Peoples of the Caucasus Totally Explained

Everything about Peoples Of The Caucasus totally explained

This article deals with the various ethnic groups inhabiting the Caucasus region. There are more than 50 ethnic groups living in the region.

Peoples speaking Caucasian languages

Peoples of Caucasus that speak languages that belong to the Caucasian language family are divided into two groups — North Caucasian and South Caucasian. North Caucasian peoples:

Northwest Caucasian peoples:
- Abkhazians (including Abazins)
- Adyghe (including Kabardins and modern day Cherkes)
- Ubykh
Nakh peoples:
Northeast Caucasian peoples:

South Caucasian peoples:

Georgians

Laz The largest peoples of the Caucasian language family are Georgians (4,600,000), Chechens (800,000), and Avars (500,000). Georgians are only Caucasian people that have their own independent state — Georgia, while some other of those peoples possess their republics within the Russian Federation: Adyghe (Adygea), Cherkess (Karachay-Cherkessia), Kabardins (Kabardino-Balkaria), Ingush (Ingushetia), Chechens (Chechnya), while Northeast Caucasian peoples mostly live in Dagestan. Abkhazians live in Abkhazia, which is de facto independent, but de jure is autonomous republic within Georgia. Image:Chechens19.jpg | Chechens in the 19th century Image:Circassian Warrior.jpg | Circassian warrior Image:Pyotr Bagration portrait.jpg | Pyotr Bagration, a famous Russian–Georgian general Image:Lakian girl 1883.jpg | Lak girl (1883 photograph) Image:Chechenchildren.jpg | Chechen children in Pankisi Image:Prokudin-Gorskii-44.jpg | Dagestani couple in traditional dress (circa 1907 to 1915)

Peoples speaking Indo-European languages

Peoples of Caucasus that speak languages that belong to the Indo-European language family.

Armenian group:

Armenians

Iranian group:

Slavic groups:

Hellenic group:

Greeks

Armenians number 3,215,800 in their native Armenia, though approximately 8 million live outside the republic, forming the Armenian diaspora. Elsewhere in the region, they reside in Nagorno-Karabakh (which is de facto independent, but de jure is part of Azerbaijan), Georgia (primarily Samtskhe-Javakheti, Adjara, and Abkhazia), and the Russian North Caucasus. The Ossetians live in North Ossetia-Alania (autonomous republic within Russia) and in South Ossetia, which is de facto independent, but de jure is part of Georgia. The Yazidi Kurds reside in the western areas of Armenia, mostly in the Aragatsotn marz. An autonomous Kurdish region was created in 1923 in Soviet Azerbaijan but was later abolished in 1929. Pontic Greeks reside in Armenia (Lori, especially in Alaverdi) and Georgia (Kvemo Kartli, Adjara, and Abkhazia). Russians mostly live in the Russian North Caucasus and their largest concentration is in Stavropol Krai, Krasnodar Krai, and in Adygea. Image:Armenian girl.jpg | Armenian girls Image:Musicians.jpg | Armenian folk musicians Image:Armenian children.jpg | Armenian children at the UN Cup Chess Tournament in 2005 Image:Armenian-clergyman.jpg | An Armenian Apostolic clergyman Image:RussianChildrenOnAHillside.jpg | A group of Russian children on a hillside Image:CAEIPDS0.jpg |Yazidi Kurds Image:Kukul.jpg | A Greek (Pontian) man in traditional clothes from Trebizond Image:Ossetian girl 1883.jpg | Ossetian girl (1883 photograph)

Peoples speaking Altaic languages

Peoples of Caucasus that speak languages that belong to the Altaic language family.

Turkic group:

Mongolic group:

Kalmyks

The largest of the Altaic-speaking peoples on Caucasus are Azeris (8,700,000), who live primarily in Azerbaijan, Georgia, Dagestan and Armenia (before 1991). Other Altaic-speakers live in their autonomous republics within Russian Federation: Karachays (Karachay-Cherkessia), Balkars (Kabardino-Balkaria), Kalmyks (Kalmykia), while Kumyks and Nogais live in Dagestan. Image:Azeri 7.jpg | Performing Azeri musicians Image:1403-84.jpg | An Azeri woman from Baku (19th century) Image:Gfdfgd.jpg | Karachay patriarchs in the 19th century Image:Kalmyk Brides and Grooms.jpg | Kalmyks

Connection to Caucasian race

The indigenous peoples of Caucasus, and the geographic location of it — being on the border of Europe and Mideast — had directly lent their name to the designation of the white race as "Caucasian". The term "Caucasian" originated as one of the racial categories developed in the 19th century by people studying craniology. It was derived from the region of the Caucasus mountains. The 18th century German philosopher Christoph Meiners first named the concept of the Caucasian race particularly a single skull from the Caucasia which resembled German skulls. It was from this similarity that he conjectured Europeans having arisen in the Caucasia.
In 1915, French diplomat and man of letters Arthur de Gobineau popularized ideas about race: "I must say, once and for all, that I understand by white men the members of those races which are also called Caucasian
The Caucasus was historically an area of fascination for Europeans. Myths of the Caucasus featured Prometheus and Jason and the Argonauts. Greek mythology considered women from the Caucasus to have magical powers., such as Medea of Jason and the Argonauts fame. In Greek mythology, this area was thought of as a kind of hell since Zeus imprisoned many Titans who opposed him (for example Prometheus) there. In this sense, these Titans were banished outside the civilized world to an area inhabited by Colchians. The Greeks considered them barbaric.

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