The Xiongnu are one of the most famous nomadic peoples of antiquity. They inhabited the steppes of Central Asia for many centuries, but in the II century AD they dissolved into other nationalities, which surpassed the strength and power of these nomads. And although the Xiongnu have been gone for a very long time, they do not cease to be forgotten. Perhaps they can safely be called a mysterious and unusual tribe of antiquity.
Lev Gumilev, a Russian historian and scientist, made a significant contribution to the study of the history of the Xiongnu, their lives and everyday life. There are many clues to the questions of concern to researchers in Chinese sources that allow us to see the past of the Xiongnu, which I propose to do. How did these people live? How did they appear in their native steppes, how did they manage to build their state, and why did they disappear?
The Xiongnu ancestors
The Xiongnu (also called the Xiongnu) are tribes that roamed the steppes of Central Asia and were mainly engaged in cattle breeding. Poor soils, the need to find fresh water sources and pastures forced the people to be in constant motion. The change of seasons was caused by the Xiongnu nomads, who gradually occupied new lands and consolidated their power on them. But how did this nation originate?
Even before the Xiongnu emerged as an ethnic group, a number of warlike tribes lived on their lands, many of which later became the ancestors of modern Chinese. Initially, the steppes were inhabited by the Di and Zhong peoples, and to the north of them were the territories of Hunyu and Hanyun, which historians call Prahunn. In the studies of A.D. Gambojapov, L. I. Duman, E. V. Bembeyev, it is indicated that among the ancestors of the Xiongnu, there are many tribes that roamed the Asian steppes.
The main ones among them are hunyu, guifang, Beidi. In the process of constant movement from place to place, tribes mixed, waged incessant wars, and therefore there was a constant ethnic and cultural exchange. He became the beginning of the formation of many ancient peoples, among whom were the Xiongnu.
The appearance of the people
The Gobi desert was located in the immediate vicinity of the nomads, and the harsh steppe climate required survival skills even in the most adverse conditions. The historian Lev Gumilev in his works points out the persistent character of the Xiongnu, who already in the 10th century BC could cross deserts and skillfully engaged in cattle breeding. He’s writing:
«Hanyun and Hunyu were descendants of the aborigines of Northern China, who were pushed back to the steppe by the «black-headed» ancestors of the Chinese as early as the third millennium BC. The first pre-Xiongnu ethnic substratum was formed, which became Xiongnu only in the subsequent era, when the Prakhuns crossed the sandy deserts.… Previously, they were called Hu, i.e. steppe nomads. So the Huns were the first people to conquer the deserts.”
In 822 BC, the Xiongnu attacked several regions of China, but the Chinese managed to repel a militant attack. Amazingly, after that, ancient Chinese sources for several centuries did not even mention the Xiongnu.
Of course, one could assume that they suffered greatly from the tribes of China that struck back, but in reality everything was different — the Xiongnu consolidated their power and strength to build their own state.
The Birth of the Xiongnu Empire
In the 5th century BC, the Xiongnu reappeared in the records of Chinese travelers and historians. Then the Chinese had to start building a number of structures that were erected like the Great Wall of China, which helped strengthen the borders and repel the cruel nomads.
But that didn’t stop the Xiongnu themselves. After a couple of centuries, they were already creating their own state, headed by the ruler, Shanyu. Growing up, the people occupied vast territories that stretched through Mongolia and occupied a significant part of Siberia.
Kyrgyz historian Tynchtykbek Chorotegin points out the following in his articles:
“By the end of the 3rd century BC, for the first time, the Huns and all other ancient Turkic ethnic groups of Inner Asia and the eastern parts of Central Asia and their neighbors found themselves within the framework of a single nomadic power of the Huns.”
Fragmentation and disappearance of the Xiongnu
The Xiongnu had a difficult relationship with the Chinese. They tried to instill their own culture and way of life in the nomads, which was only partially successful. Many Chinese princesses became wives of the rulers of the Xiongnu empire, which helped strengthen the union of peoples, but it was extremely fragile.
The constant confrontation between the Xiongnu and the Chinese led to the collapse of the empire itself. The inhabitants of the eastern part turned out to be adherents of Chinese values, while the Western Xiongnu sought to preserve their own language, customs and other cultural aspects. In 50 BC, the power was divided, which led to its gradual decline.
Subsequent wars with the Chinese further weakened the people, which now split into four parts: one assimilated with the Xianbi people, the second went to China, the third gained a foothold in the forests of the mountain ranges of Kazakhstan, and the fourth retreated westward, reaching the Volga and Don.
Europe and the Xiongnu
The records of the ancient historian Dionysius Perieget indicate that around 150 AD the Xiongnu were already in Europe, mixing with Turkic tribes and other ethnic groups along the way. This is the fourth offshoot of the people that became the great conquerors of the western lands, and later gave rise to a new people, the Huns, who became famous as the conquerors of Europe, influencing the culture of the subject tribes.
Most historians agree that the Xiongnu disappeared as a people in the 2nd century AD. They were able to build their own power, but they were unable to resist external influence, which led to fragmentation and division. Amazingly, those Xiongnu who remained in their historical homeland ceased to exist much earlier than their counterparts who embarked on a long campaign of conquest.
The tribes that traveled through Siberia and the Mongolian steppes to European countries went down in history as famous conquerors. Acquiring the occupied lands, they disappeared as a nation, turning into a completely new ethnic group — the Huns.