Ep. 1 — The Origin Mystery: Who Were the Ancestors of the Circassians?

Hittites. Sumerians. Cimmerians. Even Arabs from the Peninsula. For over two thousand years, historians have argued about where the Circassian people actually came from, and they still have not agreed. In this opening episode we walk through every major theory, from Herodotus and Strabo to the modern Circassian historians Aytek Namitok and Barzaj Semkug, and we test each one against the evidence: physical anthropology, language, place names, and the Nart sagas themselves. Along the way we meet the Maeotae, the Kassites, and a people called the Narts whose stories are shared by Circassians, Abkhaz, Chechens, Ingush and Ossetians alike. It is the oldest unsolved question in Caucasian history, and the answer is far more interesting than any single theory.Support the show