The Ossetes, a small nation inhabiting two adjacent states in the central Caucasus, are the last remaining linguistic and cultural descendants of the ancient nomadic Scythians who dominated the Eurasian steppe from the Balkans to Mongolia for well over one thousand years. A nominally Christian nation speaking a language distantly related to Persian, the Ossetes have inherited much of the culture of the medieval Alans who brought equestrian culture to Europe. They have preserved a rich oral literature through the epic of the Narts, a body of heroic legends that shares much in common with the Persian Book of Kings and other works of Indo-European mythology. This is the first book devoted to the little-known history and culture of the Ossetes to appear in any Western language. Charting Ossetian history from Antiquity to today, it will be a vital contribution to the fields of Iranian, Caucasian, Post-Soviet and Indo-European Studies.

In strategic matters small does not mean insignificant. In the Caucasus, the small nation of the Ossetes occupies the centre of the Caucasus, a strategically crucial region for the Kremlin. This book gives the most extensive and penetrating account of these people, from their origins as survivors of the ancient Scythians to their folklore and modern social dynamics. Anyone dealing with Russia should read this book. * John Colarusso, Professor, Anthropology, Linguistics and Languages, McMaster University, Canada *
Anyone asking ‘The Ossetes? Who are they?!’ need look no further. Scythian-Sarmatian-Alan nomadic Aryan tribes ranged across the whole Eurasian steppe in the 2nd millennium BC, and the processes that confined their Indo-Iranian speaking Ossete descendants within a central Caucasian homeland, divided between North Ossetia (Russian Federation) and South Ossetia across the mountains, are explored, alongside examination of mythology (notably the national Nart epic), religion, customs and inter-ethnic relations (N. Ossetian-Ingush, S. Ossetian-Georgian), whilst today’s internal economic-political situation attracts trenchant criticism. The S. Ossetian-Georgian conflict occasioned the 5-day Russo-Georgian war of August 2008 – reason alone why ignorance of the Ossetes needs to be dispelled, and Folz makes an essential contribution to raising their profile. * George Hewitt, Emeritus Professor, Caucasian Languages, SOAS, UK *

Richard Foltz is Professor of Religions and Cultures at Concordia University, Canada.