Ancient connections between the Lurs and the Kurds
Description
The provided text offers an extensive ethnographic and historical analysis of the relationship between the Lurs and the Kurds, two significant Iranian-speaking peoples residing in the Zagros Mountains. It investigates their ancient connections and divergent ethnogeneses through a multidisciplinary approach, examining archaeological findings, linguistic classifications, historical records, and population genetics. The report highlights a shared pre-Iranian ancestral substratum in the Zagros, which then diversified with the arrival of distinct Iranian-speaking tribes, leading to the Southwestern Iranian linguistic roots of the Lurs and the Northwestern Iranian roots of the Kurds. Furthermore, the text explores how the term "Kurd" initially served as a socio-economic label for nomads, before both Lur and Kurdish identities crystallized as distinct ethnic and political entities during the early Islamic era, while still retaining shared cultural elements and folklore.
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