Georgia
50-453: A vardo (also Romani wag(g)on , Gypsy wagon , living wagon , caravan , van and house-on-wheels ) is a four-wheeled horse-drawn vehicle traditionally used by travelling Romanichal as their home. The name v ardo is a Romani term believed to have originated from the Ossetic wærdon meaning cart or carriage. It is pulled by a single horse in shafts, sometimes with a second horse (called
100-424: A sider or sideliner ) hitched on its right side outside the shafts to help pull heavier loads or assist in pulling up a hill. The vehicle is typically highly decorated, intricately carved, brightly painted, and even gilded. The Romanichal tradition of the vardo is seen as a high cultural point of both artistic design and a masterpiece of woodcrafter's art. The heyday of the caravan lasted for roughly 70 years, from
150-921: A direct transliteration of the Greek text, scholars have attempted a phonological reconstruction using the Greek as clues, thus, while τ ( tau ) would usually be given the value "t", it instead is "d", which is thought to be the way the early Ossetes would have pronounced it. The scholarly transliteration of the Alanic phrases is: "dӕ ban xʷӕrz, mӕ sfili, (ӕ)xsinjӕ kurθi kӕndӕ" and "du farnitz, kintzӕ mӕ sfili, kajci fӕ wa sawgin?"; equivalents in modern Ossetian would be "Dӕ bon xwarz, me’fšini ‘xšinӕ, kurdigӕj dӕ?" and "(De’) f(s)arm neč(ij), kinźi ӕfšini xӕcc(ӕ) (ku) fӕwwa sawgin" . The passage translates as: The Alans I greet in their language: "Good day to you my lord's lady, where are you from?" "Good day to you my lord's lady, where are you from?" and other things: When an Alan woman takes
200-469: A priest as a lover, you might hear this: "Aren't you ashamed, my lordly lady, that you are having sex with a priest?" "Aren't you ashamed, my lady, to have a love affair with the priest?" Marginalia of Greek religious books, with some parts (such as headlines) of the book translated into Old Ossetic, have recently been found. It is theorized that during the Proto-Ossetic phase, Ossetian underwent
250-401: A process of phonological change conditioned by a Rhythmusgesetz or "Rhythm-law" whereby nouns were divided into two classes, those heavily or lightly stressed . "Heavy-stem" nouns possessed a "heavy" long vowel or diphthong , and were stressed on the first-occurring syllable of this type; "light-stem" nouns were stressed on their final syllable. This is precisely the situation observed in
300-426: A single file) have two shafts that attach either side of the rearmost animal (the wheel animal or wheeler ). Two animals in single file are referred to as a tandem arrangement, and three as a randem . Vehicles that are pulled by a pair (or by a team of several pairs) have a pole that attaches between the wheel pair. Other arrangements are also possible, for example, three or more abreast (a troika ),
350-828: A small vehicle and four horses abreast, to horsecars or trollies, which used two horses to pull a car that was used in cities before electric trams were developed. A two-wheeled horse-drawn vehicle is a cart (see various types below, both for carrying people and for goods). Four-wheeled vehicles have many names – one for heavy loads is most commonly called a wagon . Very light carts and wagons can also be pulled by donkeys (much smaller than horses ), ponies or mules . Other smaller animals are occasionally used, such as large dogs , llamas and goats (see draught animals ). Heavy wagons, carts and agricultural implements can also be pulled by other large draught animals such as oxen , water buffalo , yaks or even camels and elephants . Vehicles pulled by one animal (or by animals in
400-548: A table. Wagons' exteriors can range from fairly plain to intricately carved, painted in bright colours, and sheathed in places with gold leaf. The Romanichal began to live in vardos around 1850. Prior to that, they travelled in tilted carts or afoot and slept either under or in these carts or in small tents. Originally Romanichal would travel on foot, or with light, horse-drawn carts, typical of other Romani groups or would build "bender" tents ; so called because they were made from supple branches which they bent inwards to support
450-492: A tradition which began before World War II when cotton duck was cheap and plentiful. Almost identical in size and construction of the bow top wagon, the open lot or "Yorkshire Bow" featured the same design but with a curtain instead of the door characteristic of other wagons. The wagon's entrance was covered by a curtain for privacy. Vardos were elaborately decorated, hand carved and ornately painted with traditional Romani symbols. Examples of famous Wagon Artists responsible for
500-675: A waterproof covering. The heyday of the Romani caravan was the latter part of the 19th century. Initially using cheap or castoff horses to draw their chimneyed living wagons, the Romanichal gradually created their own breed of horse. (See Gypsy horse ) Wagons were first used as a form of living accommodation (as opposed to carrying people or goods) in France in 1810 by non-Romani circus troupes. Large transport wagons combined storage space and living space into one vehicle, and were pulled by teams of horses. By
550-443: A wheel pair with a single lead animal (a "unicorn"), or a wheel pair with three lead animals abreast (a "pickaxe"). Very heavy loads sometimes had an additional team behind to slow the vehicle down steep hills. Sometimes at a steep hill with frequent traffic, such a team would be hired to passing wagons to help them up or down the hill. Horse-drawn carriages have been in use for at least 3,500 years. Two-wheeled vehicles are balanced by
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#1732890879648600-417: A wooden fireplace. The wagon's interior is typically outfitted with built-in seats, cabinets, a wardrobe, bunks in the rear of the caravan, a chest of drawers, and a glass-fronted china cabinet. There are windows on the left side and rear. Some types have clerestories which let in light and air. A bracket for an oil lamp is mounted over the chest of drawers opposite the fireplace; the chest's top functions as
650-585: Is a monthly magazine Max dug (Мах дуг, "Our era"), mostly devoted to contemporary Ossetian fiction and poetry. Ossetian is taught in secondary schools for all pupils. Native Ossetian speakers also take courses in Ossetian literature . The first modern translation of the Qur’an into Ossetic took place in 2007, initiated by an Ossetian Robert Bolloev, who at that time resided in St. Petersburg. The first Ossetian language Bible
700-497: Is a piece of equipment pulled by one or more horses. These vehicles typically have two or four wheels and were used to carry passengers or a load. They were once common worldwide, but they have mostly been replaced by automobiles and other forms of self-propelled transport but are still in use today. Horses were domesticated circa 3500 BCE. Before that oxen were used. Historically, a wide variety of arrangements of horses and vehicles have been used, from chariot racing , which involved
750-585: Is almost always in the front. The small cast-iron cooking stove was invented in America and was available there and in Great Britain from about 1830 on and is a common fixture of the wagons. A cooking stove necessitates a chimney to vent smoke. A caravan's chimney is always on its left side as viewed from its front doorway; as the caravan travels along the left side of the road, the chimney is in less danger from low-hanging tree limbs in that position. The stove rests in
800-1004: Is also steered by the shafts or pole, which are attached to the front axle; this swivels on a turntable or "fifth wheel" beneath the vehicle. From the 15th century drivers of carts were known as carmen, and in London were represented by the Worshipful Company of Carmen . In 1890 there were 13,800 companies in the United States in the business of building carriages pulled by horses. By 1920, only 90 such companies remained. Ossetic language Partially recognised state Ossetian ( / ɒ ˈ s ɛ t i ən / o- SET -ee-ən , / ɒ ˈ s iː ʃ ən / o- SEE -shən , / oʊ ˈ s iː ʃ ən / oh- SEE -shən ), commonly referred to as Ossetic and rarely as Ossete ( ирон ӕвзаг , romanized: iron ӕvzag pronounced [iˈron ɐvˈzäɡ] southern; [iˈron ɐvˈʒäɡ] northern),
850-654: Is an Eastern Iranian language that is spoken predominantly in Ossetia , a region situated on both sides of the Russian-Georgian border in the Greater Caucasus region. It is the native language of the Ossetian people , and a relative and possibly a descendant of the extinct Scythian , Sarmatian , and Alanic languages. The northern half of the Ossetia region is part of Russia and is known as North Ossetia–Alania , while
900-480: Is believed to be the only surviving descendant of a Sarmatian language. The closest genetically related language may be the Yaghnobi language of Tajikistan, the only other living Northeastern Iranian language. Ossetian has a plural formed by the suffix - ta , a feature it shares with Yaghnobi, Sarmatian and the now-extinct Sogdian; this is taken as evidence of a formerly wide-ranging Iranian-language dialect continuum on
950-503: Is in Reading Museum's Riverside Museum at Blake's Lock. The characteristic design of the ledge or cottage shaped wagon incorporated a more robust frame and living area that extended over the large rear wheels of the wagon. Brass brackets supported the frame of the wagon and solid arched roof usually 12 feet high, extended over the length of the wagon to form porches at either end and panelled with tongue in groove boards. The porch roof
1000-463: Is no more iconic or recognizable Romani symbol than a highly decorated Romanichal vardo, and the time of its use is often affectionately called "the wagon time" by Romanichal travellers. The vardos were typically commissioned by families or by a newlywed couple from specialist coach builders. Building the vardo took between six months to a year; a variety of woods including oak , ash , elm , cedar , and pine were utilized in its construction. Prized by
1050-614: Is the official language in both South and North Ossetia (along with Russian), its official use is limited to publishing new laws in Ossetian newspapers. There are two daily newspapers in Ossetian: Ræstdzinad (Рӕстдзинад / Рӕстꚉінад, "Truth") in the North and Xurzærin (Хурзӕрин, "The Sun") in the South. Some smaller newspapers, such as district newspapers, use Ossetian for some articles. There
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#17328908796481100-602: The 2010 Russian census only 36% of North Ossetians claimed to be fluent in Ossetian, with the number decreasing year by year. Ossetian is the spoken and literary language of the Ossetians , an Iranian ethnic group living in the central part of the Caucasus and constituting the basic population of North Ossetia–Alania , which is part of the Russian Federation , and of the de facto country of South Ossetia (recognized by
1150-533: The Central Asian steppe . The names of ancient Iranian tribes (as transmitted through Ancient Greek ) in fact reflect this pluralization, e.g. Saromatae ( Σαρομάται ) and Masagetae ( Μασαγέται ). The earliest known written sample of Ossetian is an inscription (the Zelenchuk Inscription [ ru ] ) which dates back to the 10th–12th centuries and named after the river near which it
1200-756: The Saka , the Sarmatians , the Alans , and the Roxolani . The more easterly Khwarazm and Sogdians were also closely affiliated in linguistic terms. Ossetian, together with Kurdish , Tat , and Talysh , is one of the main Iranian languages with a sizable community of speakers in the Caucasus. As it is descended from Alanic, spoken by the Alan medieval tribes emerging from the earlier Sarmatians, it
1250-951: The United Nations as de jure part of the Republic of Georgia ). The Ossetian language belongs to the Iranian group of the Indo-European family of languages (as hinted by its endonym: ирон , irōn ). Within Iranian, it is placed in the Eastern subgroup and further to a Northeastern sub-subgroup , but these are areal rather than genetic groups . The other Eastern Iranian languages such as Pashto (spoken in Afghanistan and Pakistan ) and Yaghnobi (spoken in Tajikistan ) show certain commonalities, but also deep-reaching divergences from Ossetian. From
1300-410: The eaves . Beyond this characteristic, the six types of caravans differ in shape, size, placement of the wheels relative to the bed, where made, and maker. The roofs of the bow-top and open-lot types are canvas stretched over curved wooden frames; the others are roofed in wood. By the mid-nineteenth century, the designs were almost entirely standardized, and some features are common to all types. The door
1350-492: The 19th century wagons became smaller, reducing the number of horses required, and around the mid-to-late-19th century (1840–1870), Romanichal in Britain started using wagons that incorporated living spaces on the inside, and added their own characteristic style of decoration. In The Old Curiosity Shop (ch. xxvii), Charles Dickens described Mrs. Jarley's well-appointed van: One half of it...was carpeted, and so partitioned off at
1400-503: The 7th–8th centuries BCE, the languages of the Iranian group were distributed across a vast territory spanning present-day Iran ( Persia ), Central Asia , Eastern Europe , and the Caucasus . Ossetian is the sole survivor of the branch of Iranian languages known as Scythian . The Scythian group included numerous tribes, known in ancient sources as the Scythians , the Massagetae ,
1450-544: The Burton were unable to do. The Reading wagon is 10 feet long, with a porch on the front and back. The rear wheels were 18 inches larger than the ones on the front. At the start of the 20th century the design incorporated raised skylights. On either side of the bed space, quarter-inch thick bevelled mirrors were common, and were lavishly decorated. Cupboards and locker seats were built in to prevent movement whilst travelling. Side and back windows were decorated and shuttered, and
1500-655: The Harker family's 60-mile journey to Appleby in bow top living waggons. The British writer Roald Dahl acquired a traditional vardo in the 1960s which was used as a playhouse for his children; later he used the vardo as a writing room, in which he wrote Danny, the Champion of the World . John Lennon's psychedelic Rolls-Royce was painted in the style of a Romani gypsy wagon by artist Steve Weaver of private coach maker J.P. Fallon Ltd. Horse-drawn vehicle A horse-drawn vehicle
1550-470: The Romani, and later by non-Romani, including other traveller groups, for their practicality as well as aesthetic beauty, vardos can be categorized into six main styles; these being the Brush wagon , Reading , Ledge , Bow Top , Open lot , and Burton . The general design evolved over time and were named after the home's owners, for their traditional style (Ledge), for the town of its construction (Reading), or for
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1600-449: The Romanichal. Both back and front walls of the wagon were decorated in scrollwork and tongue and groove and the wagon was painted green to be less noticeable in woodland. The inside of the Bow Top also contained the same high scrollwork or Chenille fabric , with a stove, table, and double bed. The bow-top is commonly thought of as being covered in teal-coloured canvas. This is said to now be
1650-458: The body of the vardo itself would have originally been made from beaded tongue-and-groove matchboard, painted red picked out in yellow and green. As with other vardo, the extent of the elaborate decoration reflected the wealth of the family, boasting carved lion heads and gargoyles; these would have been painted gold or extensively decorated with gold leaf. Today, surviving Reading wagons are prized exhibits in museums or private collections. A fine one
1700-417: The distribution of weight of the load (driver, passengers, and goods) over the axle, and then held level by the animal – this means that the shafts (or sometimes a pole for two animals) must be fixed rigidly to the vehicle's body. Four-wheeled vehicles remain level on their own, and so the shafts or pole are hinged vertically, allowing them to rise and fall with the movement of the animals. A four-wheeled vehicle
1750-735: The earliest (though admittedly scanty) records of Ossetian presented above. This situation also obtains in Modern Ossetian, although the emphasis in Digor is also affected by the "openness" of the vowel. The trend is also found in a glossary of the Jassic dialect dating from 1422. The first printed book in Ossetian was a short catechism published in Moscow in 1798. The first newspaper, Iron Gazet , appeared on July 23, 1906, in Vladikavkaz . While Ossetian
1800-569: The early development of vardo art are Jim Berry, John Pockett, Tom Stevens, Tommy Gaskin, John Pickett, and modern contemporary decorators continuing to shape this colourful tradition included artists such as Yorkie Greenwood and Lol Thompson. Much of the wealth of the vardo was on display in the carvings, which incorporated aspects of the Romani lifestyle such as horses and dogs , as well as stock decorative designs of birds , lions , griffins , flowers, vines, and elaborate scrollwork. Carved details were often accented with gold, either painted or, in
1850-446: The eaves, high arched wheels, and relative light weight; there is no other vardo that epitomises the golden age of Romani horse travel. It dates from 1870 and is synonymous with the original builder Dunton and Sons of Reading from where the vardo takes its name. The wagon was highly prized by the Romani for its aesthetic design, beauty and practicality to cross fords, pull off-road and over rough ground, something smaller-wheeled wagons like
1900-447: The family. The rest, including the wagon, was destroyed. The Romani travellers in the 1920s proudly clung to their decorative vardos, although the economics of their way of life was in upheaval due to the contraction in the horse-trading industry and the changes from their traditional crafts. In the present day, Romanichal are more likely to live in caravans . It was estimated that by 1940 only about 1% of Romani travellers still lived in
1950-447: The further end as to accommodate a sleeping-place, constructed after the fashion of a berth on board ship, which was shaded, like the windows, with fair white curtains... The other half served for a kitchen, and was fitted up with a stove whose small chimney passed through the roof. It also held a closet or larder, several chests, a great pitcher of water, and a few cooking-utensils and articles of crockery. These latter necessaries hung upon
2000-481: The mid-nineteenth century through the first two decades of the twentieth century. Not used for year-round living today, they are shown at the cultural gatherings held throughout the year, the best known of which is Appleby Horse Fair in the town of Appleby-in-Westmorland in Cumbria , North West England. A vardo's design includes large wheels set outside the body, whose sides slope outward considerably as they rise toward
2050-466: The most expensive wagons, the use of between 4–15 books of gold leaf applied as decoration. Many individual makers were identified by their particular designs. The Romanichal funeral rite during the wagon time of the 19th and 20th century included burning the wagon and belongings after the owner's death. The custom was that nothing whatsoever would have been sold, though some of the deceased's possessions, jewellery , china , or money would be left to
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2100-428: The name of the builder. Popular with Romani, as well as Showmen families and circus people, the Burton wagon is the oldest example of a wagon used as home in Britain. Originally undecorated, the Burton wagon evolved into an elaborate Romani vardo, but due to its smaller wheels it was not suited for off-road use. The Brush or fen wagon as it was also known, consists of a standard Romani vardo, with straight sides and
2150-411: The outside frame and chase of the wagon allowing the owner to carry trade items like brushes, brooms, wicker chairs, and baskets. Additionally, three light iron rails ran around the entire roof, used for stowing bulkier goods, and sometimes trade-name boards. The wagons were elaborately and colourfully painted. The Reading or kite wagon is so named due to its straight sides that slope outwards towards
2200-474: The southern half is part of the de facto country of South Ossetia (recognized by the United Nations as Russian-occupied territory that is de jure part of Georgia ). Ossetian-speakers number about 614,350, with 451,000 recorded in Russia per the 2010 Russian census . Despite Ossetian being the official languages of both North and South Ossetia, since 2009 UNESCO has listed Ossetian as "vulnerable". In
2250-405: The traditional horse-drawn vardo. Today's Romanichal still attend horse fairs, the best known of which is Appleby Horse Fair in the town of Appleby-in-Westmorland in Cumbria , North West England. Some attendees of the fairs travel there in the traditional manner via horse-drawn vardos. American photographer John S. Hockensmith documented such a journey in 2004, travelling with and photographing
2300-567: The two lines of "Alanic" phrases appearing in the Theogony of John Tzetzes , a 12th century Byzantine poet and grammarian : Τοῖς ἀλανοῖς προσφθέγγομαι κατὰ τὴν τούτων γλῶσσαν Καλὴ ἡμέρα σου αὐθέντα μου ἀρχόντισσα πόθεν εἶσαι Ταπαγχὰς μέσφιλι χσινὰ κορθὶ κάντα καὶ τ’ ἄλλα ἂν ὃ ἔχῃ ἀλάνισσα παπᾶν φίλον ἀκούσαις ταῦτα οὐκ αἰσχύνεσαι αὐθέντρια μου νά μου γαμῇ τὸ μουνί σου παπᾶς τὸ φάρνετζ κίντζι μέσφιλι καίτζ φουὰ σαοῦγγε The portions in bold face above are Ossetian. Going beyond
2350-492: The walls, which in that portion of the establishment devoted to the lady of the caravan, were ornamented with such gayer and lighter decorations as a triangle and a couple of well-thumbed tambourines. These smaller wagons were called "vardo" in the Romani language (originating from the Ossetic word vurdon ) for cart. The Romani vardo evolved into some of the most advanced forms of travelling wagon, and are prized for their practicality as well as aesthetic design and beauty. There
2400-461: The wheels located outside the body. The Brush was similar in construction to the Reading vardo, but unlike other styles, the brush wagon had two distinct features: a half-door with glazed shutters, located at the back of the vardo, with a set of steps, both set around the opposite way from other wagons and lacked the mollycroft (skylight) on the roof. The exterior is equipped with racks and cases fitted on
2450-872: Was found: the Bolshoy Zelenchuk River in Arkhyz , Russia. The text is written in the Greek alphabet , with special digraphs . ΣΑΧΗΡΗ Saxiri ΦΟΥΡΤ Furt ΧΟΒΣ Xovs ΗΣΤΟΡΗ Istori ΦΟΥΡΤ Furt ΠΑΚΑΘΑΡ Bӕqӕtar ΠΑΚΑΘΑΡΗ Bӕqӕtari ΦΟΥΡΤ Furt ΑΝΠΑΛΑΝ Æmbalan ΑΝΠΑΛΑΝΗ Æmbalani ΦΟΥΡΤ Furt ΛΑΚ Lak ΑΝΗ Ani ΤΖΗΡΘΕ čirtī ΣΑΧΗΡΗ ΦΟΥΡΤ ΧΟΒΣ ΗΣΤΟΡΗ ΦΟΥΡΤ ΠΑΚΑΘΑΡ ΠΑΚΑΘΑΡΗ ΦΟΥΡΤ ΑΝΠΑΛΑΝ ΑΝΠΑΛΑΝΗ ΦΟΥΡΤ ΛΑΚ ΑΝΗ ΤΖΗΡΘΕ Saxiri Furt Xovs Istori Furt Bӕqӕtar Bӕqӕtari Furt Æmbalan Æmbalani Furt Lak Ani čirtī "K., son of S., son of I., son of B., son of A.; [this is] their monument." The only other extant record of Proto-Ossetic are
2500-454: Was further supported by iron brackets, and the walls were highly decorated with ornate scrollwork and carvings across the length of the wagon. Based on the design of the Ledge wagon, the Bow Top is significantly lighter, and less likely to turn over in a strong wind. The design incorporated a lightweight canvas top, supported by a wooden frame: a design reminiscent of the older “bender tents” used by
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