1620 years ago, on January 17, 395, the Roman Empire was divided into Eastern and Western. The era of the Roman Empire came to an end. On this day, the last emperor of the united Roman Empire, Theodosius I the Great, died. Before his death, Emperor Theodosius carried out a peaceful division of the Roman Empire between his sons. The eldest son Arkady got control of the Eastern part of the empire with its capital in Constantinople, it is known in modern historiography like Byzantium. The younger Honorius received the Western part of the Roman Empire. Theodosius placed the young emperor Honorius under the guardianship of the trusted commander Flavius ​​Stilicho, whom he married to his niece Serena. Stilicho effectively became the ruler of the Western Roman Empire.

On the way to the section

The population has also degraded. Military service ceased to be the basis of Roman society. The Romans ceased to be a warrior people. The "indigenous" Romans did not even want to reproduce themselves. Living for pleasure leaves no room for children. The empire was covered demographic crisis. In this respect, the current European civilization is similar to the fallen Roman Empire. In order to maintain military power, military affairs had to be given over to the “barbarians.” Many of the passionate “barbarians” eventually became prominent dignitaries, generals and even emperors. Entire tribes settled in the border provinces, and their leaders swore to defend Rome. As a result, some Roman “barbarians” fought with other “barbarians”. The moment was approaching when strong and resilient tribes would occupy the “ecological niche” of the degenerate Romans.

The military and socio-political crisis complemented the rift in culture and religion. Ancient pagan cults gradually gave way to young Christianity. Christianity itself was not united even then and was divided into a number of warring currents. The imperial power needed the support of the people and the god(s) in which the people believed. The emperors chose between Mithras (Sun), which was popular in the East, Jupiter and Christ. In the end they chose Christ. According to legend, during the struggle for the throne, Diocletian's successor Constantine (306 - 337) saw a vision of a cross surrounded by radiance and the inscription: “By this victory.” The emperor ordered the cross to be placed on the banners of his legions and won a victory. From that moment on, the imperial power began to provide patronage to Christians.

At the beginning of the 4th century, Constantine the Great recognized Christianity, and they stopped persecuting him. Constantine also convened the first church council in Nicaea in 325, at which they approved the “Creed” - a statement of the foundations of Christianity, which unified the religion. At the end of the same century, Emperor Theodosius recognized the Nicene branch of Christianity as the dominant, state religion. Now Christianity was persecuting its opponents, including “heretical” Christian branches. Christianity from a persecuted doctrine was transformed into a state ideology, Christian-Greek culture. The new capital of the empire, Constantinople, became the center of the new ideology.

It must be said that the victory of Christianity saved the eastern part of the Roman Empire. Christianity mobilized society and strengthened moral principles. The state used the church to control society. The church has become a symbol of unity, brotherhood and mercy. She not only gave comfort, but also fed the poor. The emperors made the church the richest landowner, gave it huge funds, many houses and land plots. With these funds, hospitals and houses for receiving wanderers were created; any beggar could receive a plate of stew or a coin for food in the church. The Church took on the role of the system social security.

Division of the Empire

Even Diocletian (reigned 284–305) introduced the system of tetrarchy (from Greek “rule of four, tetrarchy”). Power in the empire was divided between two Augusti, who had junior co-rulers - the Caesars. Diocletian wanted the Augusti to resign after a 20-year reign and be replaced by Caesars, who would be replaced by new Caesars. However, the system was unstable and led to internecine war between contenders for the imperial throne. Constantine won the war. During the reign of Constantine, the power of the state was restored and the contradictions were temporarily smoothed out. But his sons had already started a new internecine war. As a result, the two brothers died and Constantius, who reigned until 361, won. Constantius was a supporter of Arianism. The Arians believed that Christ was not equal to God the Father. Nikonians were persecuted.

Constantia was succeeded by Julian (Julian the Apostate). He was the son of Julius Constantius, brother of Constantine the Great, and cousin of the deceased emperor. Constantius, solving the problem of succession to the throne, proclaimed Julian Caesar and married his sister Helen. Julian successfully resisted the Germans in Gaul and was loved by the troops. In 360, Constantius prepared for the Persian campaign and demanded that Julian send the best legions to the East. The troops refused and mutinied. The emperor, busy with the war with the Persians, was unable to suppress him. Julian occupied the passes in the Alps, Illyria, Pannonia and Italy. A new big internecine war was approaching. Unexpected death Constance saved the empire from war. Julian entered Constantinople as the direct and legal heir of Constantius.

This was the emperor-philosopher. Julian declared religious tolerance and planned to carry out the restoration of paganism. At the same time, he wanted to update paganism on the basis of philosophy (Neoplatonism) and borrowing some features of Christianity (hierarchy, piety, charity, etc.). However, he did not rule for long, so the reforms were not completed. In 363, Julian died under strange circumstances during the Persian campaign.

The throne was taken by the former commander of the court guard Jovian. He was elected Augustus by the soldiers. But he also did not rule for long and died in 364 under circumstances that are not fully clarified. Valentinian became emperor (364 – 376). At the request of the army, he confirmed his brother Valens as Augustus and co-emperor (364 - 378). Valens ruled in the East. Valentian retained the western part of the empire and was succeeded by his son Gratian (375-383). At the same time, the troops proclaimed Valentinian II (375-392), Gratian's four-year-old half-brother, Augustus. After the death of Valens, who fell in the Battle of Adrianople in 378, Gratian appointed Augustus Theodosius to the post, who was given control of the eastern part of the empire.

Theodosius was able to stop the advance of the Goths and push them back to the Danube. The agreement with the Goths on the protection of borders was restored. The "barbarians" settled as federates of the Roman Empire in Moesia Inferior and Thrace (modern Bulgaria). Theodosius proved himself to be a good commander and defeated the Arabs. A number of Arab tribes settled in Syria as federates. They began to guard the borders of the state. We managed to maintain good relations with the Persians. During this period, there was a struggle for power in the Persian state, and Theodosius managed to maintain good relations with the rapidly changing Persian rulers. Regarding Armenia, which was a “bone of contention” between the two great powers, an agreement was concluded on the division of spheres of influence.

At this time, another turmoil began in the western part of the Roman Empire. The commander Magnus Maximus in Britain was proclaimed emperor by the soldiers. Part of the German army also went over to his side. Soon Gratian was betrayed by the rest of the army and he was killed. Power was shared by Maximus and Gratian's half-brother Emperor Valentinian. In 387, Maximus decided to become the sole emperor and sent troops into Italy. Valentinian asked Theodosius for protection. Their union was sealed by the marriage of Theodosius to Galla, Valentinian's sister. A new war began between the western and eastern parts of the empire. In 388, the united army of Theodosius and Valentinian defeated the army of Maximus. Maxim died.

Soon a new coup d'etat took place in the west. Emperor Valentinian and his commander-in-chief Arbogast quarreled. Valentinian was killed. Arbogast elevated his protégé Eugene to the throne. Theodosius refused to recognize the legality of the coup, and a new war began. On September 6, 394, at the Battle of the Frigid River in the foothills of the eastern Alps, Arbogast's army was defeated. Eugene was killed, Arbogast committed suicide.

Thus, Theodosius became the de facto ruler of a unified Roman Empire for several months. However, the empire did not remain united for long. On January 17, 395, Theodosius the Great died. Before his death, he divided the Roman Empire. He placed his son Honorius in Rome, and Arcadius ruled during his absence in Constantinople.

After this, the two parts of the empire were never again united under a single leadership. Rome was rapidly approaching its decline. Already in 401 the Goths rose again. They elected Alaric as their military leader and marched on Rome. The Roman commander and guardian of Honorius Stilicho, who was also a “barbarian” who had served in the Roman army, and his army for the most part consisted of the same “barbarians,” called in the legions of the German army to defend Rome. The first onslaught of the Goths was repelled. But in the north, the Germans took advantage of the departure of the Roman troops and broke into Gaul. All of Gaul was on fire. In 405, Stilicho repelled the invasion of the “barbarian” army of Radagais (Radagast). However, Stilicho was accused of friendship with Alaric, attempting a palace coup, and was killed. In 410, Alaric's Goths took Rome. The “Eternal City” was taken by enemies for the first time in 800 years (since the attack of the Gauls in the 4th century BC).

The invasion of the Huns signed the death warrant of the Roman Empire. Tribes escaping from the Huns continued to march through Gaul. The Vandal-Vendal tribe even brought it to North Africa, where they founded their state. The “last Roman” Flavius ​​Aetius was able to stop the hordes of Attila in the Battle of the Catalaunian Fields in 451. However best diplomat and the commander, the savior of Rome, was killed already in 454 by order of Emperor Valentinian. In 455, the Vandals invaded Rome. The city was subjected to terrible destruction. After their departure, Italy was ruled by mercenary leaders who enthroned and overthrew emperors. In other provinces they created their own state entities"barbarians". The eastern part of the empire was ruled by its own emperors, who were not particularly concerned about the fate of Rome. The “Eternal City” lost its glory for a long time.

Rome finally fell in 476, when the commander Odoacer removed Romulus Augustus from power and proclaimed himself king of Italy. The eastern part of the Roman Empire (Roman Empire) lasted for almost another thousand years and fell in 1453 under the onslaught of new “barbarians” - the Ottomans.

In 410, Rome was taken by the Visigoths, and on September 4, 476, the German leader Odoacer forced the last emperor of the Western Roman Empire, Romulus Augustus, to abdicate. Thus ended the 12-century rule of Rome.

But it was not only the Huns who put an end to the Roman Empire. She fell under the hooves of the Alan cavalry. The long-skulled eastern people brought a new cult of war to Europe, laying the foundations for medieval chivalry.

"On guard" of Rome

Throughout its history, the Roman Empire more than once faced the invasion of nomadic tribes. Long before the Alans border ancient world shook under the hooves of the Sarmatians and Huns. But, unlike their predecessors, the Alans became the first and last non-Germanic people who managed to establish significant settlements in Western Europe. For a long time they existed next to the empire, periodically paying them neighboring “visits”. Many Roman generals spoke about them in their memoirs, describing them as practically invincible warriors.

According to Roman sources, the Alans lived on both sides of the Don, that is, in Asia and Europe, since, according to the geographer Claudius Ptolemy, the border ran along this river. Ptolemy called those who inhabited the western bank of the Don Scythian Alans, and their territory “European Sarmatia”. Those who lived in the East were called Scythians in some sources (from Ptolemy) and Alans in others (from Suetonius). In 337, Constantine the Great accepted the Alans into the Roman Empire as federates and settled them in Pannonia (Central Europe). From a threat, they immediately turned into defenders of the borders of the empire, for the right of settlement and salary. True, not for long.

Almost a hundred years later, dissatisfied with the living conditions in Pannonia, the Alans entered into an alliance with the Germanic Vandal tribes. It was these two peoples, acting together, who gained the glory of the sackers of Rome after they plundered the Eternal City for two weeks. The Roman Empire was never able to recover from this blow. Twenty-one years later, the German leader Odoacer formalized the fall of Rome by forcing the last of the Roman emperors to abdicate. The name of vandals remains a household name to this day.

Alan fashion

Imagine the citizens of Rome who began to imitate the barbarians. It seems absurd to think that a Roman, dressed in Sarmatian-style trousers, grew a beard and rode a short but fast horse, trying to conform to the barbarian way of life. Oddly enough, for Rome in the 5th century AD, this was not uncommon. The Eternal City was literally “covered” by the fashion for everything “Alanian”. They adopted everything: military and equestrian equipment, weapons; Alan dogs and horses were especially valued. The latter were not distinguished by either beauty or height, but were famous for their endurance, which was attributed to an almost supernatural character.

Fed up with material goods, entangled in the shackles of sophistry and scholasticism, the Roman intelligentsia sought an outlet in everything simple, natural, primitive and, as it seemed to them, close to nature. The barbarian village was contrasted with the noisy Rome, the ancient metropolis, and the representatives of the barbarian tribes themselves were idealized so much that, in part, traces of this “fashion” formed the basis for subsequent medieval legends about courtly knights. The moral and physical advantages of barbarians were a favorite theme of novels and stories of that time.

Thus, in the last centuries of the Roman Empire, the savage took first place on the pedestal among the idols, and the German barbarian became the object of adoration among the readers of Tacitus and Pliny’s “Germany”. The next step was imitation - the Romans sought to look like barbarians, behave like barbarians and, if possible, be barbarians. Thus, the great Rome, in the last period of its existence, plunged into the process of complete barbarization.

The Alans, as well as the rest of the federates in general, were characterized by the exact opposite process. The barbarians preferred to take advantage of the achievements of a large civilization, on the periphery of which they found themselves. During this period, a complete exchange of values ​​took place - the Alans became Romanized, the Romans became Alanized.

Deformed skulls

But not all the customs of the Alans were to the liking of the Romans. Thus, they ignored the fashion for an elongated head and artificial deformation of the skull, which was common among the Alans. In fairness, it should be noted that today a similar feature among the Alans and Sarmatians greatly facilitates the work of historians, allowing them to determine the places of distribution of the latter, thanks to the long skulls found in burials. Thus, it was possible to localize the habitat of the Alans on the Loire, in Western France. According to Sergei Savenko, director of the Pyatigorsk Museum of Local Lore, up to 70% of skulls dating back to the Alan era have an elongated shape.

To achieve an unusual head shape, a newborn whose cranial bones had not yet become strong were bandaged tightly with a ritual leather bandage, decorated with beads, threads, and pendants. They wore it until the bones became stronger, and then there was no need for it - the formed skull itself held its shape. Historians believe that such a custom came from the tradition of the Turkic peoples of strictly swaddling a child. The head of the child, lying motionless in a strong swaddling blanket in a flat wooden cradle, was formed longer in size.

The long head was often not so much fashionable as ritual. In the case of priests, the deformation affected the brain and allowed the clergy to go into a trance. Subsequently, representatives of the local aristocracy took over the tradition, and then it came into widespread use along with fashion.

First knights

This article has already mentioned that the Alans were considered invincible, brave to death and practically invulnerable warriors. Roman commanders, one after another, described all the difficulties of fighting a warlike barbarian tribe.

According to Flavius ​​Arrian, the Alans and Sarmatians were mounted spearmen who attacked the enemy powerfully and quickly. He emphasizes that a phalanx of infantry equipped with projectiles is the most effective remedy repulse the Alans' attack. The main thing after this is not to “buy” the famous tactical move of all the steppe inhabitants: “false retreat,” which they often turned into victory. When the infantry, with which they had just stood face to face, pursued the fleeing enemy who had upset his ranks, the latter turned his horses and overthrew the foot soldiers.

Obviously, their style of fighting subsequently influenced the Roman way of warfare. At least, later talking about the actions of his army, Arrian noted that “The Roman cavalry holds their spears and beats the enemy in the same manner as the Alans and Sarmatians.” This, as well as Arrian’s considerations regarding the combat capabilities of the Alans, confirms the prevailing opinion that in the West they seriously considered the military merits of the Alans.

Their fighting spirit was elevated to a cult. As ancient authors write, death in battle was considered not just honorable, but joyful: among the Alans, the “lucky dead” was considered to be the one who died in battle, serving the god of war; such a dead man was worthy of veneration. Those “unlucky ones” who happened to live to old age and die in their bed were despised as cowards and became a shameful stain on the family.

The Alans had a significant influence on the development of military affairs in Europe. Historians associate with their heritage a whole complex of both military-technical and spiritual-ethical achievements that formed the basis of medieval knighthood. According to the research of Howard Reid, the military culture of the Alans played a significant role in the formation of the legend of King Arthur. It is based on the evidence of ancient authors, according to which Emperor Marcus Aurelius recruited 8,000 experienced horsemen - Alans and Sarmatians. Most of them were sent to Hadrian's Wall in Britain. They fought under banners in the form of dragons, and worshiped the god of war - a naked sword stuck in the ground.

The idea of ​​finding an Alan basis in the Arthurian legend is not new. Thus, American researchers, Littleton and Malkor, draw a parallel between the Holy Grail and the sacred cup from the Nart (Ossetian) epic, Nartamonga.

Kingdom of Vandals and Alans

It is not surprising that the Alans, distinguished by such belligerence, in alliance with the no less warlike tribe of Vandals, represented a terrible misfortune. Distinguished by their particular savagery and aggressiveness, they did not enter into an agreement with the empire and did not settle in any area, preferring nomadic robbery and the seizure of more and more new territories. By 422-425, they approached Eastern Spain, took possession of the ships there, and, under the leadership of the leader Geiseric, landed in North Africa.

At that time, the Roman colonies on the Dark Continent were going through hard times: they suffered from Berber raids and internal revolts against the central government, in general, they represented a tasty morsel for the united barbarian army of Vandals and Alans. In just a few years they conquered vast African territories that belonged to Rome, led by Carthage. A powerful fleet came into their hands, with the help of which they repeatedly visited the coasts of Sicily and southern Italy. In 442, Rome was forced to recognize their complete independence, and thirteen years later - its complete defeat.

Alan blood

Throughout their existence, the Alans managed to visit many territories and leave their mark in many countries. Their migration stretched from the Ciscaucasia, through most of Europe, and into Africa. It is not surprising that today many peoples living in these territories claim to be considered the descendants of this famous tribe.

Perhaps the most likely descendants of the Alans are modern Ossetians, who consider themselves the successors of the great Alania. Today among Ossetians there are even movements advocating the return of Ossetia to its supposedly historical name. In fairness, it is worth noting that the Ossetians have grounds to claim the status of descendants of the Alans: a common territory, a common language, which is considered a direct descendant of the Alan, a common folk epic (Nart epic), where the core is supposedly the ancient Alan cycle. The main opponents of this position are the Ingush, who also advocate their right to be called descendants of the great Alans. According to another version, Alans in ancient sources were a collective name for all hunting and nomadic peoples located north of the Caucasus and the Caspian Sea.

According to the most common opinion, only part of the Alans became the ancestors of the Ossetians, while other parts merged or dissolved into other ethnic groups. Among the latter are the Berbers, Franks and even the Celts. Thus, according to one version, the Celtic name Alan comes from the patronymic “Alans”, who settled at the beginning of the 5th century in the Loire, where they mixed with the Bretons.

Everything about everything. Volume 5 Likum Arkady

Why did Rome fall?

Why did Rome fall?

For nearly 400 years, the Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe. What is now England, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, parts of Germany, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey, Israel, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco , - all these territories were ruled by the Romans. The decline of the Roman Empire in the West gradually began. In contrast famous expression, Rome did not “fall”. Between 400 and 430 AD. e. numerous tribes of barbarians invaded the Empire and settled in France, Spain and North Africa.

Gradually they gained independence from the Romans. By 500, all of the western parts of the empire—Italy, North Africa, France, and Spain—were ruled by Germanic kings independent of Rome. Emperor Diocletian (245–313 AD) divided the Empire into two in 286. Many years after the western part of the Empire "fell", the eastern part still remained strong. Its center was in ancient city Byzantium, which was later called Constantinople, and even later Istanbul.

For thousands of years, this city was the main city of the world and the capital of the Roman Empire in the East. The Empire eventually came to an end when the Turks captured Constantinople in 1453. The Roman Empire lasted for two centuries and made great contributions to civilization, including helping to preserve the literature and science of Greece and pass it on to the modern world.

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WHAT YEAR DID THE WESTERN ROMAN EMPIRE FALL? and got the best answer

Reply from
The Roman Empire arose in 27 BC. e. This date is tied to the beginning of the reign of the 1st Emperor Octavian Augustus.
395 - Roman Emperor Theodosius dies, the empire was divided into Western and Eastern (which went to Theodosius’s two young sons).
476 - the head of a detachment of Germanic mercenaries in the Roman army, Odoacer, overthrows the Roman emperor Romulus Augustus. This year is considered the year of the fall of the Western Roman Empire. Although the Visigoths had already taken Rome in 410. Some historians consider the year 480 to be the year of decline of the Western Roman Empire - the year when the last legitimate emperor Nepos died.
The Eastern Roman Empire collapsed under the onslaught of the Turks in 1453. This year Constantinople was taken and sacked.
After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, part of the territory passed to the Eastern, and on the other, many small states were formed: in Italy, Pannonia (Hungary), etc.
Formally, no fall of the Roman Empire seemed to have occurred. Power passed, as it were, to the emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire, Emperor Zeno, and Odoacer was appointed patrician in Italy. But in fact, in Italy, the Germans, led by Odoacer, began to run everything. The Middle Dark Ages began

Reply from 3 answers[guru]

Hello! Here is a selection of topics with answers to your question: WHAT YEAR DID THE WESTERN ROMAN EMPIRE FALL?

In 410, Rome was taken by the Visigoths, and on September 4, 476, the German leader Odoacer forced the last emperor of the Western Roman Empire, Romulus Augustus, to abdicate. Thus ended the 12-century rule of Rome.

But it was not only the Huns who put an end to the Roman Empire. She fell under the hooves of the Alan cavalry. The long-skulled eastern people brought a new cult of war to Europe, laying the foundations for medieval chivalry.

"On guard" of Rome

Throughout its history, the Roman Empire more than once faced the invasion of nomadic tribes. Long before the Alans, the borders of the ancient world shook under the hooves of the Sarmatians and Huns. But, unlike their predecessors, the Alans became the first and last non-German people who managed to establish significant settlements in Western Europe. For a long time they existed next to the empire, periodically paying them neighboring “visits”. Many Roman generals spoke about them in their memoirs, describing them as practically invincible warriors.

According to Roman sources, the Alans lived on both sides of the Don, that is, in Asia and Europe, since, according to the geographer Claudius Ptolemy, the border ran along this river. Ptolemy called those who inhabited the western bank of the Don Scythian Alans, and their territory “European Sarmatia”. Those who lived in the East were called Scythians in some sources (from Ptolemy) and Alans in others (from Suetonius). In 337, Constantine the Great accepted the Alans into the Roman Empire as federates and settled them in Pannonia (Central Europe). From a threat, they immediately turned into defenders of the borders of the empire, for the right of settlement and salary. True, not for long.

Almost a hundred years later, dissatisfied with the living conditions in Pannonia, the Alans entered into an alliance with the Germanic Vandal tribes. It was these two peoples, acting together, who gained the glory of the sackers of Rome after they plundered the Eternal City for two weeks. The Roman Empire was never able to recover from this blow. Twenty-one years later, the German leader Odoacer formalized the fall of Rome by forcing the last of the Roman emperors to abdicate. The name of vandals remains a household name to this day.

Alan fashion

Imagine the citizens of Rome who began to imitate the barbarians. It seems absurd to think that a Roman, dressed in Sarmatian-style trousers, grew a beard and rode a short but fast horse, trying to conform to the barbarian way of life. Oddly enough, for Rome in the 5th century AD, this was not uncommon. The Eternal City was literally “covered” by the fashion for everything “Alanian”. They adopted everything: military and equestrian equipment, weapons; Alan dogs and horses were especially valued. The latter were not distinguished by either beauty or height, but were famous for their endurance, which was attributed to an almost supernatural character.

Fed up with material goods, entangled in the shackles of sophistry and scholasticism, the Roman intelligentsia sought an outlet in everything simple, natural, primitive and, as it seemed to them, close to nature. The barbarian village was contrasted with the noisy Rome, the ancient metropolis, and the representatives of the barbarian tribes themselves were idealized so much that, in part, traces of this “fashion” formed the basis for subsequent medieval legends about courtly knights. The moral and physical advantages of barbarians were a favorite theme of novels and stories of that time.

Thus, in the last centuries of the Roman Empire, the savage took first place on the pedestal among the idols, and the German barbarian became the object of adoration among the readers of Tacitus and Pliny’s “Germany”. The next step was imitation - the Romans sought to look like barbarians, behave like barbarians and, if possible, be barbarians. Thus, the great Rome, in the last period of its existence, plunged into the process of complete barbarization.

The Alans, as well as the rest of the federates in general, were characterized by the exact opposite process. The barbarians preferred to take advantage of the achievements of a large civilization, on the periphery of which they found themselves. During this period, a complete exchange of values ​​took place - the Alans became Romanized, the Romans became Alanized.

Deformed skulls

But not all the customs of the Alans were to the liking of the Romans. Thus, they ignored the fashion for an elongated head and artificial deformation of the skull, which was common among the Alans. In fairness, it should be noted that today a similar feature among the Alans and Sarmatians greatly facilitates the work of historians, allowing them to determine the places of distribution of the latter, thanks to the long skulls found in burials. Thus, it was possible to localize the habitat of the Alans on the Loire, in Western France. According to Sergei Savenko, director of the Pyatigorsk Museum of Local Lore, up to 70% of skulls dating back to the Alan era have an elongated shape.

To achieve an unusual head shape, a newborn whose cranial bones had not yet become strong were bandaged tightly with a ritual leather bandage, decorated with beads, threads, and pendants. They wore it until the bones became stronger, and then there was no need for it - the formed skull itself held its shape. Historians believe that such a custom came from the tradition of the Turkic peoples of strictly swaddling a child. The head of the child, lying motionless in a strong swaddling blanket in a flat wooden cradle, was formed longer in size.

The long head was often not so much fashionable as ritual. In the case of priests, the deformation affected the brain and allowed the clergy to go into a trance. Subsequently, representatives of the local aristocracy took over the tradition, and then it came into widespread use along with fashion.

First knights

This article has already mentioned that the Alans were considered invincible, brave to death and practically invulnerable warriors. Roman commanders, one after another, described all the difficulties of fighting a warlike barbarian tribe.

According to Flavius ​​Arrian, the Alans and Sarmatians were mounted spearmen who attacked the enemy powerfully and quickly. He emphasizes that a phalanx of infantry equipped with projectiles is the most effective means of repelling an Alan attack. The main thing after this is not to “buy” the famous tactical move of all the steppe inhabitants: “false retreat,” which they often turned into victory. When the infantry, with which they had just stood face to face, pursued the fleeing enemy who had upset his ranks, the latter turned his horses and overthrew the foot soldiers.

Obviously, their style of fighting subsequently influenced the Roman way of warfare. At least, later talking about the actions of his army, Arrian noted that “The Roman cavalry holds their spears and beats the enemy in the same manner as the Alans and Sarmatians.” This, as well as Arrian’s considerations regarding the combat capabilities of the Alans, confirms the prevailing opinion that in the West they seriously considered the military merits of the Alans.

Their fighting spirit was elevated to a cult. As ancient authors write, death in battle was considered not just honorable, but joyful: among the Alans, the “lucky dead” was considered to be the one who died in battle, serving the god of war; such a dead man was worthy of veneration. Those “unlucky ones” who happened to live to old age and die in their bed were despised as cowards and became a shameful stain on the family.

The Alans had a significant influence on the development of military affairs in Europe. Historians associate with their heritage a whole complex of both military-technical and spiritual-ethical achievements that formed the basis of medieval knighthood. According to the research of Howard Reid, the military culture of the Alans played a significant role in the formation of the legend of King Arthur. It is based on the evidence of ancient authors, according to which Emperor Marcus Aurelius recruited 8,000 experienced horsemen - Alans and Sarmatians. Most of them were sent to Hadrian's Wall in Britain. They fought under banners in the form of dragons, and worshiped the god of war - a naked sword stuck in the ground.

The idea of ​​finding an Alan basis in the Arthurian legend is not new. Thus, American researchers, Littleton and Malkor, draw a parallel between the Holy Grail and the sacred cup from the Nart (Ossetian) epic, Nartamonga.

Kingdom of Vandals and Alans

It is not surprising that the Alans, distinguished by such belligerence, in alliance with the no less warlike tribe of Vandals, represented a terrible misfortune. Distinguished by their particular savagery and aggressiveness, they did not enter into an agreement with the empire and did not settle in any area, preferring nomadic robbery and the seizure of more and more new territories. By 422-425, they approached Eastern Spain, took possession of the ships there, and, under the leadership of the leader Geiseric, landed in North Africa.

At that time, the Roman colonies on the Dark Continent were going through hard times: they suffered from Berber raids and internal revolts against the central government, in general, they represented a tasty morsel for the united barbarian army of Vandals and Alans. In just a few years they conquered vast African territories that belonged to Rome, led by Carthage. A powerful fleet came into their hands, with the help of which they repeatedly visited the coasts of Sicily and southern Italy. In 442, Rome was forced to recognize their complete independence, and thirteen years later - its complete defeat.

Alan blood

Throughout their existence, the Alans managed to visit many territories and leave their mark in many countries. Their migration stretched from the Ciscaucasia, through most of Europe, and into Africa. It is not surprising that today many peoples living in these territories claim to be considered the descendants of this famous tribe.

Perhaps the most likely descendants of the Alans are modern Ossetians, who consider themselves the successors of the great Alania. Today among Ossetians there are even movements advocating the return of Ossetia to its supposedly historical name. In fairness, it is worth noting that the Ossetians have grounds to claim the status of descendants of the Alans: a common territory, a common language, which is considered a direct descendant of the Alan, a common folk epic (Nart epic), where the core is supposedly the ancient Alan cycle. The main opponents of this position are the Ingush, who also advocate their right to be called descendants of the great Alans. According to another version, Alans in ancient sources were a collective name for all hunting and nomadic peoples located north of the Caucasus and the Caspian Sea.

According to the most common opinion, only part of the Alans became the ancestors of the Ossetians, while other parts merged or dissolved into other ethnic groups. Among the latter are the Berbers, Franks and even the Celts. Thus, according to one version, the Celtic name Alan comes from the patronymic “Alans”, who settled at the beginning of the 5th century in the Loire, where they mixed with the Bretons.