Caucasian Race - Origin of The Word "Caucasian"

Origin of The Word "Caucasian"

According to Leonti Mroveli, the 11th century Georgian chronicler, the word Caucasian is derived from Vainakh ancestor Kavkas. "The Vainakhs, as it is already known to the reader, are the ancient natives of the Caucasus. It is noteworthy, that according to the genealogical table drawn up by Leonti Mroveli, the legendary forefather of the Vainakhs was “Kavkas”, hence the name Kavkasians, one of the ethnicons met in the ancient Georgian written sources, signifying the ancestors of the Chechens and Ingush. As appears from the above, the Vainakhs, at least by name, are presented as the most “Caucasian” people of all the Caucasians (Caucasus - Kavkas - Kavkasians) in the Georgian historical tradition." The Soviet-Russian anthropologists and scientists N.Ya.Marr, V.V.Bounak, R.M.Munchaev,I.M Dyakonov, E.I.Krupnov, G.A.Melikashvilli, also confirmed the findings of Leonti Mroveli. “Among Ingush the Caucasian type is preserved better than among any other North Caucasian nation” Professor of anthropology V.V.Bounak “Groznenski Rabochi” 5, VII, 1935. Some American linguists claim that: “The Nakh–Dagestanian languages are the closest thing we have to a direct continuation of the cultural and linguistic community that gave rise to Western civilization" Professor of linguistics J. Nichols, “Science” 2000: Vol. 288 no. 5469 p. 1158