Introduction of the stirrup

[Thiudareiks Flavius]

I think the best evidence still favours the idea that the Avars introduced them to Europe in around the late Seventh Century. The speculation that the Huns had stirrups and that they were therefore found, if only in rudimentary form, as early as the Fifth Century is undermined by two things - (i) the total lack of any evidence, images or reference to anything vaguely like a stirrup this early and (ii) the fact that it would be remarkable for a whole three hundred years to pass without any such evidence and then suddenly have archaeological, iconographic and linguistic evidence of stirrups suddenly appear in Europe all at once.

The most logical explanation of this sudden appearance of such evidence is that this marked the actual appearance of the stirrup and it didn't exist in Europe, in any form, earlier.

Strangely, despite the fact that the idea the Huns introduced them is based on no evidence at all and is purely (unfounded) speculation, several online encyclopaedias state that the Huns introduced them as fact. In the peculiar way something on a web page seems to harden into accepted fact, I've recently had people insist that there is evidence the Huns introduced them, and they get perplexed and confused when asked to actually produce this evidence (because it doesn't exist).

I'm sticking with the Avars and the Seventh Century until some actual evidence of an earlier introduction appears. Call me conservative if you like ... :lol: