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The northern slopes of the central Caucasus
and the banks of the river Terek, not far from the town of Mozdok, and still
predominantly populated by the Ossetinians (Ossetini), a small but very old
tribe that claims the Scythians and Sarmatians as their ancestors. There is no
reason to doubt their claim. The Ossetinians say that when nomads invaded their
lands, those who could escape found shelter and security in the hard to reach
slopes of the Caucasus mountains. They also say that their Ossetian mother
language is a dialect of the Scythian. They both use the word "don"
to describe water or river, and we know that the names of all major rivers that
flow to the Black Sea: the Danube, Dniester, Dnieper, Donets and the Don, are
of Scythian origin.
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