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DOI: 10.46698/VNC.2026.100.61.017
ON THE POSSIBLE PARTICIPATION OF THE ALANS IN THE TRANSCAUCASIAN CAMPAIGN IN 35 A.D.
Kanukov, Zaurbek T.
Izvestia SOIGSI. 2026. Issue 61 (100). P.5-13.
Abstract:
This article analyzes written sources pertaining to the military and political events in Transcaucasia in 35 AD, in which the Iranian-speaking tribes of southern Eastern Europe were directly involved. These sources include the works of the ancient Roman authors Cornelius Tacitus and Dio Cassius, as well as the Jewish historian Josephus, which contain details of these events. However, the accounts of these authors contain some discrepancies, including those concerning who exactly participated in the Ibero-Parthian conflict as mercenaries, serving the political interests of the Roman Empire. This issue has long been the subject of heated debate among Russian and international researchers. Some historians believe that these works refer to the Alans. However, other points of view also exist. To address this issue, we drew not only on available materials relating to the analysis of the passages in question but also on certain archaeological data. The question of the possible participation of the Alans in the Transcaucasian campaign of 35 AD is directly linked to the equally troubling issue of the appearance of the Alans in Eastern Europe. Therefore, this paper takes into account the works of Russian researchers, including those on this topic. Based on the conducted research, it was concluded that, to date, there is no reliable data (either written or archaeological) to support the idea that the participants in the Transcaucasian campaign of 35 AD were Alans, who first appeared in the Eastern European region somewhat later than the events mentioned in the works of ancient authors.
Keywords: Alans in ancient sources, Alans in Eastern Europe, campaign of 35 AD, Parthia, Media, Transcaucasia, Darial Pass.
Language:: Russian
Download the full text  For citation:: Kanukov, Z.T. On the possible participation of the Alans in the Transcaucasian campaign in 35 A.D. // Izvestiya SOIGSI. 2026. Iss. 61 (100). Pp. 5-13. (in Russian). DOI: 10.46698/VNC.2026.100.61.017 DOI 10.46698/VNC.2026.100.61.017
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