Part 1 HISTORY THROUGH THE EYES OF HISTORICAL ANALYSIS Chapter 1 History: The Sick Who Hates Doctors (Journal Edition) Books should follow science, not science after books. Francis Bacon. Science abhors new ideas. She fights with them. M.M. Postnikov. Critical

A.A. Neikhardt

Aeneas

Based on the poem of the Roman poet Publius Maron Virgil (1st century BC) "Aeneid" and "Roman history from the founding of the city" Titus Livy (59 BC - 17 AD).

The powerful and beautiful wife of the Thunderer Jupiter, the goddess Juno, has long hated the Trojans for the indelible insult inflicted on her by Tsarevich Paris: he awarded the golden apple not to her, the mistress of the gods, but to the goddess Venus. In addition to this insult, Juno knew about the prediction that promised her beloved city, Carthage, rich and glorious in her valor, which she herself patronized, death from the descendants of the Trojans who escaped from Troy destroyed by the Greeks. Moreover, the Trojan Aeneas, who became the head of the surviving inhabitants of Troy, was the son of Venus, who put Juno to shame in a dispute between the goddesses for the title of the most beautiful. Overwhelmed with the desire to avenge old grievances and prevent future ones, the goddess Juno rushed to the island of Aeolia, the homeland of clouds and mists. There, in an immense cave, the king of the winds, Aeolus, kept "internecine winds and thunderous storms" chained in heavy chains. She began to ask Eolus to release the winds and sink the Trojan ships in a terrible storm. Aeolus obediently fulfilled the request of the great goddess. He struck the wall of a huge cave of winds with his trident, and all of them, roaring and howling, rushed into the sea, raising the waves high, pushing them against each other, catching up from everywhere formidable clouds, circling and scattering the Trojans' ships like pitiful chips. Aeneas, seized with horror, watched as his comrades in arms perish, as Trojan ships disappear one after another in the bubbling abyss. From time to time there appeared on the surface of the waves drowning swimmers, torn off sails, boards of ships. And all this was absorbed by the sea abyss without a trace. Three ships were thrown by a huge wave onto a sandbank, and the wreckage of oars, masts and the corpses of Trojans were covered with sand, three were thrown onto the coastal cliffs. The ruler of the seas, Neptune, disturbed by a frenzied storm that played out without his knowledge, having risen to the surface and saw the ships of Aeneas scattering along the waves, realized that this was the intrigues of Juno. With a powerful blow of the trident, he tamed the fury of the waves and the madness of the winds and with a formidable cry: "Here I am!" - ordered them to return immediately to the cave to Aeolus. Neptune himself, rushing through the waves in a chariot drawn by hippocampus, calmed the agitated surface of the sea, with his trident removed the ships entrenched in them from the rocks, carefully moved the rest from the shallows and ordered the waves to drive the Trojan ships to the coast of Africa. Here stood the magnificent city of Carthage, founded by the queen Dido, who fled from Sidon, where a grievous grief befell her - her beloved husband Sychei was cunningly killed near the altar by her own brother. The Trojans, led by Aeneas, landed on the shore, warmly greeted by the inhabitants of Carthage. The beautiful Dido hospitably opened the doors of her magnificent palace for them.

At a feast arranged in honor of the surviving Trojans, at Dido's request, Aeneas began to talk about the capture of Troy by the Greeks thanks to the cunning of King Odysseus, the destruction of the ancient stronghold of the Trojans and his escape from the city on fire at the behest of the shadow of Hector, who appeared to Aeneas in a prophetic dream on the night of the insidious attack of the Greeks on sleeping Trojans. The shadow of Hector ordered Aeneas to save the Trojan Penates from the enemies and to take out of the city his father, the aged Ankhis and his little son Askania-Yul. Aeneas eagerly painted the agitated Dido a terrible picture of a night battle in a city captured by enemies. Aeneas was awakened by the groans and clanging of weapons, which he heard through his sleep. Having climbed onto the roof of the house, he understood the meaning of the destructive gift of the Danaans (Greeks), and understood the terrible meaning of his dream. Seized with rage, Aeneas gathered around him young soldiers and rushed at their head to the detachment of Greeks. Having exterminated their enemies, the Trojans donned the armor of the Greeks and destroyed many who had been deceived by this cunning. However, the fire flared up more and more, the streets were covered with blood, corpses lay on the steps of temples, on the thresholds of houses. Crying, cries for help, the clash of weapons, the screams of women and children - what could be worse! The flames of conflagration, ripping out bloody scenes of murder and violence from the night darkness, exacerbated the horror and confusion of the survivors. Aeneas, throwing on a lion's skin, sat on the shoulders of his father Anchises, who did not have the strength to walk, took little Askania by the hand. Together with his wife Kreusa and several servants, he made his way to the gate and left the dying city. When they all reached the temple of Ceres, which stood far on the hill, Aeneas noticed that Creusa was not among them. In desperation, leaving his companions in a safe place, he again made his way to Troy. There Aeneas saw a terrible picture of complete defeat. Both his own home and Priam's palace were plundered and set on fire by the Greeks. Women and children meekly stood, awaiting their fate, in the temple of Juno were laid the treasures plundered by the Greeks in the sanctuaries and palaces. Wandering among the charred ruins, Aeneas tirelessly called on Creusa, hoping that she would respond. He decided that his wife had gotten lost in the dark or had simply fallen behind along the way. Suddenly, the shadow of his wife appeared in front of Aeneas and quietly asked not to grieve for her, since the kingdom in a foreign land was destined for him by the gods, and his wife should be of a royal family. Kreusa, looking at Aeneas with tenderness, bequeathed him to take care of her little son. Aeneas tried in vain to hold her in his arms; it dissipated into the air like a light mist.

Aeneas, immersed in grief, did not notice how he went outside the city and reached the agreed place where his loved ones were waiting for him. Once again raising old Anchises on his mighty shoulders and taking his son by the hand, Aeneas went into the mountains, where he had to hide for a long time. He was joined by those of the Trojans who managed to escape from the destroyed city. Having built ships under the leadership of Aeneas, they sailed unnoticed from their native shores, leaving their homeland forever. Aeneas with his companions wandered for a long time across the stormy expanses of the ever-sounding sea. Their ships passed the numerous islands of the Aegean Sea and, with a favorable wind, landed on the shores of the island of Delos, where the famous sanctuary of Apollo was located. There, Aeneas turned with prayers to the light god, begging him to grant the unfortunate Trojans a new homeland, a city and sanctuaries where they could end their difficult wanderings. In response, shaking the temple and the surrounding mountains, the curtains opened in front of the statue of Apollo and the voice of God announced that the Trojans would find the land from which they originated, and erected in it a city where Aeneas and his descendants would be rulers. And all peoples and lands will subsequently submit to this city. Delighted with the prediction, the Trojans began to wonder what kind of land Apollo had intended for them. The wise Anchises, knowing that the Cretan Tevkr was considered the founder of sacred Troy, decided to send Trojan ships to the shores of Crete. But when they arrived on the island, a plague broke out in Crete. Aeneas and his companions had to flee from there. In confusion, Anchises decided to return to Delos and again turn to Apollo. But the gods revealed to Aeneas in a dream that the true ancestral home of the Trojans is in Italy, which the Greeks call Hesperia, and that this is where he should send his ships. And here again the Trojans trusted the sea waves. They saw many miracles, they managed to avoid many dangers. With difficulty they passed the predatory mouths of Scylla and the whirlpools of Charybdis, made their way past a dangerous coast inhabited by evil cyclops, escaped the fierceness of monstrous harpies and, finally, saw the terrible eruption of Mount Etna, this "mother of horrors." Having dropped anchor off the coast of Sicily to give rest to his companions, Aeneas suffered a terrible loss here - the elder Anchis, his father, could not bear all the hardships of endless wanderings. His suffering was over. Aeneas buried him on Sicilian soil, and he himself, trying to get to Italy, was thrown to the shores of Africa thanks to the intrigues of the goddess Juno.

Queen Dido listened with excitement to Aeneas' story. And when the feast was over and everyone had dispersed, she could not be distracted by her thought from the beautiful, courageous foreigner, with such simplicity and dignity.
vom told her about his sufferings and misadventures. His voice sounded in her ears, she saw a high brow and the clear, firm gaze of a nobleman by birth and adorned with valor. None of the many leaders - Libyans and Numidians, who offered her to marry after the death of her husband, evoked such feelings in her soul. Of course, Dido could not know that this sudden passion that gripped her was instilled in her by the mother of Aeneas, the goddess Venus. Unable to fight the feelings that flooded her, Dido decided to confess everything to her sister, who began to convince the queen not to resist this love, not to fade alone, gradually losing her youth and beauty, but to marry her chosen one. After all, it is no coincidence that the gods drove the ships of the Trojans to Carthage - apparently, this is their will. Tormented by passion and doubts, Dido then took Aeneas with her around Carthage, showing him all the wealth of the city. his abundance and power, then she arranged magnificent games and hunts, then she again invited him to feasts and listened to his speeches, not taking a flaming gaze from the narrator. Dido became especially attached to Aeneas' son, Askania-Yulu, because both his posture and his face vividly reminded her of her father. The boy was brave, took part in the hunt with pleasure and galloped bravely on a hot horse in the footsteps of the raised beast.

The goddess Juno, who did not want Aeneas to establish a new kingdom in Italy, decided to detain him in Carthage, betraying him to Dido. Juno turned to Venus with a proposal to end the enmity of Carthage with Italy by uniting Aeneas and Dido by marriage. Venus, realizing Juno's cunning, agreed with a grin, because she knew that the oracle's prediction would inevitably come true and Aeneas would go to Italy.

Once again, Dido invited Aeneas to hunt. Both of them, shining with the beauty and splendor of their clothes, reminded those around them of the immortal gods themselves. In the midst of the hunt, a terrible thunderstorm began. Dido and Aeneas took refuge in a cave and got married here under the patronage of Juno. Rumors spread everywhere that the beautiful and impregnable queen of Carthage called herself the wife of the Trojan Aeneas, that both, forgetting about the affairs of their kingdoms, think only of love joys. But the happiness of Dido and Aeneas was short-lived.

At the behest of Jupiter, Mercury rushed to Africa and, finding Aeneas for the completion of the Carthaginian fortress, began to reproach him for forgetting the instructions of the oracle, for the luxury and delicacy of life. Aeneas was tormented for a long time, choosing between love for Dido and a sense of duty to the Trojans who had entrusted their fate to him, patiently awaiting their arrival in their promised homeland. And the sense of duty won out. He gave orders to secretly prepare the ships for sailing, still not daring to tell the loving Dido the terrible news of eternal separation. But Dido herself guessed this, having learned about the preparations of the Trojans. How mad she rushed about the city and, blazing with anger, reproached Aeneas with black ingratitude and dishonor. She predicted a terrible death for him at sea and on land, regret for the beloved he had left, an inglorious end. Dido poured out many bitter words on Aeneas. Calmly, albeit with heartache - for he loved the magnanimous and beautiful queen, - Aeneas answered her. He cannot resist the will of the gods, his native land is there, across the sea, and he is obliged to take his people and their penates there, otherwise he will truly turn out to be dishonorable. If here, in Carthage, is his love, then there, in Italy, is his homeland. And he has no choice. Grief finally clouded Dido's mind. She ordered to erect a huge fire from the giant trunks of oak and pine and put on top of Aeneas' weapons, which remained in her bedroom. With her own hands, she decorated the fire with flowers, like a funeral structure. Aeneas, fearing that his resolve might be shaken by the tears and suffering of his beloved queen, decided to spend the night on his ship. And, as soon as he closed his eyelids, Mercury appeared to him and warned that the queen was planning to prevent the Trojan ships from sailing. Therefore, you should immediately sail off at dawn and go to the open sea.

Aeneas cut the ropes, gave command to the rowers and brought the ships out of the harbor of Carthage. And Dido, who did not close her eyes, tossed about all night on a luxurious bed, went to the window and in the rays of the morning dawn saw Aeneas' sails far out to sea. In impotent rage, she began to tear at her clothes, tore the strands of golden hair, shouted curses to Aeneas, his family and the land to which he aspired. She called on Juno, Hecate, the furies to witness her dishonor and prayed them mercilessly to take revenge on the culprit of her suffering. Having made a terrible decision, she went up to the fire and thrust Aeneas' sword into her chest. A terrible cry swept through the palace, the maids sobbed, the slaves screamed, the whole city was seized with confusion. At that moment, Aeneas cast his last glance at the Carthaginian coast. He saw how the walls of Dido's palace lit up with flames. He did not know what happened there, but he realized that the queen had done something terrible, equal to her rejected love and outraged pride.

And again, the ships of the Trojans fell into a terrible storm, as if the gods had heeded the curses of the angry Dido. Aeneas landed on the shores of Sicily and, since the anniversary of the death of his father Anchises, honored his tomb with sacrifices and military games. And then, obeying the will of the gods, he went to the city of Kuma, where the temple of Apollo was located with Sibyl, who prophesied his will. Aeneas went to the mysterious cave where Sibyl lived.

There she predicted a difficult but glorious destiny for the leader of the Trojans. Aeneas turned to Sibyl with a request to help him descend into the underworld and meet with the deceased father Anchises. Sibyl answered Aeneas that the entrance to the underworld is open to everyone, but it is impossible for a mortal to return from there alive. First of all, it was necessary to appease the formidable gods of the kingdom. Under the leadership of Sibyl, Aeneas obtained a sacred golden branch, which should have been brought as a gift to the mistress of the underworld, Proserpina. Then, at the direction of the ancient soothsayer, he performed all the necessary rituals and performed sacrifices. Sounds chilling with horror were heard - the earth hummed, the ominous dogs of the goddess Hecate howled, and she herself began to open the entrance to the underworld. Sibyl told Aeneas to draw his sword, for the path along which he intended to go, a firm hand and a strong heart are needed. Paving his way among all kinds of monsters - hydras, chimeras, gorgons, Aeneas directed his faithful sword against them, but Sibyl explained to him that these were only ghosts of monsters wandering in an empty shell. So they got to the place where the underground river Acheront - a stream muddy from mud flows into the river Cocytus. Here I saw Aeneas, a bearded, in dirty rags, carrier of the souls of the dead - Charon, who accepted some in his boat, and left others on the shore, despite their sobs and prayers. And again the prophetic Sibyl explained to Aeneas that this whole crowd is the souls of the unburied dead, whose bones on earth have not received eternal rest. Seeing the golden branch in the hands of Aeneas, Charon unquestioningly took him and Sibyl into his boat. Lying in a cave on the other side, the three-headed dog Cerberus, rearing the snakes hanging on his necks, began to sound the banks of the gloomy river with a fierce bark. But Sibyl threw him pieces of magical plants mixed with honey. With greed, all three mouths of the hellhound swallowed this delicacy, and the monster, slain by sleep, spread out on the ground. Aeneas and Sibyl jumped ashore. Here Aeneas' ears were filled with the groans of the innocent executed and the piercing cry of dead babies. In the myrtle grove, Aeneas saw the shadows of those who died from unhappy love. And suddenly, face to face, he met Dido with a fresh wound in his chest. Shedding tears, Aeneas in vain prayed to forgive him the involuntary betrayal, to which the gods forced him. Silently, the beautiful shadow departed, turning away from Aeneas, nothing trembled in her pale face. In despair, the noble Aeneas forgot about the purpose of his arrival. But Sibyl steadfastly led him past the forged doors of Tartarus, from behind which came groans, heartbreaking screams and sounds of terrible blows. There, villains, guilty of grave crimes before gods and people, were tormented in monstrous torment. Following the Sibyl, Aeneas approached the threshold of the palace of the ruler of the underworld and performed the ceremony of offering the golden branch to Proserpine. And finally, a beautiful country opened up in front of him
with laurel groves, green lawns. And the sounds that filled her spoke of the bliss poured in the very air that enveloped the hills and meadows of this bright land. Birds chirped, murmured, transparent streams poured, magic songs and sonorous strings of Orpheus's lyre were heard. On the shores of the full-flowing Eridanus, among the fragrant herbs and flowers, the souls of those who left behind good fame on earth spent their days - those who fell in an honest battle for the fatherland, who did good and beauty, who brought joy to people - artists, poets, musicians. And here in one of the green hollows Aeneas saw his father Anchis. The elder greeted his son with a happy smile and friendly speeches, but no matter how Aeneas tried to hug his dearly beloved father, he eluded his hands, like a light dream. Only a gentle look and wise speech were available to the feelings of Aeneas. In the distance Aeneas saw the slow flowing river Leta. On its shores were crowded the souls of heroes who were to appear for the second time in the world of the living. But in order to forget everything that they had seen in their former life, they drank Lethe's water. Among them, Anchises named Aeneas many of his descendants, who, after he settles in Italy, will erect an eternal city on seven hills and glorify themselves for centuries with the art of "ruling peoples, establishing the customs of the world, subdued to spare and slay the rebellious." At parting, Anchises gave Aeneas instructions - where to land in Italy, how to fight hostile tribes in order to achieve a lasting victory. So, talking, he accompanied his son to the doors of Elysium, carved from ivory. Aeneas, accompanied by Sibyl, went out into the world of the living and boldly moved towards the trials that awaited him.

His ships quickly reached the mouth of the Tiber River and climbed upstream, reaching an area called Latium. Here Aeneas and his companions landed on the coast, and the Trojans, like people who had wandered the seas for too long and had not seen real food for a long time, captured the cattle grazing on the shores. The king of this region, Latinus, came with armed soldiers to defend his domain. But when the troops were lined up, ready for battle, Latinus summoned the leader of the aliens for negotiations. And, after hearing the story of the misadventures of the noble guest and his companions, the Latin king offered Aeneas his hospitality, and then, having concluded a friendly alliance between the Latins and the Trojans, wished to seal this alliance by the marriage of Aeneas with the royal daughter Lavinia (this is how the prediction of the unfortunate Creusa, the first wife of Aeneas ). But before the appearance of Aeneas, the king's daughter Latina was married to the leader of the Rutul tribe, the mighty and courageous Thurn. Lavinia's mother, Queen Amata, also wanted this marriage. Encouraged by the goddess Juno, angry that Aeneas, against her will, reached Italy, Thurn raised the Rutuls to fight the strangers. He managed to win over to his side many Latins. King Latinus, enraged by his hostility to Aeneas, locked himself in his palace.

And again the gods took the most direct part in the war that broke out in Latium. Juno was on the side of Turn, while Aeneas was supported by Venus. The war went on for a long time, many Trojan and Italian heroes perished, including the young Pallas, who defended Aeneas, slain by the mighty Tournus. In the decisive battle, the advantage was on the side of Aeneas' warriors. And when ambassadors from the Latins came to him with a request to hand over the bodies of those who had fallen in battle for burial, Aeneas, full of the friendliest intentions, proposed to end the general bloodshed, resolving the dispute by his single combat with Turnus. After hearing the proposal of Aeneas, conveyed by the ambassadors, Thurnus, seeing the weakness of his troops, agreed to a duel with Aeneas.

The next day, as soon as dawn rose, the troops of the Rutuls and Latins gathered in the valley, on the one hand, and the Trojans with Aeneas' allies, on the other. Latins and Trojans began to mark the battlefield. Shining in the sun with weapons, the warriors surrounded the battlefield with a wall. On a chariot drawn by four horses, the Latin king arrived, breaking his seclusion for such an important event. And then Thurn appeared in brilliant weapons with two heavy spears in his hands. His white horses swiftly brought the mighty warrior to the battlefield. Even more brilliant was Aeneas in new armor, given to him by his mother Venus, which the god Vulcan himself forged at her request. No sooner had the numerous spectators come to their senses, as the two leaders quickly drew closer and swords rang from powerful blows, shields sparkled with which skillful warriors deflected enemy attacks. Both have already received minor wounds. And now Thurn, not doubting his power, raised his huge sword high for a decisive blow. But the sword broke against the indestructible shield, forged by Vulcan, and Thurnus, left unarmed, began to flee from Aeneas, who was inexorably overtaking him. Five times they ran all over the battlefield, Thurnus, in despair, grabbed a huge stone and threw it at Aeneas. But the stone did not reach the leader of the Trojans. Aeneas, aiming a heavy spear accurately, threw it from a distance at Thurn. And although Thurn covered himself with a shield, a powerful throw pierced the scaly shield, and a spear stuck into the thigh of the leader of the Rutuls. The knees of the mighty Thurn bent, he bowed to the ground. There was a desperate cry from the Rutuls, shocked by Thurn's defeat. Approaching the defeated enemy on the ground, Aeneas was ready to spare him, but suddenly he saw on Turn's shoulder a sling that flashed with a familiar pattern, which he had removed from the killed Pallant, friend of Aeneas. Unrestrained anger gripped Aeneas, and, not listening to pleas for mercy, he sank his sword into the chest of the defeated Turn. Having eliminated his terrible rival, Aeneas married Lavinia and founded the new city of Latium - Lavinia. After the death of King Latina, Aeneas, who became the head of the kingdom, had to repel the attacks of the powerful Etruscans, who did not want to endure the aliens who won the glory of valiant and brave warriors. Having entered into an alliance with the Rutul tribe, the Etruscans decided to put an end to the impudent foreigners and their leader. But the Trojans and Latins, inspired by their courageous king, prevailed in a decisive battle with their enemies. This battle was the last for Aeneas and the last feat accomplished by him. The warriors of Aeneas considered him dead, but many said that he appeared to his companions beautiful, full of strength, in shining armor and said that the gods took him to themselves, as an equal to them. In any case, the people began to revere him under the name of Jupiter

Aeneas- the hero of Greek and Roman mythology, the legendary founder of the Roman state. At the turn of the 6th-5th centuries BC. Greek legends about Aeneas penetrated the Apennine peninsula, where they merged with local legends. The legend about Aeneas acquired its final form in the poem "Aeneid", written in the second half of the 1st century BC. the great ancient Roman poet Virgil The mother of Aeneas was the goddess of love Aphrodite (in the Roman version - Venus), and the father was the Trojan Anchises, a descendant of the Phrygian king Dardanus, the son of Zeus himself. Until the age of five, Aeneas was raised by nymphs, and then sent to Troy to his father. As an adult, Aeneas took part in the Trojan War. Homer in the Iliad names Aeneas among the most glorious Trojan heroes. When the victorious Greeks burst into Troy, Aeneas decided to fight to his last breath, but the gods appeared and ordered him to leave the doomed city to go in search of a new homeland, where he was destined to become the founder of a great state ...

Aeneas obeyed the will of the gods and fled from flaming Troy, taking with him his wife Creusa, the young son of Askania, and carrying his old father on his back. Aeneas, having safely passed the enemy troops, got out of the city wall, but then he saw that Kreusa was not with him. Aeneas hid the old man and the boy in a ravine, and he himself returned to Troy. But in vain did he call his wife, running through the streets full of enemy soldiers, in vain he looked for Creusa near his burnt home. Kreusa was no longer alive. Suddenly, her shadow appeared in front of Aeneas and said prophetic words: ... you cannot take Creusa away from here. (...) You will be in exile for a long time, to cross the seas of water. Ido Hesperia you will reach the land. (...)

Happiness to you and the kingdom, and the royal family of the spouse are prepared there ... (Translation by V. Bryusov)

Bursting into tears, Aeneas tried to hold on to Creusa's shadow, but it slipped out of his hands and melted into thin air. Returning to the ravine where Anchises and Ascanius remained, Aeneas was surprised to find there, besides them, many other Trojans, men and women, who also managed to escape from the city. They all decided to go with Aeneas in search of a new homeland.

The Trojans unanimously set about building twenty ships. Soon, having glanced for the last time at Troy lying in ruins, they set sail from their native shores and embarked on an unknown path. Old Anchises advised Aeneas to trust the will of fate and sail wherever the ship is driven by a favorable wind. After a while, Aeneas' ships sailed to Thrace. The Trojans went ashore, confident that they were destined to settle here. Aeneas founded the city and called it by his own name - Enead. Wanting to sacrifice to the gods, he went to a nearby hill to break green branches to decorate the altar. But as soon as he began to break off the bushes, drops of blood appeared on the fractures of the branches. Aeneas was frightened, but continued his work. Then a voice was heard from the depths of the hill: "Oh, Aeneas! Do not disturb me in my grave!" Aeneas asked, trembling, "Who are you?" And the voice replied: "I am the prince Polydor, the son of the Trojan king Priam. My father sent me to Thrace to protect me from the dangers of war, but the local king was flattered by the gold that I brought with me and murdered me villainously." Aeneas returned to his companions and told them what he had seen and heard.

The Trojans unanimously decided to leave the coast where the villainous murder had been committed and to look for another place to settle. They solemnly honored the memory of Polydor, having completed the prescribed rituals, set sail and set sail again.

This time, the Trojan ships stopped near the island of Delos, where the oracle of Apollo was located.

Aeneas turned with a prayer to God, then asked: "Oh, wise Apollo! Where should we sail? Where will we find shelter?" Because God heard him, the laurel foliage rustled in the sacred grove, the walls of the temple trembled, and a formidable rumble came from under the ground. The Trojans fell on their faces, and a mysterious voice uttered: ... that for the first time from the tribe of your ancestors the earth gave birth to you, - with an abundance of joyful ones, the same Will take you back. The Trojans thanked Apollo, but they did not know where to look for the land of their ancestors. Old Anchises said: "Listen to me, noble Trojans! I heard from my grandfather that our distant ancestors in those immemorial times, when there was still a desert valley in the place of Troy, arrived there from the island of Crete. Let's send our ships to Crete!" Hopeful Trojans set off and landed in Crete three days later. They seemed to have achieved the goal of their wanderings. The island was beautiful, its land was fertile. The Trojans built a city, plowed the fields and sowed them with grain, Aeneas made laws.

But suddenly there was a drought, and then the plague began. The barely sprout crops dried up, people began to die from a terrible disease. Aeneas was desperate. He wanted to return to Delos and pray to Apollo for deliverance from the disaster, but then in a dream the Penates - the gods of his home - appeared to him and said: "You misunderstood the words of the oracle. Your ancestral home, noble Aeneas, is not the island of Crete, but the Italian land, which is otherwise called Hes-Peria. There was born your distant ancestor - the son of Zeus Dardanus. " Aeneas was gladdened by such a clear indication, and the Trojans set off again. But the sea became restless, and soon a storm raged at all. For three days, Aeneas' ships carried by sea, and then washed up on the shores of the Strophada Islands, where monstrous harpies lived - birds of prey with female heads. Aeneas and his companions went ashore, lit a fire and prepared food for themselves. But before they had time to start eating, the harpies flew in like a cloud and devoured everything without a trace.

Then one of the harpies sat down on the ledge of the rock and shouted ominously: "When you get to blessed Italy, there you will be so hungry that you will gnaw the tables on which the food was laid." Flapping its wings, the harpy flew away, and the Trojans' blood froze in their veins with horror. Struck by the gloomy prophecy, they set sail and hastened to leave the Strophada Islands. Aeneas sent his ships to the coast of Epirus, where the wise soothsayer Helen lived, and asked him: "Is it true that we are facing an unprecedented famine?" Gehlen replied: "The gods did not reveal this to me. But I know that after many trials you will reach the Italian land and find your homeland, happiness and glory there."

The Trojans wandered across the sea for a long time, experienced many adventures, overcame many dangers. Once they got into a violent storm and were forced to stop to repair ships on the coast of Libya, not far from the city of Carthage. The beautiful queen Dido ruled in Carthage. She was a widow, but continued to be faithful to her deceased husband. Aeneas and his companions appeared before the queen. And then Aeneas's mother, Venus, surrounded him with a bright radiance and endowed him with such a brilliant beauty that Dido, once looking at him, could no longer take her eyes off Dido, invited the Trojans to her palace, arranged a magnificent feast for them and asked Aeneas to tell about his adventures. While Aeneas was telling his story, his son, little Ascanius, was sitting on Dido's lap, Askania, a golden arrow came from somewhere, and he, playing, pricked the queen against the very heart It was Cupid's arrow, which Venus imperceptibly slipped the child - and Dido fell in love with Aeneas for half a year spent Aeneas in Carthage, enjoying the love of the beautiful queen Dido invited him to become her husband and king of Carthage. But then the gods sent their messenger, Mercury, to Aeneas. Mercury said: "Alas, Aeneas1 You have forgotten your purpose. But if you are ready to give up your own glory, then think about your son Ascanius. You must leave the Italian lands as an inheritance to him, his descendants are destined to become kings of a great state!" Aeneas makes sacrifices in the sanctuary of the Penates A fragment of the relief of the Altar of Peace in Rome Aeneas was ashamed and began to prepare for the journey The Trojans began to prepare ships for Dido's departure, seeing these preparations, she realized that Aeneas would soon leave her, and began to beg him.

If at least I deserved something good, something was cute to you in me, over me and the dying house. Take pity when there is still room for requests, change your mind. " ) Finish me and torture yourself with your reproaches
The queen asked him to wait at least a little so that she could get used to the thought of separation, and the kind-hearted Aeneas was already ready to give in, but the gods strengthened his spirit: just as the wind cannot crush a mighty oak tree, so Dido's tears could not shake Aeneas’s resolve, and he continued to gather ... Everything around the queen was dressed in darkness. When she sacrificed to the gods, the sacred wine seemed like blood to her, at night Dido heard the screams of an owl, reminiscent of a funeral song, and in a dream her late husband appeared to her and called to him. Finally came the day of parting. As soon as dawn broke, the Trojans sailed from Carthage. Didon realized that from now on life would be for only suffering, and decided to die. She ordered to lay down a high funeral pyre on the seashore, decorated it with flowers and fresh greenery, climbed onto it - and pierced herself with a sword. Aeneas saw from his ship a reflection of fire and black smoke rising to the sky ... A few days later the Trojans stopped where the Tiber River flows into the sea, and decided to rest on the shore. They settled down under a tall oak tree and began to dine on vegetables and wheat cakes. To make it easier to eat, the Trojans put vegetables on cakes, ate the vegetables, and ate the cakes themselves. Little Ascanius exclaimed. "Look! We have eaten the tables on which the food was laid!" And it became clear to everyone that the prophecy had been fulfilled and that the Trojans had finally reached Italy, which would become their new homeland. The Italian lands were ruled by the son of the god of forests Faun, a king named Latin. He had a daughter, Lavinia, who was betrothed to Turn, the leader of the neighboring tribe of Ru-tuls. Once Latin made a sacrifice to the gods under a high laurel. Lavinia stood next to the sacrificial fire. And suddenly the flame engulfed the girl, but did not harm her, and a crown sparkled on Lavinia's head.

At night Latina appeared in a dream, his father Faunus and ordered Lavinia to be given in marriage to a stranger who would soon arrive in Italy. This stranger turned out to be Aeneas. Latina gave him his daughter, and Aeneas began to rule Italy along with Latina. But the former groom of Lavinia, Thurn, wishing to return the bride, began a war with Aeneas, which was not inferior in scale to the Trojan. If the history of Aeneas' search for Italy is compared with the Odyssey, then the description of his war with Thurn is called the Roman Iliad. In the end, Aeneas killed Turna in a duel, but he himself disappeared without a trace. According to one version, he drowned in the river, his girlfriend was taken to heaven by the gods. Aeneas' heir was his son Ascanius (in Italy he received the Latin name Yul). Ascanius founded the city of Alba Longa, which became the capital of Italy. The descendants of Aeneas ruled there for many centuries, until the city of Rome became the successor of Alba Longa.

Chapter 19. The myth of Aeneas and the secret of the origin of the Etruscans

What are the pier, Aeneas, Aeneas,

Will you find your gaze intently diligent?

What comrade, gentle vagrant,

Will you stir up the blue of the gray seas?

Forget you flaming Troy

And you will say: "I will build a city on blood."

M. Kuzmin, "Aeneas"

Aeneas was the son of the Dardanian king Anchises and the goddess of love and beauty Aphrodite. Brave, mighty, courageous and reasonable, courageously handsome, Aeneas possessed all the prerequisites for becoming an exceptional figure in the Greek epic. He stood out among other heroes and his origin. His mother was a goddess, before whom no one could resist, and his paternal ancestor (albeit in the seventh generation) was Zeus himself. The son of Zeus was Dardanus, the founder of Dardania and the clan that ruled in it until the end of the Trojan War. Under Dardan's grandson, Tros, this clan split into two branches: the branch of Assarak (the eldest son of Tros) ruled Dardania, from which Troas emerged with the capital Troy, which was founded by Il, the founder of the younger branch of the Dardanids. Aeneas linked his fate with the fate of the Trojans: after Priam's son Hector, Aeneas was the most selfless defender of Troy. He married Priam's daughter Creusa, who bore him a son, Askania (Yula), and took his father Ankhiza to Troy. The Trojan people revered Aeneas as a god.

In the battles on the Trojan Plain, Aeneas performed many feats. Among the Achaeans killed by him was the leader of the Thessalian army Medon and the leader of the Athenian army Ias. Aeneas was not afraid to enter into a duel with the mighty Cretan king Idomeneos and even with the most glorious Achaean hero Achilles. After the overthrow of Patroclus, Aeneas and Hector forced the Greeks to seek salvation in their camp by the sea. What is true is true - in battle he was always kept (and in fights with Diomedes and Achilles he was saved at all) by the almighty gods, especially his mother Aphrodite, but in this he was no different from other fighters who also had divine ancestors. Aeneas was rightly called "the pride of the brave Dardanians", "a hero, the most glorious of many." However, the personal heroism of Aeneas, as well as the heroism of Hector and all the Trojans, could not prevent the fall of Troy.

The fate that doomed Troy to death meant salvation for Aeneas, and the gods who rescued the Dardanian were nothing more than its executors. He was destined to preserve the Dardan family, rule the Trojan people and transfer power to his descendants. Of all the Trojan leaders, only Aeneas and Antenor managed to escape from the burning Troy. Aeneas brought Ankhiz's father and Ascania's son out of the city. But he could not find his wife Creusa: she mysteriously disappeared.

The history of the wanderings of Aeneas and his companions was described by Virgil in his poem "Aeneid". After the fall of Troy, Aeneas retired to Mount Ida, taking with him his aged father Ankhiz, son of Askania and the images of the gods - the patrons of the Priam's city. Throughout the winter, he built ships with the remnants of the Trojan people who had gathered to him, and with the onset of spring he set out on them to look for a new homeland for himself and the Trojans. At first, they landed on the Thracian coast lying opposite Troy and wanted to stay here, having built a city for themselves, but were forced to leave this place due to an unfortunate omen. Once, when Aeneas, preparing to make sacrifices to the gods, patrons of the new city, wanted to decorate the altars with young trees and followed them into the nearby forest, he saw an unheard-of, terrible miracle - drops of thickened black blood fell from the roots of the trees he pulled out. As he approached the third tree, Aeneas heard a plaintive cry, and a voice from somewhere in the depths of the earth said: “Oh, why are you tearing my body apart? Leave the dead alone, do not stain the blood of your innocent hands and flee from this country - cruel and greedy! I am the son of Priam, Polydorus, killed by Polymestor. In this very place I fell, pierced by a cloud of spears; the trees that you see have grown from them! " Horrified, Aeneas hurried back to the city and announced what he had seen to his father and other leaders. All at once decided to leave this lawless land and sailed out of it, having previously calmed the soul of Polydorus by sacrifice.

For seven long years, Aeneas wandered across the Aegean, Ionian and Tyrrhenian seas, visited many countries and underwent many vicissitudes of fate. In Crete, refugees almost fell prey to a pestilence. In the Ionian Sea, on one of the islands, they survived the attack of the terrible harpies. The fight was terrible, but the Trojans fought back. But finally one of the harpies, Celena, sat on the top of the cliff and ominously exclaimed: “Do you want to expel us from our land? Hear what will happen to you for this. You will reach Italy, as you are told, but before you build yourself a city, there you will experience a terrible famine, so that you will be forced to gnaw the very tables for lack of food! " Saying this, the harpy flew off into the forest. Disheartened by this prediction, the Trojans resorted to prayer to the gods, asking them to avert the impending disaster, and hastily left the inhospitable island. Further, having passed the kingdom of the hated Odysseus, they, moving along the western coast of Greece, sailed to Epirus. Here the Trojans were surprised to learn that Gelen, the son of Priam, who was married to Andromache, the wife of Hector, reigns over the Greeks in this land. Aeneas went to the nearest town, for he was very anxious to see his old friend. Before reaching the city, in the grove he met Andromache, making a libation to the gods in memory of her dear Hector. While they were talking, Gehlen came and led the dear guest to his city, which he built on the model of his native Troy. The rest of the Trojans who remained on the dock were also invited to the city, where they were treated to them for many days. Before leaving, Gehlen, and he was a soothsayer, predicted what other dangers lay ahead for them on the way, and then let them go, giving them rich gifts. They had to sail further along the eastern coast of Italy, to the south, in order, having rounded it, again turn north, since, according to Gehlen's prediction, the place intended for the Trojans was on the western coast of Italy, on the Tiber.

Descending to the south, they, on the advice of the soothsayer, landed on the eastern coast of Sicily, near Etna, bypassing the Sicilian Strait, since Scylla and Charybdis were threatening disaster there. When the Trojans anchored, from a nearby forest on the shore suddenly ran out of a creature that barely had a human likeness, emaciated and in beggarly attire. The man announced about himself that he was one of the companions of Odysseus and was accidentally forgotten in this country and since then, fearing the terrible Cyclops, he constantly hid in the forests. We already know that this country was in Sicily or in the immediate vicinity. The Trojans, forgetting the old enmity, took pity on the unfortunate man and took him to them. But while they were listening to the story of a stranger, suddenly the giant Polyphemus appeared on the rock with his flock. He was blind and walked, feeling the road not with a stick, but with a whole pine tree. When he reached the seashore, he washed his burnt eye, groaning and grinding his teeth in pain, then went into the water - it did not even reach his waist. Keeping the deepest silence, the Trojans hastily cut the anchor ropes and started to run. The blind giant, hearing the noise of the oars, rushed after the ships, but could not catch up with them. From this whole story, we can firmly conclude that the relations of the Trojans with the Cyclops ("the peoples of the sea") were not hostile: the Trojans simply realized that they had come to visit at the wrong time.

From the land of the Cyclopes, Aeneas and his companions headed south, circled Sicily and swam to the western tip of the island, where their compatriot Acestus settled. He received the travelers amiably and did not let them go for a long time. Here, to the great grief of Aeneas, his father Anchises died.

Having buried his father, Aeneas set off again, but a fierce storm carried him far from the European coast, to Libya, where the Dardan king met his mother, the goddess Venus (Roman Aphrodite). She told him that he was near the city of Carthage, and the land around was inhabited by Libyans. Queen Dido rules in Carthage. Persecuted by her brother, she fled with her friends from the Phoenician country, from the city of Tire. Having bought land from the Libyan leaders, Dido built a new city. Aeneas was indescribably surprised at the huge buildings, houses, streets, lined with stone. Noisy activity was in full swing everywhere: walls were erected, loopholes were erected. Some workers carried heavy stones, others hewed columns to decorate the theater. In one place they began to build the foundation of a new house, in another they dug a harbor. "Oh happy people, you are already creating the walls of your city!" - Aeneas exclaimed, looking at the battlements. In the middle of the city, in a small grove, a magnificent temple was erected to the goddess Juno (Roman parallel to the Greek Hera). Approaching him, Aeneas was amazed to see a whole series of paintings depicting both heroic battles and the suffering of the Trojans. He was glad that the Carthaginians sympathize with his people. While he was admiring the paintings, Queen Dido came, accompanied by armed youths, with a beauty and a figure similar to Venus. She sympathetically reacted to the companions of Aeneas, who asked her for refuge and help in repairing ships. “Who does not know,” she said, “the great Aeneas, the beautiful Troy and her sad fate? We do not live so far from the rest of the world so as not to hear about your glory, and our hearts are not so cruel so as not to sympathize with your sad fate. "

Dido invited guests to the feast. When, amid the cheerful talk of the feasting, they began to distribute cups and Aeneas began to tell, at the request of the queen, about the fate of Troy and his wanderings, a fiery love for the hero penetrated into Dido's heart. The more the queen looked at him, the more passion flared up in her chest. Aeneas did not remain indifferent to Dido's feelings, but at the behest of the gods he had to hit the road again. Aeneas gave orders to secretly prepare the fleet to sail. Deaf to Dido's pleas and reproaches, he steadily embarked on his ship and left the coast of Carthage forever. Then the unfortunate, abandoned queen decided to die. By her order, a high fire was erected in the courtyard of the palace. Dido climbed on top of him and, when the fire blazed, pierced her chest. The last, dying gaze of the dying woman was turned in the direction where in the distance, barely whitening, could be seen the sails, rapidly moving away from the Libyan coast.

After sailing from Carthage, the Trojans were again overtaken by a storm and nailed their ships to the western tip of Sicily, to the kingdom of Atsest. Exactly a year has passed since Aeneas was here for the first time and lost his father, so now, on the anniversary of the death of Anchises, he arranged a feast on his grave and games in memory of the deceased. While men and boys competed in games, the wives of the Trojans attempted to burn their fleets to end their voyages across the seas. The Trojans, seeing this, ran to the ships in fright, but there was no human ability to stop the fire. Then Jupiter (Roman Zeus), listening to the pleas of Aeneas, sent heavy rain and poured fire. As a result of this event, Aeneas left in Sicily all wives and husbands who were unfit for war and unable to endure the difficulties of travel, having built the city of Atsesta (present-day Segesta) for them.

As soon as the ships were repaired, Aeneas again set out to sea and sent his flotilla to the shores of Italy. Passing by the island of Sirens, which once lured ships to the underwater stones with their magic singing, but, fulfilling the will of fate, took their lives after Odysseus sailed past them with impunity, the Trojans safely entered the pier of the city of Qom. Here Aeneas descended into the kingdom of shadows to see his father, Anchises, and ask him about the future. From Qom the Trojans sailed north to the island of Caete, named after the nanny Aeneas, who died here. Farther north lay the island of the sorceress Circe. The Trojans hurriedly swam past him at night and heard from afar the terrible roar of lions, bears, wild boars and wolves, into whose images the sorceress turned all the unfortunates who came to its shore.

Finally, they reached the mouth of the Tiber, which, meandering along the river valley, flowed into the sea. The Trojans, having come ashore, settled under the shade of trees and began to cook for themselves the simplest dishes - tore the fruits and put them, in the absence of tables, on dry bread cakes. Not satisfying their hunger with fruits, the Trojans began to gnaw on the very flat cakes. Then the son of Aeneas, Ascanius (his other name is Yul), exclaimed: "We are eating our tables!" Everyone rejoiced loudly when they heard these words, as they saw how harmlessly the terrible prediction of the harpy Celena was fulfilled for them, and learned that, at last, the goal of their journey had been achieved. Aeneas joyfully exclaimed: “My hello to you, about the land assigned to me by fate! Praise be to you, Penates of Troy, who have invariably accompanied me until now! Here is our new fatherland! " The next morning Aeneas set up a camp on the seaside, surrounding it with a moat and a rampart for safety.

Latium, the country where Aeneas landed, was peacefully ruled by the aged king Latin. He had an only daughter, Lavinia, whose hands were solicited by the leaders of near and far countries. The most beautiful of the suitors was Thurn, the leader of the Rutuls. To him, the bride's mother, Amata, was more favorable than to the other suitors. But various omens pointed to the undesirability of this marriage and pointed to another bridegroom who must come from a foreign country and raise the glory of their kind to heaven. Therefore, when Aeneas, upon his arrival, sent a brilliant embassy to the king to ask for a place where the Trojans could settle, the king Latinus gave them a favorable answer and offered the hero of Ilion the hand of his daughter.

This, of course, infuriated Thurn. But he was not the only one who disliked the appearance of strangers. At the instigation of Amata, an uprising against the aliens arose in the country of Latina, led by Thurn. Latin himself, already unable to influence the actions of his subjects, locked himself in his house, leaving the reins of government to his wife. Thurnus with a large army attacked the city of Aeneas. But to the aid of the besieged came the Etruscans, longtime enemies of the Rutuls, as well as King Evander, a native of the Greek Arcadia. Many Latins died in the brutal war. When their relatives asked Aeneas for peace, he answered them that he did not intend to fight the Latins, but was ready to fight Turnus. The king of the Rutuls accepted the challenge and fell in a duel with Aeneas. After this victory, Aeneas completed the construction of the city and united the two peoples, the Trojans and the Latins.

Let's pay attention to one striking circumstance. Aeneas sailed in search of a new homeland for eight years, exactly the same as Menelaus! Unlike Menelaus, Aeneas did not go to the harbors of Egypt, but he spent some time in Libya. The Libyans, along with the "Sea Peoples" at that time, fought against Egypt, and there is no doubt that the soldiers of Aeneas were involved in this campaign. True, Virgil does not say anything about this, but the fact that Aeneas wandered for exactly eight years gives us reason to assert that Aeneas began to organize the peaceful life of his tribe only after the successful completion of the second campaign of the "peoples of the sea." And to stay on the sidelines at a time when the whole Mediterranean was agitated, only the cunning Odysseus could, and even then alone.

According to Virgil, the Etruscans helped Aeneas settle in a new place. What kind of people are they, and how did they end up on the Apennine Peninsula? Herodotus, who lived about 25 centuries ago, believed that the Etruscans came to Italy from distant Asia Minor, from the kingdom of Lydia, located in the southwest of the Anatolia peninsula. During a terrible famine, the king of the Lydians decided to divide his people into two parts, and one of them, under the leadership of his son Tyrren, was sent across the sea in ships. After long wanderings, the subjects of Tyrrhenian reached the shores of Italy, where they founded the country and began to be called Tyrrhenians. The Greek historian Gellanic of Lesbos, who lived during the time of Herodotus, believed, however, that the Etruscans came to Italy from Greece, where they bore the name of the Pelasgians. Herodotus attributed much to the Pelasgians that is related to the Tyrrhenians. But the Pelasgians and Tyrrhenians were still different peoples for Herodotus. Hellanicus identified them for the first time in Greek historiography. Following him, their contemporaries Thucydides and Sophocles did it.

A new look at the origin of the Etruscans was formulated by Dionysius of Halicarnassus (1st century BC). In his opinion, the Etruscans did not come from anywhere: from time immemorial they inhabited the Apennine Peninsula. The great geographer of antiquity Strabo, as if linking all these views, spoke of one Etruscan city that it was originally founded by indigenous inhabitants, then captured by the Pelasgians, and even later passed to another people - the Tyrrhenians ... As you can see, the information of ancient authors is very contradictory. A similar difference of opinion is observed among the historians of our time, however, they all agree that the Etruscan people were formed as a result of a mixture of tribes of different ethnic origins. This is a fact, but here is what is extremely interesting: according to Dionysius of Halicarnassus, the Etruscans called themselves Rasenes, and in the dictionary of Stephen of Byzantine (VI century), the Etruscans are completely unconditionally called a Slavic tribe. AS Khomyakov wrote about this: “For a long time already everyone is convinced that more than one element was part of the Etruscan people ... Recognizing the Etruscans as a mixed tribe, we do not find ... an explanation of the name of Razen and many features in the development of the people. We have too few remnants of the Etruscan language to rely on their completely arbitrary interpretation and draw shaky conclusions from it; but it must be admitted that most of the names of local and urban leads us to a guess about ... the main element that became part of Etruria, namely the Slavic element. Cities: Antium, in which the name of the Antes is recalled, Clusium ( key, reminiscent of the Illyrian Key, Illyria is a region in the north-west of the Balkan Peninsula), Cortona or Gortin, Perusia (Porush), Angara (Ugarye), Clastidium, otherwise Clasticium (Klyastitsy), Spina (now Dorso di Spina); the rivers Arnus (Yarny), Tsecina (Techen), Lake Kluzina (Klyuchino) and many other names are purely Slavic. But, obviously, these will be too few. Let's pay attention to the other two circumstances, which are much more important: 1) never in the most flourishing time of their greatness, during their military enterprise, did the razenes attack the Veneti; 2) when the Celts and Romans destroyed the once strong and rich union of the Etrurian cities, those of the races who preferred freedom in the poor country to slavery in Etrurian freedom, made their way through the land of the Cisalpine Gauls and found refuge with the Great Wends (windeliks). Here, in the inaccessible gorges, they built a new city, Retsun ( Razsen, or Razhen, from fiery) and fought for a long time against the gigantic power of Rome, forming a proud alliance with the Veneti. It is hard to believe that the invincible Vendians gave up the land to them against their will; it is even more difficult that the Rasens, making their way through all the power of the Celts, seek a new war, and not the hospitality of their native tribe. "

Khomyakov as a whole quite accurately outlined the problem of Etruscan Slavism. But it, like any issue discussed for decades, is interesting for its particulars. Why, for example, did the Etruscans call themselves Rasens? Indeed, many professional historians, not finding any serious answer to this question, refuse to discuss the idea of ​​Etruscan-Slavic relations. And they are largely right, since Khomyakov himself admits that there are "too few" Slavic omens left. The metahistorical approach developed in our book, however, allows us to illuminate this problem in a new way.

Let's start with the indigenous people of Sicily. Thucydides reports that, according to legend, the most ancient inhabitants of Sicily were the Cyclops and Laestrigones who lived in one of its parts. Cyclops were descendants of the Aryans and came to Southern Europe from the territory of the Russian Plain in the IV-III millennium BC. NS. The Lestrigones, or "born robbers," are most likely the pirates of Sicily. Their teams could be international, but it seems that they obeyed the owners of the island - the Cyclops.

In the Latin tradition, the Cyclops were called Sicules, from their name the island of Sicily (Sicelia) was named. In addition to the Siculs, the Ligians or Ligurs are also mentioned among the most ancient inhabitants of Italy. These are the Lycians! We have already talked about the Lycians who lived in the 2nd millennium BC. NS. in Asia Minor and moved there from Crete. But another part of this people, known to ancient historians as leagues, migrated to Europe. Lygia lived in Upper Italy and southern France, on the Balearic (Beloyarskie!) Islands, Corsica and Sardinia (later they were ousted from here by the Celts). Yes, yes, we can definitely talk about the penetration of the maritime civilization of the Aryans up to the eastern (Mediterranean) coast of Spain.

Chipped Siculs and Lycians were the first wave of migration to Southern Europe from the Russian Plain. In terms of time, it can be assumed that it fell on the era of active settlement by the same tribes in the south of Greece and Crete (the turn of the 4th and 3rd millennia BC). The Greeks called these settlers Pelasgians. The second powerful migration wave from the Russian Plain dates back to the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC. NS. It is associated with the movement to Europe of those Aryan tribes who brought with them the cult of the god Tura. The Greeks remembered them in the form of centaurs, that is, equestrian Taurus. In Greece, their role was not so significant, since the country was already inhabited by militarily strong Achaeans. But the lands of Italy were still poorly inhabited by that time. The Etruscans revered Tour under the name Turmes, and his feminine parallel Turana acted as the Etruscan Aphrodite, the goddess of love. The people who worshiped this goddess were called Tyrrhenians by the Greeks, and the sea they controlled was called Tyrrhenian. It is quite clear that the Tyrrhenians were not the only inhabitants of such fertile lands, among their neighbors were the Indo-European tribes who came here a little later from the north - the Italians (Latins and others). And maybe the word "Etruscans" (and the Romans began to use it!) Was born by combining the names of Italics and Russians ...

The most important migration in the history of Ancient Italy, however, occurred at the beginning of the 1st millennium BC. e., when immigrants from Asia Minor moved here. Who could have left this peninsula at that time? We can hardly be mistaken if we assume that this was the population of Rusen, Asia Minor, destroyed during the Trojan War. That is why the Etruscans called themselves Rasens! Keeping their ancestral name, they seemed to restore the connection of times, kept in touch with those generations of their ancestors who participated in the creation of the great civilizations of the Ancient East.

The French scientist L'Arbois de Jubanville found out that one of the ancient Egyptian inscriptions mentions the attack of the Ruthen people together with the Assyrians (under the leadership of the latter) on Egypt. Such an event could take place only in the XII century. BC NS. or, more likely, one or two centuries later, when Assyria really began to dominate Western Asia and dictated conditions to the people of the defeated Arsava (Rusen) - the Rusen (Ruthen). Consequently, after the defeat in the Trojan War, part of the population of Rusen remained in Asia Minor and continued to call themselves Rusen. At the turn of the II and I millennium BC. NS. the more adventurous of them sailed west in search of a new homeland.

In the last quarter of the 19th century, on the island of Lemnos off the coast of Anatolia, not far from the site of ancient Troy, a tombstone was found that greatly interested scientists. The stele, now kept in the National Museum of Athens, shows the face of an armed warrior in profile and two inscriptions are engraved. One of them is located above the warrior's head, and the other is on the side surface of the stele. The language of these inscriptions, written in archaic Greek letters, is characterized as akin to Etruscan. The stele described above is not the only document of this kind. Many other inscriptions in the same language have been found on Lemnos. All of them date back to the 7th century. BC NS. These findings led scientists to assume that on the way from Anatolia to Italy, the Etruscans (or some part of them) could stay on the island of Lemnos for a time - long enough to leave traces of themselves.

Nizhny Novgorod historian Professor E. V. Kuznetsov in his work "Ancient Rus: Migration", having studied the location of Russian toponyms on the map of Southern Italy, even indicated a possible route for the settlement of the Protorians there, moving from the coast of Asia Minor. According to the analysis of E.V. Kuznetsov, it is likely that the settlers moved to the west of the Mediterranean, not skirting either the projection of the Calabrian Peninsula or the island of Sicily, but, shortening the path, crossed the peninsula, using the water communications flowing here and a short portage connecting them.

In 1961, the book "Etruscans Begin to Talk" was published, which challenged the traditional hypotheses in the scientific community. It was the fruit of thirty years of work by Dr. Zachary Mayani, who worked at the University of Paris. In the course of his research, Mayani came to the conclusion that the Etruscan language belongs to the Indo-European language and that on the basis of the Etruscan inscriptions two currents can be distinguished, the merger of which gave rise to "this strange civilization": one from the banks of the Danube, the other from Anatolia. Mayani believes that the Etruscans, the "people of bronze", did not succeed in completely destroying traces of their origin: they are visible in their weapons, and in the use of columns in the construction of tombs, and in their addiction to polychromy in the visual arts, and - even more clearly - in the manner of depicting animals, and above all - in the very originality of the Etruscan culture.

Two streams of settlers - one from the Danube basin, the other from Anatolia (as Herodotus claimed) - eventually formed a highly heterogeneous population of the area that we call Etruria and which they tried to transform into their new homeland. It is in the diversity of the Etruscans that Dr. Mayani sees one of the reasons (perhaps the most important) why they did not manage to form a single nation.

Apparently, it is appropriate here to recall Toynbee's theory: he speaks of the Etruscans as a possible model of the influence of foreign settlers on a group of earlier colonists. Since usually the most brave and hardy survive, their descendants turn out, as a rule, to be a strong people; those who did not dare to join the emigrants and chose to stay in their native lands, eventually disappear from the pages of history. In addition, the descendants of immigrants tend to strictly observe old traditions and adhere to old beliefs, at least until they feel that they have taken root in a new land. Numerous parallels between the Etruscans and the peoples of the Middle East confirm that such a process took place in Etruria.

Vi. The mystery of the origin of Eastern European Jewry Arthur Koestler (1905-1983), a staunch Zionist in his youth and collaborator of the leader of the "revisionists" Vladimir (Zeev) Jabotinsky, eventually became disillusioned with the settlement project and the Jewish national movement.

4. Two theories - the Eastern and Northern origin of the Etruscans 4. 1. Eastern theory Until the middle of the 18th century, it was believed that the Etruscans came from the East, from Asia Minor. This is the so-called Eastern theory. It is based on the authority of ancient authors. "The ancients" left