Gypsies: Where They Really Came From
The Roma are one of the most mysterious nations living in Russia. As for the origin of this people, there are a variety of versions, and even the Gypsies themselves do not always know who their distant ancestors were.
Version One: Indian
The most surprising thing is that the Roma are one of the few peoples in the world who do not officially have their own country. In 2000, they were legally recognized as a non-territorial nation. For a millennium and a half, they have been roaming around the world. The most paradoxical thing is that it is still not known exactly how many representatives of this ethnic group live on the planet. As a rule, the figure of 11 million is given, but this is often questioned. There is a legend according to which the Gypsies appeared on Earth in a magical way. That is why they supposedly have an innate ability to divinate and divinate. Modern scientists, of course, cannot be satisfied with such a theory. According to them, the Gypsies originated on the territory of India, from where they emigrated to Western Asia in the 5th century. It is assumed that the reason that prompted them to leave this country was the spread of Islam. As a freedom-loving nation, the Roma categorically did not want to be subjected to the pressure of any religious dogmas.
Version Two: Philistine
Unfortunately, after leaving India, the Roma did not find a new homeland in Europe. From the 14th to the 19th century, they were openly feared and disliked. Their way of life, very different from that of Europe, caused sharp rejection. In European countries, a number of discriminatory laws against Roma have emerged, including a ban on their residence in a particular state. A lot of philistine fables were born, many of which told about the origin of the Gypsies. Since this people had no written sources describing their history, the conjectures about their arrival in Europe were one more incredible than the other. The European townspeople assured each other that the Gypsies were the remnants of the people of Atlantis, the ancient Egyptians, or the German Jews. It is noteworthy that the Egyptian version had indirect confirmation. The fact is that on the way from India, the Gypsies did visit Egypt. According to some sources, their ability in magic and astrology was inherited by them from Egyptian priests. This hypothesis turned out to be so popular that in Hungary the Gypsies began to be called “Pharaoh’s people”, and in England – Egyptians. The most interesting thing is that the Gypsies not only did not refute such fabrications, but also supported them. Encountering negative attitudes towards themselves in European countries, they put a mystical fog over themselves as a protection.
Version Three: Athos
Today, on the basis of the similarity of the language of the Gypsies and a number of nationalities of India, scientists have quite accurately established the place of their origin. Nevertheless, a number of ancient authors called Asia the place of origin of this people. The famous scholar Henri de Spond claimed that the Gypsies were descended from the medieval Atsingan sect. This theory arose from the first written record of the appearance of the Gypsies in Europe, dating back to 1100. Its authorship is attributed to Georgy Mtatsmindeli, a monk of the Athos Monastery. He associated the Gypsies with the Atsingan sect. Byzantine sources adhered to the same version, considering the Atsingans to be the remnants of a Manichaean sect that disappeared in the eighth century. It is important to note that the Atsingans not only looked like gypsies, they also actively practiced magical rites.
Version Four: Asian
Ancient historians Strabo and Herodotus associated the appearance of the Gypsies with the Persian tribe of the Siggins. Indeed, linguists, studying the language of the Gypsies, have established the route of their settlement around the world. From India, Gypsy tribes moved to the territory of Western Asia, mainly to Iran, Afghanistan and Armenia. Their next stopover was Byzantium, from which the Gypsies spread across the Balkan Peninsula. In the 15th century, they came to Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. A century later, Gypsy tribes could be found throughout Central, Western and Northern Europe. At the same time, it should be noted that the Roma tribes scattered around the world are heterogeneous in their composition. For a millennium and a half of wandering around the planet, they have absorbed such a huge number of representatives of other peoples that they have largely lost their historical national identity.