The history of the Burtas people consists of various myths and legends. This disappeared ethnic group causes a lot of controversy and the main reason is that many historians and researchers sin, and this does not only apply to the issue of the Burtases. There is always a temptation for any explorer to make a “great discovery.”
Interest in the Burtas people woke up in the early 2000s. Partly due to the desire of some historians and local historians to voice their favorite concepts, partly due to a remarkable European-scale archaeological discovery near the village of Zolotarevka, which gives hope for new interesting historical discoveries. It is necessary to consider all versions of the origin and disappearance of this mysterious people.
First mentioned in chronicle
The question of the localization of this nation and the time frame of its existence remains open. There is a mention of the Arab geographer Kalbi, in which he tells about some people of the Burjas. Other eastern geographers, such as Ibn-Rust, Istakhri and Masudi, indeed name the ethnic group Burtases in their works and even describe them. But there is one interesting nuance here: in 922, a certain Ibn Fadlan was in the places designated by great geographers. His route ran from the capital of the Khazars (lower reaches of the Volga) to the capitalBulgars. And he had not heard anything about the Burtas people.
This situation clearly needed clarification. Ibn-Khaukal in 976 writes that there are no traces left in those areas from the Burtases, Khazars and Bulgars. The Russians came: they killed everyone, dispersed them, and took the lands for themselves. There is another no less interesting source - a letter from the Khazar king Joseph. He lists the peoples along the Itil (Volga) River, who diligently pay tribute to him: “v-n-n-tit” (vyatichi?), “s-v-r” (northerners?) and among them such an ethnic group is mentioned “burt- with . Maybe this is an ancient disappeared people?
Theories of the origin of Burtases
There are three main versions of the origin of the people. All of them cause a lot of controversy in the scientific community and are purely hypothetical, but it is necessary to voice them:
- Alano-Asskaya. This theory is supported by the facts of cremation and funeral rites similar to the rites of the Sarmatian-Alans.
- Turkic. Here kinship with the Volga Bulgars is affirmed.
- Finno-Ugric. According to this concept, the disappeared people of the Burtases became the ancestors of the Mishars and Mordovians. They left behind monuments of Gorodets archaeological culture.
What did the Burtases do?
According to the sources of Eastern geographers, their main occupations were agriculture, settled animal husbandry, and beekeeping is especially emphasized. Among the animals in the first place are pigs. There are huge herds of cattle and sheep. Classbeekeeping, as one of their main activities, suggests that the ancient people (Burtases) lived either in the forest or in the forest-steppe zone.
But a special mention goes to the export of furs. Black fox furs were highly valued both in European palaces and in the East. They brought the merchant a thousand percent of the net profit.
From all this information, certain conclusions can be drawn. The Burtases were not inhabitants of the steppe. Their occupations are suitable for a sedentary lifestyle (agriculture, beekeeping). They were no less interested in fur trades (foxes, beavers, etc.). Separate forest-steppe islands are located near the left tributaries of the Don, in the valleys of such rivers as Medveditsa and Buzuluk. These forest-steppe islands are not only rich in various animals, but have fertile soil for farming.
It is necessary to make a reservation right away: brief information about the Burtas people can only be obtained from written sources of Arab geographers and travelers. Unfortunately, at the moment no objects of material culture have been found that could be unambiguously identified as belonging to this legendary and now disappeared ethnic group. True, there is a museum dedicated to their history, but it will be discussed below.
Queen of the Disappeared People
Traces of an ethnic group were found in the Penza region. There are two interesting villages for enthusiasts and fans of the history of the Burtas people - these are Skanovo and Narovchat. At the entrance to Skanovo there is a monument to a woman warrior - Narchatka. She was not afraid to raise herpeople and fight the invaders - the Mongols. Her brother Atyamas conducted quite successful raids on the rear of the Mongols in 1242. According to other sources, he was treacherously killed on April 9, 1241. They were the children of the Moksha king Puresh, so they were destined to stand up for their people.
There is no mention of Narchatka in written sources. But on the coins of Moksha women, which they use to decorate their headdresses, you can find her image. Batu Khan also respectfully spoke about the legendary heroine of the Mordovian epic. She desperately rushed into battle with the invaders, but the forces were unequal, and Narchatka with her war horse rushed into the Moksha River. Her heroic death made her a legend in Mordovia.
But in some legends her name is associated with the Burtases. And some of the Russian scientific community is ready to agree with this. It is necessary to try to understand this issue.
Narchatka - the heroine of the Mordovian epic
The scarcity of data does not allow for a full-fledged study. Therefore, one has to rely on epic and legends. She is called the heiress of King Puresh, who accompanied the troops of the Tatar-Mongols in their campaign against Central Europe. He did not like vassal dependence on Batu Khan. Yes, and the losses that the Mokshans suffered in European cities prompted him to think about an alliance with Henry the Pious. It was wiser to get rid of such an unreliable ally, which the Mongol-Tatars did. They cunningly disarmed the Mokshans, and then killed them while they were sleeping. Puresh and his son Atyamas died.
The survivors united around Narchatka. Now she played the role of leader, which, however, is logical. Another question arises: "Could a woman lead an army in those days?" Other nations do not have such examples.
And one more thing not in favor of her Burtas origin. If she was the queen and heiress of the Moksha king, then what kind of Burtases can we talk about? There are many questions, and only the availability of new data can help prove or disprove hypotheses about its origin. Brief information about the Burtas people raises many questions in the scientific community. And it is all the more pleasant that simply lovers of the history of their native land turn to this topic with enthusiasm and even, sparing no effort and money, open a museum. A striking example is the museum of the history and culture of the Burtases. This is the only source of any information on this topic.
Museum of History and Culture of the Burtases
It is located in the village of Skanovo, Penza region, near the famous female Trinity-Skanovsky monastery. Its expositions are conditionally divided into three periods: Brahmin, Golden Horde and Christian.
Based on finds from an ancient burial ground on Saransk Mountain. These are darts, a bronze bracelet and fragments of other jewelry. In addition, there are folk clothes of the Burtases, or rather their descendants, and many other interesting exhibits. It is difficult to give an assessment, but it can be seen with the naked eye that this museum is designed to convey not only the atmosphere of mystery around this legendary ethnic group, but also to awakeninterest in the rich culture and history of Russia and its people. And such a contribution of ordinary, ordinary citizens is respected.
On the question of the ethnonym "Burtases"
In the sources that have come down to our times, it is emphasized that the language of the Burtases is not similar to the Khazar or Bulgar. They do not speak the Russian language either. They have their own language. Linguists, relying on the Alanian theory of the origin of the Burtases, tried to find the roots of the name of the people from the Iranian languages. In addition, the messages of the Persian historian Razi cannot be ignored. In the 17th century, he mentions the Furdas people. We also meet this ethnonym among Bakri. It is quite possible that later it was distorted and came down to us as "burtas".
If we translate this compound tribal name from Iranian languages, we get "furt" - son, and "as" - this is one of the Alanian ethnolinguistic communities. That is, the full translation literally means “son of Assky.”
The structure of the ancient peoples of the Burtas region
But what really shocked Arab writers was the customs and traditions of this ethnic group. You need to start with the fact that growing up, women left the guardianship of their father and chose their own husbands, and no one could influence their choice. The second interesting observation is their funeral rites. On the one hand, two traditions were present and coexisted peacefully: cremation and burial in the ground - this speaks of their religious tolerance.
There were no "Main" over the Burtuses. They trusted to judge and settle various disputes with the most authoritative and respectedthe elders. If we draw parallels, then such a device was inherent in the Celts (druids) and Hindus (Brahmins). In a word, the power belonged to the sages, whose decisions were trusted by the whole society. That is, they relied on wisdom and experience, and the warriors did what they were supposed to do: protect the weak.
What did the Burtases look like?
There is practically no description of the appearance of the "forest-steppe aces". Guz are attributed to them, whose faith is very similar to the faith of the disappeared people. After assimilation with the Bulgars, practically on the same lands that are mentioned by medieval eastern geographers, a group remained, whose self-name is “burtashi”. The description of the appearance of the Burtas people remains open to this day. This legendary ethnic group could have influenced the Mordovians, Tatars, and Ossetians. A photo of the appearance of the Burtas people, how they looked, is trying to give the Museum of History and Culture. But this can only be regarded as an attempt by enthusiasts to recreate and fill in the blank spots in the history of their native land.
Mythologization of history
Penza smoothly approached the celebration of its 350th anniversary. Not only the city administration, but also a number of historians and local historians prepared thoroughly for this wonderful and wonderful date. A whole campaign was started to convince the residents of the city that they are the glorious descendants of the Burtases, but it failed - apparently, the inhabitants of this beautiful corner of Russia were not ideologically “ripe”. It is understandable: too bold a statement not only for historians, but also for people who are simply passionate about history.of their Great Motherland. This does not mean that the issue of Burtases is definitely closed. No. It just needs more data and more serious analysis.
In the Penza region, there are enough discoveries on a global scale. One Zolotarevskoye settlement is worth something. Perhaps it will shed some light on the subject. Time will tell.
Conclusion
Brief information about the Burtas people, left to posterity thanks to the works of many Eastern medieval authors, and a number of other indirect data suggests their close connection with the Iranian peoples. Official science, at the moment, is very careful in its wording, especially when it comes to traces of material culture. She does not identify them as Burtas, reducing everything to the area of discussion and debate. But the question remains open. And this is a wide field of activity not only for linguistics, archeology and ethnography, but also for a number of other modern and promising areas of science.
