Ural-Altaic tribes

It has been mentioned in previous articles that Eastern Europeans partially come from Ural-Altaic people. We need to explain this a little more. Ural and Altai are two large mountain ranges. Ural mountains extend from North to South, from Arctic Ocean to Ural river and Caspian Sea. They are mostly in Russia. Altai mountains are where Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and China converge.

Ural mountains are considered the main conventional border between Europe and Asia. Europe and Asia are not separate continents but part of Eurasia. Since ancient times, the smallest western part of the continent has been called Europe and the largest eastern part Asia. The northern part of Asia is called Siberia which is eastern of Urals and northern of Altai mountains.

Urals, Altai mountains and Yenisei river set the boundaries of West Siberian plain which is the world's largest lowland. It is located eastern of Urals, northwestern of Altai mountains and western of Yenisei river. Ural name comes either from Turkic (meaning stonebelt) or Ugric. Altai means golden in some Turkic languages. In the area that includes Urals, West Siberian plain and Altai mountains, lived several tribes that belonged in Asian or Mongoloid race.

Some of them lived on the mountains while others lived οn the plain. Many of these tribes migrated to Eastern Europe. Examples are Bulgars, Finns, Hungarians, Tatars, Avars, Khazars, Oghuz Turks, Ottoman Turks, Huns etc. These tribes spoke Ural-Altaic languages. Ural languages include Hungarian, Finnish and Estonian while Altaic languages include Turkic languages.

Ural Federal District is one of Russia's eight Federal Districts. Another one is Siberian Federal District that includes Altai Republic. The people that live there are Turkic people. Russia stretched for many centuries entirely in Europe, western of Urals. Russian conquest of Siberia took place between 1580 and 1778 AD. In that time, mostly nomadic tribes lived in Siberia.

So, first there was Western Siberian tribes' migration to Eastern Europe. Sometimes this was done peacefully but not always. When Siberian migration to Eastern Europe was almost complete, Eastern Europeans and specifically Russians conquered Siberia. Some of them migrated to Siberia. Still today, Siberia is very sparsely populated, probably because of climate. It is the coldest place on earth. Most inhabitants (85%) have Eastern European ancestry (Russians).

There are two definitions for Russians, the ethnic group and the citizens of the country. Russians as an ethnic group were originally Slavs. In today's Russia, there is relatively high percentage of gene N, which is also high in Finland and Baltic countries. There has been a mix with Ural-Altaic people, which were Asian. This is not only in Russia but in all Eastern Europe. Probably it is not much, judging by how Eastern Europeans look but still there is some.

First Bulgarians (Bulgars) were Turkic people. Present day Bulgarians are almost 50% Slavic. They also originate from Byzantium's inhabitants which were Hellenes (Greek), Thracians and Illyrians. Thracians lived in today's Bulgaria, so today's Bulgarians probably descent more from Thracians than Hellenes (Greeks) and Illyrians. Nevertheless Greeks, Thracians and Illyrians have mixed since ancient times and mixed even more during Byzantine Empire period.

Bulgarian is a Slavic language and present day Bulgarians are not considered Turkic people. Turkic countries are Turkiye, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan. Some add Georgia as well. Turkic people also live in Iran, Russia, China, Iraq, Afghanistan. Today's inhabitants in Turkiye come partly from Byzantium's inhabitants which were Hellenic (Greek), Thracian and Illyrian.

In today's Turkiye, there were mostly Greek (Hellenic) and Fryghian tribes. Frygians were related to Bryges or Brygians who lived in Southern Balkans and may have been related to Thracians. Since ancient times, Hellenes (Greeks), Thracians and Illyrians lived in a vast area that started from Cyprus, Crete and Minor Asia (Turkiye) and stretched as north as Slovakia and Ukraine.

According to some sources it even reached Czech Republic and Poland. So today's inhabitants in all this vast area, come partly from Hellenes, Thracians and Illyrians. Hellenes lived in the southern part of the vast area while Thracians and Illyrians in the northern part but they have mixed since ancient times. Also, all Eastern Europe is partly Slavic, from almost 70% in Belarus to 25% in Greece.

First Hungarians were an Uralic tribe and Hungarian is an Uralic language. Today's Hungarians are partly Slavic and partly Thracian - Illyrian - Hellenic, since Hungary is in the vast area where Thracians, Illyrians and Hellenes lived since ancient times. Hungary was not in Byzantium's territory but at the fringes. Many Byzantine Emperors came from Pannonia which included today's Hungary.

First Finnish and Estonians were also Uralic people and their languages are Uralic. Today's inhabitants have high percentage of gene N. Finnish have also mixed considerably with Scandinavians and are partly Scandinavian while Estonians, like all Eastern Europeans, are partly Slavic. So Ural-Ataic people may have migrated to Eastern Europe but they mixed with local populations which were more and prevailed racially.

The closer we move to the area where Ural - Altaic tribes originated, the more people come from Ural-Altaic tribes. So close to Altai mountains and in the Eastern part of the Caspia Sea, they are probably more Turkic compared to inhabitants of Turkiye who have mixed with local populations, Hellenic, Thracian and Illyrian. As mentioned above, there were also Frygians in Anatolia. All these relate somewhat to Eastern European Group's composition.

Eastern Europe's group was extended to include countries that are not Eastern European. Hellenes (Greek) were in Minor Asia (Turkiye) since ancient times. Today's Turkiye was part of Byzantine Empire. So Turkiye could be more suitable to participate in Eastern Europe's Group compared to other Turkic countries. Still, the only countries that have the right to be in Eastern Europe's group are Eastern European countries.