Cimmériens

The Cimmériens (Κιμμέριοι, old Kimmerioi in Greek and Gimirraya for the Assyrians) were people thrace of origin Indo-européenne installed in the circumference of the Mer of Azov before breaking with on the the Middle East and the Asia Mineure.

Fragmentary sources

The history of Cimmériens is partially known to us by the Greek authors like Homère, Hérodote and Strabon and by military accounts Assyrian S. the linguistic archaeological excavations and research contributes to better knowing this riding Peuple wandering. One is unaware of almost very of their (S) religion (S), excluded some conjectures carried out starting from tumuli found in Ukraine, Bulgaria and Russia (Black Sea) mixing Chaman ism Animiste and polytheism Syncrétique, deities Anthropozoomorphe S, Centaure S, dream S, dragon S and Ouroboros.

A warlike epopee

Evoked in the Odyssey like mythical people living close to the entry of the Hells, Cimmériens are regarded by certain archeologists as the founders of the “age of the catacombs” established in the south of the Russia. Originating in the center of Europe, they probably settled as of 1200 {{avjc}} in the steppe in the north of the Black Sea and in the territory that Hérodote calls the the Bosphorus cimmérien.

Towards 700 {{avjc}}, Cimmériens are pushed back by the Scythes, themselves subjected to the pressure of the Massagètes. The nobility cimmérienne tries to resist but the people end up dispersing, a part moving towards the center of Europe, another towards minor Asia. The tribes left towards Europe are perhaps those which, later on comparable with the Germanic tribes, will be identified by the Romains under the name of Cimbres.

The other group crosses the the Bosphorus towards 708 {{avjc}} and establishes a colony in the area of Sinope. Cimmériens live then of plundering and continue their progression until the Assyrie. They start by attacking the kingdom of Urartu, in the area of the Lake Ourmia. The king Rusa I then his/her son Argishti II does not manage to contain them and undergoes heavy defeats. Cimmériens are then credited with a reputation of frightening warriors in all the area. Stopped in Cappadoce by Assarhaddon in 679 {{avjc}} (or -695), they move towards the kingdom of Phrygie, where they beat the king Midas, then towards the Lydie where they fight battle towards 660 {{avjc}} against the king Gygès who must ask for the assistance of Assurbanipal, but which will leave them the fields free after its death in 644 {{avjc}}. Cimmériens invade the country then, put at bag the town of Sardes, set fire to the Temple of Artémis to Éphèse and devastate the countryside. Between 650 and 630 {{avjc}}, they are announced in Cappadoce, Cilicie and in the Euxine Sea.

After the death of the king of Cimmériens Lygdamis, towards 620 {{avjc}}, the reports/ratios of engagements are less and less numerous. According to the Greek authors, the Lydian king Alyatte II drove out the invaders and put a final term at the threat cimmérienne towards 610 {{avjc}}.

It seems that later they were assimilated by the Scythes. Hérodote reports that there still remained of the walls cimmériens in the country of the Scythians and that an area bears the name of Cimmérie, which would be the the Crimea. The principal known difference between these two ethnicities relates to the art, dominated by geometrical symbols at Cimmériens while the art of the Scythians is Zoomorphe.

Posterity

These people warlike known evil inspired to the author Robert Ervin Howard in his description of the Personnage of fiction Conan the barbarian, carried to the screen with the actor Arnold Schwarzenegger in the Années 1980.

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