AGARAGANTES
Argaragantes[a]
was a Sarmatian people that lived by the Tisza river, in Banat,
in the 4th century.
Tisza
river
Etymology
:
The only source in which the name of the ruling class of the Sarmatians
is preserved in its original form is the Chronicle of Jerome.
According
to Wilhelm Tomaschek, it is of Iranian origin and means "those
who wage war." According to George Vernadsky, it is a compound,
the first component of which (arcarag) "must, in any case,
be explained by the Ossetian language" because in Ossetian
äqäräg means inaudible, quiet, depressed, dumb, while
the second (ante) is identical to Jordanes's and Procopius's form
of the name, i.e. Anta. According to this interpretation, the Agaragantes
would be "mute Antes". George Vernadsky (1887-1973) finds
an explanation of this name in the story of Ammianus Marcellinus.
After being defeated by the Romans, the Sarmatians sought their
protection.
Having in mind the past event, they were afraid of what was to come.
Therefore, with the intention of humbly seeking peace, they came
before the emperor, having confidence in him, because in such and
similar cases he was milder than usual. On the day set for determining
the conditions, Zizais, then still a prince, a young man of high
stature, lined up the Sarmatians in fighting order, but not to fight
but to pray for peace. Seeing the emperor, he threw down his weapon
and lay on his chest. He lay as if dead. Dumbfounded by fear [amisso
vocis officio prae timore] just when he was supposed to speak, he
rather aroused pity in those present. He tried several times to
explain what he was looking for, but he could barely, because every
time he wanted to speak, he was interrupted by sobs. When he finally
regained his composure, he was told to get up. Leaning on his knees
and restraining his tongue, he asked for his crimes to be forgiven
and to be pardoned. Until then, a crowd of his compatriots who were
allowed to make their pleas out of fear kept their mouths shut [cuius
ora formido muta claudebat], because it was not yet certain what
answer their superiors would get. When this was told to rise from
the ground and when he gave these the long-awaited signal to speak,
throwing shields and weapons, they surrendered to prayer in such
a way that they humbly surpassed the prince himself. (Ammianus Marcellinus,
Res Gestae, XVII, 12, 9-10.)
Vernadsky
reminds us that there is a curse in the Ossetian language that corresponds
to this story: "a voice betrayed you" (äqäräg
fäu).
Prevalence
:
In Ptolemy, the interfluve of the Danube and the Tisza is marked
as the area of Jaziga where the Iazyges live. This information led
some scientists (Hugo Schuchardt (1842-1927), Johannes Schmidt and
Alfred von Domaszewski) to the conclusion that Limigantes and Agaragantes
lived right there. Heinrich Kipper also attributed "a large
part of the area east of the Tisza" to them "because of
the identity of the soil", but later he adhered (like Richard
Kipper) to Ptolemy's data. According to Pac, the assumption that
the Iaziges, at least later, after their strengthening in the new
habitat, spread beyond Medurecje, ie to the east (since the west
and south were in Roman hands until later) is not only indicated
by the identity of both sides of the Tisza, but also to a large
extent the number of Iaziges. This is evidenced by the data from
the time of the conflict between Agaragantes and Limiganates. More
than 300,000 Agaragantes fled to Roman soil. The number of those
who fled to Victohali was not insignificant either since they later
helped the Romans in the fight against the Limigantes under the
new king. Both groups were numerically inferior to the Limigantes.
In addition, it should be added those Iaziges, who were not affected
by the revolution, and who, since they practiced human hunting,
also had slaves at their disposal and were so powerful that, like
the liberated Limigantes, they continued to ravage the Roman provinces
despite losses. However, one should not believe everything that
is written in the sources, nor make excessive conclusions. The incursions
of nomadic peoples were usually reduced to rapid, sudden raids by
smaller detachments, and the number of 300,000 Agragantes was probably
exaggerated. In any case, the question arises as to whether the
lowlands between the Danube and the Tisza could then provide sufficient
means of subsistence for so many people with freedom of movement,
all the more so as they also nurtured horse breeding. The cause
of Jaziga's increasing incursions into the Roman provinces of Pannonia
and Moesia was probably not only a propensity for war and plunder
(and later German pressure) but also partly limited living space
and overcrowding.
History
:
They were probable descendants of the Roxolani, who had migrated
from Dacia to Banat. In 331, the Thervingi pushed west and south-west
into the territory of the Arcaragantes. In 332, the Sarmatians in
Banat asked Constantine the Great for aid against the Thervingi.
These Sarmatians had armed their "slaves" in order to
cope with the situation; according to contemporary sources there
was two categories of Sarmatians: the "masters" –
the Agaragantes, and the "slaves" – Limigantes.
In 334, there was an internal conflict between the Arcaragantes
and the Limigantes. The Limagantes had after the conflict with the
Goths, turned and expelled the Arcaragantes who then settled in
the area of the Victohali, and became their vassals.
And
these native chiefs, losing all their wisdom in their fear, fled
to the Victohali, whose settlements were at a great distance, thinking
it better in the choice of evils to become subject to their protectors
than slaves to their own slaves.
Annotations
:
Spellings include: "Argaragantes", "Argaracantes",
"Ardaragantes", "Agaragantes", "Arcaragantes",
and "Acaragantes".
Source
:
https://en.wikipedia.org/
wiki/Agaragantes
