Paulys-alana-ori-Turkic-alan

 

In Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft we read the word Αλανά Όρη/Alana Ori.

Ptolemy wrote already about it in the 2nd C AD. 

"Αλανά Όρη/Alana Ori is a mountain range in Scythia, north of the Caspian Sea, i.e. the Mugodžaren hills in the Kirghiz steppe, a natural continuation of the southern Urals."

There is no certain etymology for that mountains/mountain range north of the Caspian Sea, Urheimat of the Türks.

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But it is a very interesting word indeed. Alan means in Modern Turkish an open field, an area, a square, etc., from Proto-Türkic alaŋ meaning level ground, plain. (According to Dybo/Starostin).

>Middle Türkic alaŋ (alang)

The other Altaic words are here to see:

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It should be a plain in this mountain range where Scythian horses grazed (German Tal). Another indicator for the Turkishness of the Scythian. 

Conclusion I: Alana Ori could have been a Türkic word.

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It is not over!

Modern Greek took that word again from (Ottoman) Türkish.

αλάνα<αλάνι means empty/vacant lot in Greek from Türkish آلاڭ , meaning plain, open space:

 

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But it is still not enough:

Ancient Greek word ὄρος/ὄρη has no certain etymology, either.

For that I have a Türkic one, too:

Proto-Türkic *or means (higher) place, throne 

> Old Türkic orun: dwelling place

End-Conclusion: Alana Ori should have meant "a plain place between mountains to live" in Türkish of that time.

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Uzunbacak Adem