There exists little independent record of these people, and it is somewhat unclear who Herodotus was referring to. He describes them as forming part of the 14th province of the
Persian empire, sharing this province with other peoples named
Sagartians,
Sarangians,
Thamanaeans,
Mycians, and the unnamed inhabitants of the islands of the
Erythraean Sea.[2]
On the
Behistun Inscription of
Darius the Great, a land in Southern Persis called "Vautiya" or "Yautiya" is described. Some scholars have suggested that might be the same as the homeland of the people Herodotus called "Utians".[2][6][7]
The Utians are generally believed to have ranged over southern
Carmania near its border with
Gedrosia.[1] Other scholars, notably
Josef Markwart, have proposed that Herodotus was confusing his references, and was actually talking about a group of
Armenian people from
Utik, the
Vitii, possibly the ancestors of the
Udi people.[8][9][10] Still other scholars, such as
Amélie Kuhrt, have proposed the Utians are identical to the
Uxii.[11]
^
abcBryce, Trevor (2009).
"Utians". The Routledge Handbook of the Peoples and Places of Ancient Western Asia: The Near East from the Early Bronze Age to the Fall of the Persian Empire.
Taylor & Francis. p. 757.
ISBN9781134159086. Retrieved 2023-06-15.