Yotvingians

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The map showing the territory of already partially assimilated Yotvingians.

Yotvingian kurhan, piliagarbas in the area of Suwałki

The biggest Yotvingian kurhan in the area of Suwałki

Yotvingians or Sudovians (also called Suduvians, Jatvians, or Jatvingians in English) (Lithuanian: Jotvingiai, SÅ«duviai; Latvian: Jatvingi; Polish: Jaćwingowie, Belarusian: ЯцьвÑгі) were a Baltic people with close cultural ties to the Lithuanians and Prussians. The Yotvingian language (sometimes called Sudovian) was a Western Baltic language nearest to Prussian, but with small variations.

Yotvingians lived in the area of Sudovia and Dainava (Yotvingia); south west from the upper Neman and their land began to be conquered by various people. The territory was between later Marijampolė, Merkinė (Lithuania), Slonim, Kobrin (Belarus), Białystok, and Ełk (Poland).

Today this area corresponds mostly to the Podlaskie Voivodeship of Poland, portions of Lithuania and a part of Hrodna Province of Belarus.

Ptolemy in the 2nd century AD called the people Sudinoi.

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