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Georgians
Georgians, or Kartvelians, are an ethnic group native to the Caucasus region, primarily the country of Georgia. They are distinguished by their unique language, Georgian, which belongs to the Kartvelian language family, and by their deep cultural and historical roots in the region. The history of the Georgian people dates back to ancient times, with two significant civilizations, Colchis and Iberia, forming the foundation of modern Georgian identity. Colchis was known for its connections to the Greek world, while Iberia had influence from the Persian Achaemenid Empire before being conquered by Alexander the Great. In the 4th century, Georgians became one of the first nations to embrace Christianity, which played…
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The Ossetians
The Ossetians are an Iranian ethnic group native to the region of Ossetia, which is located in the northern and southern Caucasus Mountains. They are historically and linguistically related to the Alans, an ancient Iranian-speaking people. The Ossetian homeland is split between Russia’s North Ossetia–Alania and the de facto independent Republic of South Ossetia, which is internationally recognized as part of Georgia. Ossetians speak Ossetic, a language belonging to the Eastern Iranian branch of the Indo-European language family. The language is unique because it is the only surviving member of the Alanic branch of the Iranian languages. While Ossetic is the mother tongue of most Ossetians, many are also fluent…
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Eastern Iranian languages
Eastern Iranian languages are a subgroup of the Iranian languages, which themselves belong to the Indo-European language family. These languages have a rich history, emerging during the Middle Iranian period, roughly from the 4th century BC to the 9th century AD. The development of Eastern Iranian languages was distinct from that of Western Iranian languages, particularly in terms of phonetic evolution. One of the key differences is that Eastern Iranian dialects preserved word-final syllables, which were lost in many Western Iranian languages during the same period. The Eastern Iranian language family includes a variety of ancient and modern languages. Among the most notable ancient languages are Avestan and Sogdian, which…
