Vitii

{{Short description|Ancient tribe that lived in Caucasian Albania}}

Vitii is an ancient tribe that lived on the territory of Caucasian Albania and today in village Nic Qabala region Azerbaijan udins {{Cite book|last=Zaseckaja|first=Irina P.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w2mAAAAAMAAJ&q=%D1%83%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%B8+%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B4+%D0%9E%D0%B4%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B0|title=Культура Кочевников Южнозусских степей в гуннскую эпоху: конец IV - V вв|date=1994|publisher=АО "Еллипс"|isbn=978-5-87067-004-1|language=ru}}{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XwDVAAAAMAAJ&q=%D0%A3%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%B8+%D0%B2+%D0%B0%D0%BB%D0%B1%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B8|title=Istorii͡a Dagestana: V 4-kh t|date=1967|publisher=Nauka|language=ru}} Some scholars believe that the Vitii were Caucasian Albanians,{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pGcUAAAAIAAJ&q=%D0%A3%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%B8+%D0%B2+%D0%B0%D0%BB%D0%B1%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B8|title=Труды Двадцать Пятого Международного Конгресса Востоковедов, Москва 9-16 Августа 1960: Заседания секций X, XI, XIII|date=1962|publisher=Изд-во восточной лит-ры|language=ru}}{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Rb0fAQAAIAAJ&q=%D0%A3%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%B8+%D0%B2+%D0%B0%D0%BB%D0%B1%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B8|title=Материалы и исследования по археологии СССР|date=1959|publisher=Изд-во Академии наук СССР|language=ru}} while others consider them to have migrated to the Caucasus by the ancient Greeks.{{Cite book|last=Васильевна|first=Тревер, Камилла|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IJHHDQAAQBAJ&q=%D0%A3%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%B8+%D0%B2+%D0%B0%D0%BB%D0%B1%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B8&pg=PR79|title=Очерки по истории и культуре Кавказской Албании: IV в. до н.э.- VII в. н.э.|date=1959-01-01|publisher=АН СССР, Москва-Ленинград|language=ru}} Some consider the Vitii to be the ancestors of the modern Udins, but according to other statements, these two tribes could live at the same time.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cfSNAAAAMAAJ&q=%D0%A3%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%B8+%D0%B2+%D0%B0%D0%BB%D0%B1%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B8|title=Ėtnopolis: ėtnopoliticheskiĭ vestnik Rossii|date=1992|publisher=Ėtnopolis|language=ru}}{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U0sjAQAAIAAJ&q=%D1%83%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%B8+%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B4%D0%BE%D0%B5%D0%B2%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BF%D0%B5%D0%B9%D1%86%D1%8B|title=Sibirskai͡a starina|date=2001|publisher=Sibirskai͡a starina|language=ru}}{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UqYLAQAAMAAJ&q=%D0%A3%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%B8++%D1%85%D1%83%D1%80%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%B0%D0%BC%D0%B8|title=Vestnik drevneĭ istorii|date=1987|publisher=Наука|language=ru}} V.V. Nikolaev identifies the Vitii with Gutians.{{Cite book|last1=Николаев|first1=В. В.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LRxtAAAAMAAJ&q=%D0%A3%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%B8++%D1%8D%D1%82%D0%BE+%D0%B3%D1%83%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%B8|title=История предков чувашей: XXX в. до н.э.--XV в. н.э. : хроника событий|last2=Николаев|first2=Василий Васильевич|date=2005|publisher=Фонд историко-культурологических иссл. им. К.В. Иванова|isbn=978-5-7361-0090-3|language=ru}} A.A. Tuallagov describes the Vitii as Caucasian Tocharians and says that they came from the territory of the Yuezhi tribe.{{Cite book|last=Бутаков|first=Ярослав|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tSnRAAAAQBAJ&q=%D0%B3%D1%83%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%B8+%D1%82%D0%BE%D1%85%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%8B&pg=PT255|title=Тайны древних миграций|date=2018-07-11|publisher=Litres|isbn=978-5-457-42694-8|language=ru}}{{Cite book|last=Туаллагов|first=Алан Ахсарович|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qGYiAQAAIAAJ&q=%D1%83%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%B8+%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D1%84%D1%8B|title=Сарматы и аланы в IV в. до н.э.-И в.н.э|date=2001|publisher=Изд-во СОГУ|isbn=9785833602423 |language=ru}}

According to Strabo, on their lands there was a city in Albania, where the Thessalians from the Ainian tribe lived; according to another version, “Ainians” is a distortion of the local name “Utii” or “Vitii”.{{Cite book|last=Васильевна|first=Тревер, Камилла|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IJHHDQAAQBAJ&q=%D1%83%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%B8&pg=PR79|title=Очерки по истории и культуре Кавказской Албании: IV в. до н.э.- VII в. н.э.|date=1959-01-01|publisher=АН СССР, Москва-Ленинград|language=ru}} In Armenian sources, their land was called "Otena".{{Cite book|last=Бакиров|first=Марсель|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2hqpDwAAQBAJ&q=%D1%83%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%B8+%D0%BE%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B0&pg=PA307|title=Прототюрки. Изначальная прародина, ранние племена и язык, история и этнокультура|date=2019-08-14|publisher=Litres|isbn=978-5-04-184367-0|language=ru}}{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pg7VAAAAMAAJ&q=%D0%A3%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%B8+%D0%BE%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B0|title=Азәрбајҹан ССР Елмләр Академијасынын хәбәрләри: Известия Академии наук Азербайджанской ССР. Серия истории, философии и права. Тарих, фәлсәфә вә һүгуг серијасы|date=1988|publisher=Азәрбајҹан ССР ЕА Нәшријјаты|language=ru}} In addition, Strabo mentions one more tribe of Vitii who lived north of the tribes of Albanians and Caspians on the shores of the Caspian Sea.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7mgKAQAAIAAJ&q=%D1%83%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%B8+%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D1%84%D1%8B|title=Этнокультурные процессы в древнем Дагестане: сборник статей|date=1987|publisher=Дагестанский филиал АН СССР|language=ru}} According to Pliny, the Vitii and Albanians made up the majority in the territory of ancient Sakasene, which was located in the area of present-day Nagorno-Karabakh.{{Cite book|last=Akademii̐asy|first=Azărbai̐jan SSR Elmlăr|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jGcfAQAAIAAJ&q=%D1%83%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%B8+%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D1%84%D1%8B|title=Izvestiia. Seriia Obshchestvennykh Nauk|date=1961|language=ru}} Igor M. Diakonoff claims that some of the Uti were part of the Scythian kingdom in the Transcaucasia.{{Cite book|last1=Herodotus|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-mQdAAAAMAAJ&q=%D1%83%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%B8+%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D1%84%D1%8B|title=Народы нашей страны в "Истории" Геродота: тексты, перевод, комментарий|last2=Доватур|first2=Аристид Иванович|date=1982|publisher=Изд-во "Наука"|language=ru}}