Hun, Alan, Avar, and other Steppe Nomad Movements

[Flavivs Aetivs]

Yes but the El Nino cycle doesn't indicate a drought in the 390's; but the effect on Central Asia isn't the same as that of Black Sea.

Basik and Kursik (their Hunnic Names) actually, in Lir-Turk, mean "little." Many Hunnic leaders' names end in "ik" which makes me wonder if that, considering Hunnic name endings were usually titles, if instead of "ik" being a pet name it indicated a lesser rank of "king" higher than cur but lower than the prestigious "King of the Huns."

In 395-600 the Akatir indeed remained just West of the Maetois, with their Western Border being the Dniester, and were the only group of Huns beyond the Dniester known to have been incorporated into Attila's kingdom.

If Priscus' account of the invasion can be taken more literally, it would indicate the Akatir launched the raids: possibly two lesser "kings" in the Akatir system of prestige ranking sent by the "Alik" or King of the Akatir.

At the time of the raid, logic indicates that the groups following the Akatir must have been the Utigur and Onogur Huns, and considering the Onogur Huns would remain in the area of the East Black Sea in Cotais/Colchis then they must have had control of the Caspian Gates (there were several but Armenian sources indicate the Huns controlled the Derbent Pass until the 7th century, although it changed hands to the Sabir Huns after the 460's).

A Famine could trigger a raid, but Heather is still right that in 395 Hunnic power was centered North of the Black Sea and on the River Don, even though Ultzin seems to have reached Wallachia in 400.

However, I disagree that there were two "larger" Hunnic groupings of East and West Huns; Ultzin was only under control of (presumably) the Ultinzur Huns, he did not have control of the Alpilcur, Bittugur, Bardor, or Tongur Huns. It was Charaton who would unite them in the Wallachian Plain and Carpathian Basin and lead some into the Pannonian Basin.