The Alan capital *Magas: A preliminary identification of its location

John Latham-Sprinkle

doi:10.1017/S0041977X22000453

The Alan capital *Magas: A preliminary identification of its location

John Latham-Sprinkle

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Abstract

This article proposes that Magas, capital city of the North Caucasian Kingdom of Alania, can be identified with the gorodishche (hillfort) of Il'ichevsk, in Krasnodar Krai in the modern Russian Federation. The Kingdom of Alania was the most powerful polity in the North Caucasus in the tenth and eleventh centuries; however, the location of its capital has never been satisfactorily established. This article reviews the evidence of written sources on Magas-notably Masdi, Juvayni, Rashid al-Din, and the Yuan-Shi-and identifies four criteria which can be used to identify the site of Magas. These are its occupation between the tenth and thirteenth centuries; the influence of the Alan kings over it; its massive fortifications; and its capture by the Mongols in 1239-40. All of these features can be identified at Il'ichevsk, in contrast to previously proposed sites of Magas.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1-20
Number of pages	20
Journal	Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies
Volume	85
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X22000453
Publication status	Published - Feb 2022
Externally published	Yes

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
My thanks go to those who helped me refine this article, including but not limited to the two anonymous reviewers; Anzor Darchiev of SOIGSI (Severo-Osetinskii institut gumanitarnikh i sotsial'nikh issledovanii); the members of the Economies, Comparisons, Connections working group at the University of Ghent; Stephen Pow (Central European University), for his help with the Chinese sources and for his reader comments; and to Christopher Bahl (University of Durham), for his help with the Arabic text of al-Masʿūdī. The writing of this article was funded by the University of Ghent BOF Postdoctoral Fellowship.

Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of SOAS University of London.

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abstract = "This article proposes that Magas, capital city of the North Caucasian Kingdom of Alania, can be identified with the gorodishche (hillfort) of Il'ichevsk, in Krasnodar Krai in the modern Russian Federation. The Kingdom of Alania was the most powerful polity in the North Caucasus in the tenth and eleventh centuries; however, the location of its capital has never been satisfactorily established. This article reviews the evidence of written sources on Magas-notably Masdi, Juvayni, Rashid al-Din, and the Yuan-Shi-and identifies four criteria which can be used to identify the site of Magas. These are its occupation between the tenth and thirteenth centuries; the influence of the Alan kings over it; its massive fortifications; and its capture by the Mongols in 1239-40. All of these features can be identified at Il'ichevsk, in contrast to previously proposed sites of Magas. ",

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N2 - This article proposes that Magas, capital city of the North Caucasian Kingdom of Alania, can be identified with the gorodishche (hillfort) of Il'ichevsk, in Krasnodar Krai in the modern Russian Federation. The Kingdom of Alania was the most powerful polity in the North Caucasus in the tenth and eleventh centuries; however, the location of its capital has never been satisfactorily established. This article reviews the evidence of written sources on Magas-notably Masdi, Juvayni, Rashid al-Din, and the Yuan-Shi-and identifies four criteria which can be used to identify the site of Magas. These are its occupation between the tenth and thirteenth centuries; the influence of the Alan kings over it; its massive fortifications; and its capture by the Mongols in 1239-40. All of these features can be identified at Il'ichevsk, in contrast to previously proposed sites of Magas.

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The Alan capital *Magas: A preliminary identification of its location

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