iran and the Caucasus, Vol.13, pp. 1–58, 2009: "Evidently, the most reasonable explanation of this ethnonym must be sought for in its possible connections with the Cyrtii (Cyrtaei) of the Classical authors."
- ^abcdSchmitt 1993,p. 515.
- ^(Berlin), Brentjes, Burchard."Kyrtioi".
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(help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^Potts 2014.
Sources
[edit]- Potts, Daniel T. (2014).Nomadism in Iran: From Antiquity to the Modern Era.London and New York: Oxford University Press.ISBN978-0190600594.
- Schmitt, Rüdiger (1993)."Cyrtians".InYarshater, Ehsan(ed.).Encyclopædia Iranica, Volume VI/5: Čūb-bāzī–Daf(f) and Dāyera.London and New York: Routledge & Kegan Paul. p. 515.ISBN978-1-56859-003-5.