In the XIV-XV centuries. a nomadic people appeared in Europe, known as gypsies, whose origin, way of life and language have long remained a mystery. Their ancestors did not leave behind a written history, so a variety of theories arose regarding the origin of the people. It is as if doomed to eternal wanderings and has its own special civilization.
Gypsies are scattered around the world. They can be found on any continent, but nowhere do they mix with other nations. Even the number of gypsies was not always able to be established in certain countries. They often tried to explain the origin of the Gypsies with absurd theories, looking at their pedigree from the
ancient Egyptians, German Jews
, even mentioning the inhabitants of the legendary Atlantis.
The emergence of a host of other theories stemmed from the undeveloped complex issues of ethnography and the history of Europe’s largest ethnic minority group, which were gypsies. The origin of the people was reduced to three main versions. The theory of Asian roots was supported by Henri de Spond, who linked Gypsies to the medieval Attingan sect. Many scholars associated this people with the Near-Asian tribe of siggins mentioned by the ancient authors of Strabo, Herodotus and others. The theory of Egyptian origin was one of the earliest, it arose in the XV century. Moreover, the first gypsies who arrived in Europe themselves spread these legends. This version was supported by English scientists who claimed that gypsies on their way to Europe traveled to the country of the pyramids, where they acquired their unlimited knowledge and skills in the field of sleight of hand, fortune telling and astrology.
The theory of Indian origin arose in the 18th century. The basis for this version was the similarity of the language of India with the language spoken by gypsies. The origin of the people in this version is now almost universally accepted. The challenge remains the localization in India of the ancestors of the Gypsies and the exact time of their exit from the country.
The ambiguity of the source of the emergence of this people has always been intertwined with the definition of the concept of “gypsies”, the origin of this name was often considered not as ethnic, but as a social phenomenon. In various sources, the name "Gypsies" is applied to social groups of people wandering, who are characterized by similar features of
material culture and specific methods of obtaining livelihoods, such as fortune telling, small crafts, songs and dances, begging and others.
Indeed, gypsies mosaic throughout the world are heterogeneous in composition, and it is not always easy to understand how great the differences are between them. They are divided into a number of ethnic groups that are distinguished by occupation, dialects and other local ethnocultural characteristics. Their traditional nomad cannot be regarded as a kind of romantic attraction to a change of place or chaotic aimless wanderings. The people's lifestyle was based on economic reasons. It was necessary to constantly look for markets for artisans, new audiences for their performances.
Ethnocultural contacts of a certain group of Roma with the surrounding population led to a number of borrowings. An interesting fact is that the Gypsies were in no hurry to leave the inhabited territories, even in harsh conditions. It is known that in many countries they were severely persecuted. Nevertheless, even at the very epicenter of organized violence, whole ethnic groups appeared that managed to survive. These are feces in Spain, synths in Germany, and trailers in England.
While the appearance of gypsies in the Catholic West entailed the adoption of laws on their expulsion, not a single such law was adopted in Byzantium. Here, artisans, metalworkers, people in charge of the occult sciences, animal trainers were very much appreciated.
In Russia, the emergence of new ethnic groups of Roma was associated with the expansion of the territory. In 1783, according to the decree of Catherine II, the Gypsies of Russia were included in the peasant estate, they were ordered to levy the appropriate taxes and tribunals. At will, they were also allowed to attribute themselves to other classes, except for the nobility. So, by the end of the 19th century, there were many Russian gypsies among the merchant and philistine estates.
In the 19th century, a steady process of integration of Roma and their settling in permanent places was observed in Russia, which was explained by an improvement in the financial well-being of their families. Natural artistry, which absorbed a lot of cultures of different countries, attracted genuine attention to this people. Russian romances performed by gypsies acquired a different color. A genre of gypsy romance appeared, founded by Russian composers and poets, passionate about this culture. A layer of professional artists began to appear.