02-15-2014, 05:09 AM
I think there should be some caution when discussing whether a tribe was Turkic or Indo-Iranian regarding the Huns as it should be mentioned that a lot of these groups were basically confederations of different groups & peoples rather than one particular tribe but with one particular group maintaining leadership over the others. Their leaders might have come from a particular tribe or family but it was normal practice with steppe & Central Asian politics that their leadership situation was very fluid by nature either through conquest or marriage & submission. Priscus mentions about meeting a Hun warrior who to his surprise spoke good Greek who was formerly a Greek trader enslaved by the Huns with the capture of Vimiacium on the Danube but through his bravery had won his freedom fighting for Attila in a possible revolt of the Akatiri against Attila on the death of Bleda & now was married to a Hun woman & fathered Hun children & was an honoured Hun warrior. Maybe when Bleda died tha Akatiri sought to free themselves of Attila's rule & thought their loyalty was to Bleda which died with him. I think a lot of later groups called themselves Huns to awe their neighbours. Although I don’t know if it is true but I have read where the Hephthalites were named after one of their early chiefs. Even going back to 1st & 2nd century Rome I have read where on Trajan’s column there is a picture of a Roxolani warrior who according to Professor Andreas Alfoldi seems to have Mongolian features. So basically these groups would have been a mixture of different races at least at the origins of these tribal groupings. Image of Roxolani warrior below, The image looks a bit damaged so I can't really tell but I thought I would post it anyway because even Alan king/chief Saul who fought under Stilicho was described as having Hunnic features. So maybe even earlier groups like Roxolani and Iazyges were a mixture of tribes & peoples under the leadership of one family or tribe. But on the opposite side, the Bosporan kingdom leadership probably dressed and armed themselves as Sarmatians & through marriage had Sarmatian ancestors, probably lived like them for some of the year but would have thought of themselves as totally Greek & not Sarmatian. Once again apologies for drifting off topic.
[attachment=9016]Roxolanicloseup.jpg[/attachment]
Regards
Michael Kerr
[attachment=9016]Roxolanicloseup.jpg[/attachment]
Regards
Michael Kerr
Michael Kerr
"You can conquer an empire from the back of a horse but you can't rule it from one"
"You can conquer an empire from the back of a horse but you can't rule it from one"