The Huns, Rome and the Birth of EuropeCambridge University Press, 2013 M04 18 The Huns have often been treated as primitive barbarians with no advanced political organisation. Their place of origin was the so-called 'backward steppe'. It has been argued that whatever political organisation they achieved they owed to the 'civilizing influence' of the Germanic peoples they encountered as they moved west. This book argues that the steppes of Inner Asia were far from 'backward' and that the image of the primitive Huns is vastly misleading. They already possessed a highly sophisticated political culture while still in Inner Asia and, far from being passive recipients of advanced culture from the West, they passed on important elements of Central Eurasian culture to early medieval Europe, which they helped create. Their expansion also marked the beginning of a millennium of virtual monopoly of world power by empires originating in the steppes of Inner Asia. The rise of the Hunnic Empire was truly a geopolitical revolution. |
Contents
9 | |
The Huns in Central Asia | 17 |
The Huns in Europe | 43 |
The end of the Hunnic Empire in the west | 89 |
The later Huns and the birth of Europe | 137 |
Conclusion | 156 |
276 | |
333 | |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
Aetius Alans Altheim Amal Ardaric argues Attila Avars barbarian battle Blockley Bulgars Central Asia Chinese Christian 1998 clan conquered conquest cultural Czeglédy Danube Danubian defeat Demougeot 1979 Dengizich dynasty earlier east Eastern Empire Edeco elite Ellac emperor ethnic Eurasian Europe European Huns fiefs fifth century figure find first fourth century Frankish Franks Gaul Gepids Germanic tribes Getica Golden Gothic Goths Heather Hephtalites Hunimund Hunnic Empire Hunnic invasion Hunnic king Hunnic princes identified imperial influence Inner Asian Iranian Italy Jordanes Kangju Kazakhstan Khagan Kushan Kutrigurs later Maenchen-Helfen 1973 military Mongol Nedao nomads Noricum Odoacer Oghuric Onogurs origin Ostrogoths Pannonia Parthian Persian political Priscus Pritsak Procopius Pulleyblank region Roman army Roman Empire Rouran royal Rugians Rugii rule ruler Sarmatian Sassanian Sciri Scythian sedentary Seljuk significant Sinor steppe empires Suebi territory Theodoric Thiudimer tribal Turkic Utigurs Valamer Vandals vassal Vinitharius Visigoths Western Roman Wolfram Wusun Xianbei Xiongnu Yuezhi