Hun, Alan, Avar, and other Steppe Nomad Movements

[Michael Kerr]

Hi Evan, so are you saying Ultinzur Huns were the vanguard of the main Hunnic force? You are right about El Nino but I was merely talking about steppe climate conditions in general with a history of constant wheat crop failures during the Soviet regime happening and maybe even now as Ukraine is Russian breadbasket, climate on the Western steppe was and is never stable. All pastoral societies whether Ukraine or Central Asia( in Central Asia's case you can blame the Himalayas which keep most of the rainfall south) suffered stock loss and drought on a more regular basis than sedentary societies. Roger Cribb an Australian (Yes another Aussie) archaeologist who specializes in Nomadic archaeology wrote a book 'Nomads in Archaeology' in which unlike sedentary societies, pastoral nomads were subject to quite regular droughts especially on the steppe due to climate, overgrazing and lack of rainfall & often herds would often be decimated due to disease and lack of water and famine and more often than not wars would take place between tribes or groups over land and water and herd replenishment by stealing a weaker neighbour's herds, this is why marriages were so important between tribes and groups as a means to diffuse situations and hopefully work out solutions as well as defence of valuable land or water. Whole tribes would move to better land if necessary so steppe society was very fluid. So Alcitziri and other tribes probably lived near river deltas like Don, Dniester and Danube as a matter of necessity to fight drought and water shortages. In regard to the two kings, Priscus did say that these two kings were Scythian Royalty and if you missed my edit in previous post John Man in his book 'Attila the Hun' says the two Hunnic kings were heirs of Hunnic king Balamber. In regards to Eastern and Western Hun kings I think you are missing my point which is that there is a definite history of Huns and dualism in regards to their leadership, even before Rua & Octa and Bleda and Attila. I am interested where you get your sources on Charaton as he is only mentioned in Olympiodorus's fragments along with Donatus. Is there another source that I have missed or are you just going on OM-H's theories. All I can make out from the few lines is that the Romans assassinated Donatus, who was a minor king and had to pay Charaton, obviously the major king in gifts and gold as a form of blood money to appease him. That is all we know of him. I am just curious that is all. Also in regards to Derbent pass Priscus mentions that the Sassanids wanted the Romans to contribute to the cost of guarding the pass as they were keeping the Huns at bay, which the Romans refused so I think at least around the time of Priscus and Attila that the Huns did not hold this strategic pass. :?
Regards
Michael Kerr