Many obscure ancient languages or peoples have been postulated by scholars of the Caucasus as Nakh, many in the South Caucasus. None of these have been confirmed; most are classified as Nakh on the basis of placenames.
Malkh The language of the
Malkhs (whose name, malkh, refers to the sun) in the North Caucasus, who lived in modern day
Kabardino-Balkaria,
Karachay–Cherkessia, and once briefly conquered
Ubykhia and
Abkhazia, is believed to be of Nakh affiliation. They were conquered first by Scythian-speaking Alan tribes and then by Turkic tribes, and seem to have largely abandoned their homeland and found shelter among the
Chechens, leading to the formation of a
teip named after them. Those who stayed behind were either wiped out or assimilated.
Dval The language of the
Dvals is thought to be Nakh by many historians, though there is a rivaling camp arguing for its status as a close relative of
Ossetic. seemingly implying that the Dvals found shelter (like the Malkhs are known to have done) among the Chechens from the conquest of their land by foreign invaders (presumably Ossetes).
Tsov According to Georgian scholars I. A. Javashvili and
Giorgi Melikishvili, the
Urartian state of
Supani was occupied by the ancient Nakh tribe Tsov, whose state is called Tsobena in ancient Georgian historiography. The Tsov language was the dominant language spoken by its people, and was thought by these Georgian historians (as well as a number of others) to be Nakh. Tsov and its relatives in the area may have contributed to the
Hurro-Urartian substratum in the
Armenian language. == See also ==