Early Mediaeval Nomads between Iran, Central Asia and Europe The Issues of the Archaeological Evidence

Absztrakt

In this article, the author deals with the themes of the centrality of the Iranian plateau and the archaeological cultures that have succeeded therein in relation to the issues of the ancient and mediaeval Eurasian nomadism. Spanning briefly from the Iron Age to the late Middle Ages, the author identifies and analyses the main aspects of this centrality crossing also the intricate question of the ethnical and cultural affiliation. The whole phenomenon of ancient Eurasian nomadism was active and operational thanks to numerous ethnically Iranian population groups. And even in the Middle Ages there was a conspicuous number of Iranian populations, although for the most part they were replaced by those of Paleo-Turkic stock.