The history of the Burtass people consists of various myths and legends. This disappeared ethnos causes a lot of controversy and the main reason is that many historians and researchers sin, and this does not only concern the issue of Burtases. There is always a temptation for any researcher to make a “great discovery”.
Interest in the Burtass people awoke in the early 2000s. Partly due to the desire of some historians and local historians to voice their favorite concepts, partly due to the remarkable archaeological discovery on a European scale near the village of Zolotarevka, which gives hope for new interesting historical discoveries. It is necessary to consider all the versions about the origin and disappearance of this mysterious people.
The first mentioning in the annals
The question of the localization of this people and the time frame of its existence remains open. There is a mention of the Arab geographer Kalbi, in which he tells of some people of the Burjas. Other eastern geographers, such as Ibn-Rust, Istahri and Masudi, indeed in their works call the ethnic group of the Burtases and even describe them. But there is one interesting nuance here: in 922, a certain Ibn – Fadlan was in places designated by great geographers. Its route ran from the capital of the Khazars (lower Volga) to the capital of the Bulgars. And he did not hear anything about the Burtass people.
This situation clearly required clarification. In 976, Ibn-Haukal writes that there are no traces left in those areas from the Burtases, Khazars and Bulgars. Russ came: they killed all, dispersed, and took the land to themselves. There is another equally interesting source - a letter from the Khazar King Joseph. He lists the peoples on the Itil River (Volga) who earnestly pay tribute to him: “vn-n-tit” (Vyatichi?), “S-v-r” (northerners?) And among them is mentioned such ethnos “burt- from". Maybe this is an ancient disappeared nationality?
Theories of the origin of the Burtases
Three main versions of the origin of the people are called. All of them cause a lot of controversy in the scientific community and are purely hypothetical, but they must be voiced:
- Alano – Ass. The theory of corpse burning and funeral rites, similar to those found in the Sarmato-Alans, speak in favor of this theory.
- Turkic. Kinship with the Volga Bulgars is affirmed here.
- Finno-Ugric. According to this concept, the disappeared Burtass people became the ancestors of the Mishars and Mordovians. He left behind the monuments of the Gorodets archaeological culture.
What did the burtases do?
According to the sources of the eastern geographers, their main occupations were farming, sedentary animal husbandry, and the special emphasis was placed on stewardship. Among animals, pigs come first. There are huge herds of cattle and sheep. The practice of airborne flight, as one of the main types of activities, suggests that the ancient people (Burtases) lived either in the forest or in the forest-steppe zone.
But special mention is given to the export of fur. Black fox fur was very much appreciated both in European palaces and in the East. They brought the merchant a thousand percent of net profit.
From all this information, certain conclusions can be drawn. The Burtases were not inhabitants of the steppe. Their classes are suitable for a settled lifestyle (agriculture, flight keeping). They were also interested in furs (foxes, beavers, etc.). Separate islands of forest-steppe are located on the left tributaries of the Don, in the valleys of rivers such as Medveditsa and Buzuluk. These forest-steppe islands are not only rich in various animals, but also have fertile soil for farming.
It is necessary to make a reservation right away: brief information about the Burtass people can be obtained only from written sources of Arab geographers and travelers. Unfortunately, at the moment no objects of material culture were found that could be unambiguously identified as belonging to this legendary and now extinct 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 admirers 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 her people 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 Moksha king Puresh, so they had the fate to defend their people.
In written sources there is no mention of the Narchivka. But on the coins of the Moksha women, which they use to decorate their hats, you can see her image. Khan Batuy respectfully spoke about the legendary heroine of the Mordovian epic. She desperately rushed into the battle with the invaders, but the forces were unequal, and Narchatka with her war horse rushed into the river Moksha. Heroic death made her a legend of Mordovia.
But in some traditions, 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.
Nanchatka - the heroine of the Mordovian epic
The scarcity of data does not allow for a full study. Therefore, you have to rely on epics and legends. She is called the heiress of King Puresh, who accompanied the troops of the Tatar-Mongols in their campaign in Central Europe. He did not like vassal dependence on Batu Khan. And the losses that the Mokshaans suffered in European cities prompted him to think of 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 Moksha, and then killed them sleeping. Puresh and his son Atyamas died.
Survivors united around Narchatka. Now she played the role of leader, which, however, is logical. Another question arises: "Could a woman in those days lead the army?" Other nations have no such examples.
And one more point is not in favor of its Burtass 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 refute hypotheses about its origin. Brief information about the Burtass people raises many questions in the scientific community. And it is all the more pleasant because simply lovers of the history of their native land turn to this subject with enthusiasm and even open up the museum without sparing efforts and means. A striking example is the Museum of the History and Culture of the Burtases. This is the only source of at least some information on this topic.
Museum of the History and Culture of the Burtases
It is located in the village of Skanovo, Penza Region, near the famous Women's Trinity-Scanovskii Monastery. Its expositions are conditionally divided into three periods: Brahman, Golden Horde and Christian.
The basis is made up of finds from an ancient burial ground on Saransk Hill. These are darts, a bronze bracelet and fragments of other jewelry. In addition, there are folk clothes of 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 arouse interest in the rich culture and history of Russia and its people. And such a contribution of ordinary, ordinary citizens is respectable.
To the question of the ethnonym "Burtases"
Sources that have come down to our times emphasize that the language of the Burtases is not like the Khazar or Bulgarian. They do not speak the language of Russ. 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 Iranian languages. In addition, the messages of the Persian historian Razi cannot be ignored. In the 17th century, he mentions the Furdas people. We meet this ethnonym in Bakri. It is possible that then he was warped and came to us as a “burtas”.
If you translate this complex tribal name from Iranian languages, you get "fur" - a son, and "ace" - this is one of the Alanian ethnolinguistic communities. That is, the full translation literally means "son of Asa."
Build 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 came out of the custody 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: corpse burning and burial in the ground - this indicates their religious tolerance.
There were no "chief" over the burtus. They trusted to adjudicate and settle various disputes with the most authoritative and respected elders. If you draw parallels, then such a device was inherent in the Celts (Druids) and Indians (Brahmins). In a word, 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 should do: they defended the weak.
What did the burtases look like?
Virtually no description of the appearance of the "forest-steppe aces." They are credited with the Guz, whose faith is very similar to the faith of a vanished nation. After assimilation with the Bulgars, practically on the same lands that are mentioned by medieval eastern geographers, there remains a group whose self-name is “Burtashi”. The description of the appearance of the Burtass people remains open to this day. This legendary ethnos could have an impact on Mordovians, Tatars, Ossetians. A photo of the exterior of the Burtass people, as 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 white spots in the history of their native land.
The mythologization of history
Penza smoothly approached the celebration of her three hundred and fifty years. Not only the city administration, but also a number of historians and local historians have thoroughly prepared for this wonderful and wonderful date. A whole company was launched in order to convince 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 ideologically “not ripe”. It is understandable: too bold a statement not only for historians, but also for people who are simply passionate about the history of their Great Homeland. This does not mean that the issue of burtases is definitely closed. Not. It just needs more data and more serious analysis.
In the Penza region there are enough discoveries and a global scale. One Zolotarevskoe settlement is worth what. Perhaps it will shed light on knowledge on this subject. Time will tell.
Conclusion
Brief information about the people of the Burtases left to posterity thanks to the works of many eastern medieval authors, and a number of other indirect data suggest their close relationship with the Iranian peoples. Official science, at the moment, is very cautious in formulations, especially when it comes to traces of material culture. She does not identify them as Burtass, reducing everything to a field 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.