Origin of the Alans

[Alanus]

Hello, Michael

Thanks for the tip on the BIG book. It's also for sale (a single copy, used) on Ebay for $260!! I think I'll wait for a better price, maybe a beaten example. Recently, I acquired Mikhail Gryaznov's, The Ancient Civilization of Southern Siberia, for $34... so books do come along at good prices.

Agreed, the Tarim city states must have needed interpreters, probably several in each state when you consider the high number of languages meeting in an important trade area. We generally think of the Tarim as an "out of the way" location, but it was central-- precisely where East met West.

I recently discovered the papers of William Taylor. Go to www.academia.edu and type his name into the Search window. Two William Taylor pics pop up, and he's the guy standing next to a Deer Stone. You'll find 8 PDFs written by him, one being his doctorial thesis (with William Fitzhugh on the review board). Taylor has made a great break-through, examining horse skulls taken from the Deer Stone/Khirigsuur sites. The skulls indicate stress from horse riding and pulling (as in chariots and wagons), and dated to 1300 to 1200 BC. He mentions the Tevsh Uul site as an example. When you think about it, the DSK sites may document the earliest practice of "horse-power" in Central Asia.

Well, I'm still stuck in the far East until I can solve the "prostrate problem." Then, hopefully, we can move to Gansu and the Tarim region... especially with your aid.