TheHephthalites (Bactrian:ηβοδαλο,romanized: Ebodalo),[10] sometimes called theWhite Huns (also known as theWhite Hunas, inIranian as theSpet Xyon and inSanskrit andPrakrit as theSveta-huna),[11][12] were a people who lived inCentral Asia during the 5th to 8th centuries CE, part of the larger group of EasternIranian Huns.[13][14] They formed an empire, theImperial Hephthalites, and were militarily important from 450 CE, when they defeated theKidarites, to 560 CE, when combined forces from theFirst Turkic Khaganate and theSasanian Empire defeated them.[1][15] After 560 CE, they established "principalities" in the area ofTokharistan, under thesuzerainty of theWestern Turks (in the areas north of theOxus) and of theSasanian Empire (in the areas south of theOxus), before theTokhara Yabghus took over in 625.[15]
The Imperial Hephthalites, based inBactria, expanded eastwards to theTarim Basin, westwards toSogdia and southwards throughAfghanistan, but they never went beyond theHindu-Kush, which was occupied by theAlchon Huns, previously thought to be an extension of the Hephthalites.[16] They were a tribal confederation and included both nomadic and settled urban communities. They formed part of the four major states known collectively asXyon (Xionites) orHuna, being preceded by theKidarites and by theAlkhon, and succeeded by theNezak Huns and by the First Turkic Khaganate. All of these Hunnic peoples have often been controversially linked to theHuns who invaded Eastern Europe during the same period, and/or have been referred to as "Huns", but scholars have reached no consensus about any such connection.
The sources for Hephthalite history are sparse and the opinions of historians differ. There is no king-list, and historians are not sure how the group arose or what language they initially spoke. They seem to have called themselvesEbodalo (ηβοδαλο, henceHephthal), often abbreviatedEb (ηβ), a name they wrote in theBactrian script on some of their coins.[18][19][20][21] The origin of the name "Hephthalites" is unknown, it may stem either from aKhotanese word*Hitala meaning "Strong",[22] from hypotheticalSogdian *Heβtalīt, plural of *Heβtalak,[23] or from postulatedMiddle Persian*haft āl "the Seven[24]Al".[25][a][b]
Hephthalite ruler The Hephthalites called themselvesēbodāl, as seen in this seal of an early Hephthalite king with theBactrian script inscription: ηβοδαλο ββγο ēbodālo bbgo "Yabghu (Lord) of the Hephthalites" He wears an elaborate radiate crown, and royal ribbons. End 5th century- early 6th century CE.[3][16][26][27]
The Hephthalites called themselvesēbodālo (Bactrian:;Greek script: ηβοδαλο) in their inscriptions, which was commonly abbreviated to (ηβ,eb) in their coinage.[28][26] An important and unique seal, held in the private collection of Professor Dr. Aman ur Rahman and published byNicholas Sims-Williams in 2011,[29] shows an early Hepthalite ruler with a round beardless face and slanted almond-shaped eyes, wearing a radiate crown with a single crescent, and framed by theBactrian script legend ηβοδαλο ββγο ("The Lord [Yabghu] of the Hephthalites").[30][c] The seal is dated to the end 5th century- early 6th century CE.[3][26] The ethnic name "Ebodalo", and title "Ebodalo Yabghu", have also been discovered in contemporary Bactrian documents of theKingdom of Rob describing administrative functions under the Hephthalites.[32][33]
Byzantine Greek sources referred to them asHephthalitae (Ἐφθαλῖται),[34]Abdel orAvdel. To the Armenians, the Hephthalites wereHephthal,Hep't'al &Tetal and sometimes identified with theKushans. To the Persians, Hephthalites are Hephtal, Hephtel, & Hēvtāls. To Arabs, Hephthalites wereHaital,Hetal,Heithal,Haiethal,Heyâthelites,(al-)Hayaṭila (هياطلة), and sometimes identified asTurks.[7] According toZeki Velidi Togan (1985), the formHaytal in Persian and Arabic sources in the first period was a clerical error forHabtal, as Arabic-b- resembles-y-.[35]
In Chinese chronicles, the Hephthalites are calledYàndàiyílìtuó (Chinese:厭帶夷栗陀), or in the more usual abbreviated form,Yèdā嚈噠 or in the 635Book of Liang as theHuá滑.[36][37] The latter name has been given variousLatinisations, includingYeda,Ye-ta,Ye-tha;Ye-dā andYanda. The correspondingCantonese andKorean namesYipdaat andYeoptal (Korean:엽달), which preserve aspects of theMiddle Chinese pronunciation (IPA[ʔjɛpdɑt]) better than the modern Mandarin pronunciation, are more consistent with the GreekHephthalite. Some Chinese chroniclers suggest that the rootHephtha- (as inYàndàiyílìtuó orYèdā) was technically a title equivalent to "emperor", whileHuá was the name of the dominant tribe.[38]
Inancient India, names such as Hephthalite were unknown. The Hephthalites were part of, or offshoots of, people known in India asHunas orTurushkas,[39] although these names may have referred to broader groups or neighbouring peoples. Ancient Sanskrit textPravishyasutra mentions a group of people namedHavitaras but it is unclear whether the term denotes Hephthalites.[40] The Indians also used the expression "White Huns" (Sveta Huna) for the Hephthalites.[41]
According to recent scholarship, the stronghold of the Hephthalites was alwaysTokharistan on the northern slopes of theHindu Kush, in what is present-day southernUzbekistan and northernAfghanistan.[42] Their capital was probably atKunduz, which was known to the 11th-century scholaral-Biruni asWar-Walīz, a possible origin of one of the names given by the Chinese to Hephthalites: 滑 (Middle Chinese (ZS) *ɦˠuat̚ >standard Chinese:Huá).[42]
The Hephthalites may have come from the East, through thePamir Mountains, possibly from the area ofBadakhshan.[42] Alternatively, they may have migrated from theAltai region, among the waves of invading Huns.[43]
Following their westward or southward expansion, the Hephthalites settled inBactria, and displaced theAlchon Huns, who expanded into Northern India. The Hephthalites came into contact with theSasanian Empire, and were involved in helping militarilyPeroz I seize the throne from his brotherHormizd III.[42]
Later, in the late 5th century, the Hephthalites expanded into vast areas ofCentral Asia, and occupied theTarim Basin as far asTurfan, taking control of the area from theRourans, who had been collecting heavy tribute from the oasis cities, but were now weakening under the assaults of the ChineseNorthern Wei dynasty.[44]
There are several theories regarding the origins of the Hephthalites, with theIranian[50][51][52] andAltaic[53][54][55][56][57][58] theories being the main ones. The most prominent theory at present seems to be that the Hephthalites were of Turkic origin, and later adopted theBactrian language.[59]
According to most specialists, the Hephthalites adopted Bactrian as their official language, just as theKushans had done, following their settlement inBactria/Tokharistan.[57] Bactrian was anEastern Iranian language which was written in theGreek alphabet, a legacy of theGreco-Bactrian kingdom in the 3rd–2nd century BCE.[57] Bactrian, beyond being an official language, was also the language of the local populations ruled by the Hephthalites.[60][51]
The Hephthalites inscribed their coins in Bactrian. The titles they held were Bactrian, such asχοαδηο (khoadēo) oršao,[61] and of probable Chinese origin, such asyabghu.[33] The names of Hephthalite rulers given inFerdowsi'sShahnameh are Iranian,[61] and gem inscriptions and other evidence shows that the official language of the Hephthalite elite was East Iranian.[61] In 1959, Kazuo Enoki proposed that the Hephthalites were probably (East)Iranians who originated inBactria/Tokharistan, based on the fact that ancient sources generally located them in the area betweenSogdia and theHindu-Kush, and the Hephthalites had some Iranian characteristics.[62]Richard Nelson Frye cautiously accepted Enoki's hypothesis, while at the same time stressing that the Hephthalites "were probably a mixed horde".[63] Frye writes:
Just as laternomadic empires were confederations of many peoples, we may tentatively propose that the ruling groups of these invaders were, or at least included, Turkic-speaking tribesmen from the east and north, although most probably the bulk of the people in the confederation of Chionites and then Hephhtalites spoke an Iranian language. In this case, as normal, the nomads adopted the written language, institutions, and culture of the settled folks.[60]
Other scholars such asde la Vaissière, based on a recent reappraisal of the Chinese sources, suggest that the Hephthalites were of Turkic origin, and later adopted the Bactrian language, first for administrative purposes, and possibly later as a native language. According toRezakhani (2017), this thesis is seemingly the "most prominent at present".[67][68][d]
According to Martin Schottky, the Hephthalites apparently had no direct connection with the EuropeanHuns, but may have been causally related with their movement. The tribes in question deliberately called themselves "Huns" in order to frighten their enemies.[77] On the contrary,de la Vaissière considers that the Hephthalites were part of the greatHunnic migrations of the 4th century CE from the Altai region that also reached Europe, and that these Huns "were the political, and partly cultural, heirs of theXiongnu".[78][79][80] This massive migration was apparently triggered byclimate change, with aridity affecting the mountain grazing grounds of theAltay Mountains during the 4th century CE.[81] According to Amanda Lomazoff and Aaron Ralby, there is a high synchronicity between the "reign of terror" ofAttila in the west and the southern expansion of the Hephthalites, with extensive territorial overlap between the Huns and the Hephthalites in Central Asia.[82]
The 6th-centuryByzantine historianProcopius of Caesarea (History of the Wars, Book I. ch. 3), related them to the Huns in Europe, but insisted on cultural and sociological differences, highlighting the sophistication of the Hephthalites:
The Ephthalitae Huns, who are called White Huns [...] The Ephthalitae are of the stock of the Huns in fact as well as in name, however, they do not mingle with any of the Huns known to us, for they occupy a land neither adjoining nor even very near to them; but their territory lies immediately to the north of Persia [...] They are not nomads like the other Hunnic peoples, but for a long period have been established in a goodly land... They are the only ones among the Huns who have white bodies and countenances which are not ugly. It is also true that their manner of living is unlike that of their kinsmen, nor do they live a savage life as they do; but they are ruled by one king, and since they possess a lawful constitution, they observe right and justice in their dealings both with one another and with their neighbors, in no degree less than the Romans and the Persians[83]
Probable Hephthalite royal couple in the murals of theBuddhas of Bamiyan circa 600 CE (the 38-meter Buddha they decorate is carbon dated to 544 – 595 CE).[84] Their characteristics are similar to the figures inBalalyk Tepe, such as the right side triangular lapel, hairstyles, faces and ornaments, and reflect Hephthalite styles.[75][85] The Bamiyan complex developed under Hephthalite rule.[86][87]
The Hephthalites were first known to the Chinese in 456 CE, when a Hephthalite embassy arrived at the Chinese court of theNorthern Wei.[88] The Chinese used various names for the Hephthalites, such asHua (滑),Ye-tha-i-li-to (simp. 厌带夷栗陁, trad. 厭帶夷粟陁) or more brieflyYe-da (嚈噠).[89][90] Ancientimperial Chinese chronicles give various explanations about the origins of the Hephthalites:[91][92][93]
They were descendants "of theDa Yuezhi tribes", according to many later chronicles.[91]
The ancient historianPei Ziye conjectured that the "Hua" (滑) may be descendants of aJushi general of the 2nd century CE because that general was named "Bahua" (八滑). This etymological fantasy was adopted by theBook of Liang (Volume 30 andVolume 54).[91][94]
Another etymological fantasy appeared in theTongdian, reporting an account by the traveller Wei Jie according to which the Hephthalites may have been the descendants of theKangju because a Kangju general of theEastern Han happened to be named "Yitian".[91]
Kazuo Enoki made a first groundbreaking analysis of the Chinese sources in 1959, suggesting that the Hephthalites were a local tribe of theTokharistan (Bactria) region, with their origin in the nearby WesternHimalayas.[91] He also used as an argument the presence of numerousBactrian names among the Hephthalites, and the fact that the Chinese reported that they practicedpolyandry, a well-known West Himalayan cultural trait.[91]
According to a recent reappraisal of the Chinese sources byde la Vaissière (2003), only the TurkicGaoju origin of the Hephthalites should be retained as indicative of their primary ethnicity, and the mention of theDa Yuezhi only stems from the fact that, at the time, the Hephthalites had already settled in the formerDa Yuezhi territory ofBactria, where they are known to have used the Eastern IranianBactrian language.[95] The earliest Chinese source on this encounter, the near-contemporary chronicles of the Northern Wei (Weishu) as quoted in the laterTongdian, reports that they migrated southward from theAltai region circa 360 CE:
The Hephthalites are a branch of theGaoju (高車, "High Carts") or theDa Yuezhi, they originated from the north of the Chinese frontier and came down south from the Jinshan (Altai) mountains [...] This was 80 to 90 years beforeEmperor Wen (r. 440–465 CE) of theNorthern Wei (i.e. circa 360 CE) 嚈噠國，或云高車之別種，或云大月氏之別種。其原出於塞北。自金山而南。[...] 至後魏文帝時已八九十年矣
TheGaoju (高車 lit. "High Cart"), also known asTiele,[96] were early Turkic speakers related to the earlierDingling,[97][98] who were once conquered by theXiongnu.[99][100]Weishu also mentioned the linguistic and ethnic proximity between the Gaoju and the Xiongnu.[101] De la Vaissière proposes that the Hephthalites had originally been one Oghuric-speaking tribe who belonged the Gaoju/Tiele confederation.[88][102][103] This and several later Chinese chronicles also report that the Hephthalites may have originated from theDa Yuezhi, probably because of their settlement in the former Da Yuezhi territory ofBactria.[88] Later Chinese sources become quite confused about the origins of the Hephthalites, and this may be due to their progressive assimilation of Bactrian culture and language once they settled there.[104]
According to theBeishi, describing the situation in the first half of the 6th century CE around the timeSong Yun visited Central Asia, the language of the Hephthalites was different from that of the Rouran, Gaoju or other tribes of Central Asia, but that probably reflects their acculturation and adoption of the Bactrian language since their arrival inBactria in the 4th century CE.[105] TheLiangshu andLiang Zhigongtu do explain that the Hephthalites originally had no written language and adopted thehu (local, "Barbarian") alphabet, in this case, theBactrian script.[105]
Overall, de la Vaissière considers that the Hephthalites were part of the greatHunnic migrations of the 4th century CE from the Altai region that also reached Europe and that these Huns "were the political, and partly cultural, heirs, of theXiongnu".[78]
Another painting of the Tokharistan school, fromTavka Kurgan.[106][107] It is closely related toBalalyk tepe, "especially in the treatment of the face". Termez Archaeological Museum.[106]
The Hepthalites appear in several mural paintings in the area ofTokharistan, especially in banquet scenes atBalalyk tepe and as donors to the Buddha in the ceiling painting of the 35-meter Buddha at theBuddhas of Bamyan.[76] Several of the figures in these paintings have a characteristic appearance, with belted jackets with a unique lapel of their tunic being folded on the right side, a style which became popular under the Hephthalites,[108] the cropped hair, the hair accessories, their distinctive physionomy and their round beardless faces.[109] The figures at Bamyan must represent the donors and potentates who supported the building of the monumental giant Buddha.[109] These remarkable paintings participate "to the artistic tradition of the Hephthalite ruling classes ofTukharistan".[75][76]
The paintings related to the Hephthalites have often been grouped under the appellation of "Tokharistan school of art",[110] or the "Hephthalite stage in the History of Central Asia Art".[111] The paintings ofTavka Kurgan, of very high quality, also belong to this school of art, and are closely related to other paintings of the Tokharistan school such asBalalyk tepe, in the depiction of clothes, and especially in the treatment of the faces.[106]
This "Hephthalite period" in art, with the caftans with a triangular collar folded on the right, the particular cropped hairstyle, the crowns with crescents, have been found in many of the areas historically occupied and ruled by the Hephthalites, inSogdia,Bamyan (modernAfghanistan), or inKucha in theTarim Basin (modernXinjiang,China). This points to a "political and cultural unification ofCentral Asia" with similar artistic styles and iconography, under the rule of the Hephthalites.[112]
The Hephthalites were a vassal state to theRouran Khaganate until the beginning of the 5th century.[113] There were close contacts between them, although they had different languages and cultures, and the Hephthalites borrowed much of their political organization from Rourans.[7] In particular, the title "Khan", which according to McGovern was original to the Rourans, was borrowed by the Hephthalite rulers.[7] The reason for the migration of the Hephthalites southeast was to avoid a pressure of the Rourans.
The Hephthalites became a significant political entity in Bactria around 450 CE, or sometime before.[17] It has been commonly assumed that the Hephthalites formed a third wave of migrations into Central Asia, after theChionites (who arrived circa 350 CE) and theKidarites (who arrived from around 380 CE), but recent studies suggest that instead there may have been a single massive wave of nomadic migrations around 350–360 CE, the "Great Invasion", triggered by climate change and the onset of aridity in the grazing grounds of the Altay region, and that these nomadic tribes vied for supremacy thereafter in their new territories in Southern Central Asia.[81][114] As they rose to prominence, the Hephthalites displaced theKidarites and then theAlchon Huns, who expanded intoGandhara and Northern India.
The Hephthalites as vanquished enemies (face down on the floor), and then as allies (seated), in the SasanianBandian complex. The inscription next to the seated ruler reads: "I am Hephthalite, son … the Hephthalite is trustworthy".[115][116] 459-497 CE
The Hephthalites also entered into conflict with the Sasanians. The reliefs of theBandian complex seem to show the initial defeat of the Hephthalites against the Sasanians in 425 CE, and then their alliance with them, from the time ofBahram V (420-438 CE), until they invaded Sasanian territory and destroyed the Bandian complex in 484 CE.[117][116]
In 456–457 a Hephthalite embassy arrived in China, during the reign ofEmperor Wen of theNorthern Wei.[81] By 458 they were strong enough to intervene inPersia.
Around 466 they probably took Transoxianan lands from theKidarites with Persian help but soon took from Persia the area ofBalkh and easternKushanshahr.[57] In the second half of the fifth century they controlled the deserts ofTurkmenistan as far as theCaspian Sea and possiblyMerv.[118] By 500 they held the whole ofBactria and thePamirs and parts ofAfghanistan. In 509, they capturedSogdia and they took 'Sughd' (the capital ofSogdiana).[74]
Around 560 CE their empire was destroyed by an alliance of the First Turkic Khaganate and theSasanian Empire, but some of them remained as local rulers in the region ofTokharistan for the next 150 years, under the suzerainty of the Western Turks, followed by theTokhara Yabghus.[57][74] Among the principalities which remained in Hephthalite hands even after the Turkic overcame their territory were:Chaganian, andKhuttal in theVakhsh Valley.[74]
Ascendancy over the Sasanian Empire (442–c.530 CE)
Early Hephthalite coinage: a close imitation of a coin type of theSasanian EmperorPeroz I (third period coinage of Peroz I, after 474 CE).[17] Late 5th century CE. This coinage is typically distinguished from Sasanian issues by dots around the border and the abbreviation (ηβ "ēb") in front of the crown of Peroz I, abbreviation of ηβοδαλο "ĒBODALO", for "Hepthalites".[28]A rareHephthalite coin.Obverse: Hephthalite prince wearing a belted caftan with single right lapel, and holding a drinking cup. Probable Bactrian legend ηβοδαλο "ĒBODALO" to the right.[e]Reverse: Sasanian-style bust imitatingKhavadh I, whom the Hephthalites had helped to the Sasanian throne. Hephthalitetamgha before the face of Khavad.[e][120] First half of the 6th century CE.
The Hephthalites were originally vassals of theRouran Khaganate but split from their overlords in the early fifth century. The next time they were mentioned was in Persian sources as foes ofYazdegerd II (435–457), who from 442, fought 'tribes of the Hephthalites', according to the ArmenianElisee Vardaped.
In 453, Yazdegerd moved his court east to deal with the Hephthalites or related groups.
In 458, a Hephthalite king calledAkhshunwar helped theSasanian EmperorPeroz I (458–484) gain the Persian throne from his brother.[121] Before his accession to the throne, Peroz had been the Sasanian forSistan in the far east of the Empire, and therefore had been one of the first to enter into contact with the Hephthalites and request their help.[122]
The Hephthalites may have also helped the Sasanians to eliminate another Hunnic tribe, theKidarites: by 467, Peroz I, with Hephthalite aid, reportedly managed to capture Balaam and put an end to Kidarite rule inTransoxiana once and for all.[123] The weakened Kidarites had to take refuge in the area ofGandhara.
Later, however, from 474 CE, Peroz I fought three wars with his former allies the Hephthalites. In the first two, he himself was captured and ransomed.[17] Following his second defeat, he had to offer thirty mules loaded with silver drachms to the Hephthalites, and also had to leave his sonKavad as a hostage.[122] The coinage ofPeroz I in effect flooded Tokharistan, taking precedence over all other Sasanian issues.[124]
WhenKavad was ransomedPeroz I again attacked the Hephthalites resulting In the third battle, theBattle of Herat (484), where he was defeated and killed by the Hepthalite king Kun-khi.[125] For the next two years the Hephthalites plundered and controlled the eastern part of the Sasanian Empire.[121][126] Perozduxt, the daughter of Peroz, was captured and became a lady as the Hephtalite court, as Queen of king Kun-khi.[126] She became pregnant and had a daughter who would later marry her uncleKavad I.[122] From 474 until the middle of the 6th century, the Sasanian Empire paid tribute to the Hephthalites.
Bactria came under formal Hephthalite rule from that time.[3] Taxes were levied by the Hephthalites over the local population: a contract in theBactrian language from the archive of theKingdom of Rob, has been found, which mentions taxes from the Hephthalites, requiring the sale of land in order to pay these taxes. It is dated to 483/484 CE.[3]
With theSasanian Empire paying a heavy tribute, from 474, the Hephthalites themselves adopted the winged, triple-crescent crownedPeroz I as the design for their coinage.[17] Benefiting from the influx ofSasanian silver coins, the Hephthalites did not develop their own coinage: they either minted coins with the same designs as the Sasanians, or simply countermarked Sasanian coins with their own symbols.[3] The coins countermarked with a Hephthalite sign were those used for the payment of tribute by the Sasanians.[127] They did not inscribe the name of their ruler, contrary to the habit of theAlchon Huns or theKidarites before them.[3] Exceptionally, one coin type deviates from the Sasanian design, by showing the bust of a Hepthalite prince holding a drinking cup.[3] Overall, the Sasanians paid "an enormous tribute" to the Hephthalites, until the 530s and the rise ofKhosrow I.[81]
Following their victory over Peroz I, the Hepthalites became protectors and benefactors of his sonKavad I, asBalash, a brother of Peroz took the Sasanian throne.[122]Kavad I lived with the Hepthalites for four years and married the daughter or sister of the Hephthalite king, who provided him with troops.[128] In 488, a Hepthalite army vanquished the Sasanian army of Balash, and was able to putKavad I (488–496, 498–531) on the throne.[122]
In 496–498, TheMazdakite movement and a revolt by the nobles and clergy overthrew Kavad I who fled to the Hephthalite.The Hephthalite king agreed to provide him with 30,000 troops, in return Kavad I was obliged to make territorial concessions and in 498 he handed over Chaganiyan to his allies.[129]
Hephthalite-style couple at a banquet, with man in single-lapel caftan. Inscription: "Dhenakk, the son ofxwn (Hun)".[132]Bactria, second half of the 5th century CE.[133] St. Petersburg,State Hermitage Museum.[3]
A tax receipt inBactrian for the Hephthalites in Tokharistan. Archives of theKingdom of Rob, 483/484 CE.[3]
Around 461–462 CE, anAlchon Hun ruler namedMehama is known to have been based in Eastern Tokharistan, possibly indicating a partition of the region between the Hephthalites in western Tokharistan, centered onBalkh, and theAlchon Huns in eastern Tokharistan, who would then go on to expand into northern India.[134]Mehama appears ina letter in the Bactrian language he wrote in 461–462 CE, where he describes himself as "Meyam, King of the people of Kadag, the governor of the famous and prosperous King of Kings Peroz".[134] Kadag is Kadagstan, an area in southern Bactria, in the region ofBaghlan. Significantly, he presents himself as a vassal of theSasanian Empire kingPeroz I, but Mehama was probably later able to wrestle autonomy or even independence as Sasanian power waned and he moved into India, with dire consequences for theGupta Empire.[134][135][136]
The Hepthalites probably expanded intoTokharistan following the destruction of theKidarites in 466. The presence of the Hepthalites in Tokharistan (Bactria) is securely dated to 484 CE, date ofa tax receipt from theKingdom of Rob mentioning the need to sell some land in order to pay Hephthalite taxes.[137] Two documents were also found, with dates from the period from 492 to 527 CE, mentioning taxes paid to Hephthalite rulers. Another, undated documents, mentions scribal and judiciary functions under the Hephthalites:
Sartu, the son of Hwade-gang, the prosperousYabghu of the Hepthalite people (ebodalo shabgo); Haru Rob, the scribe of the Hephthalite ruler (ebodalo eoaggo), the judge ofTokharistan andGharchistan.
Territory of the Imperial Hephthalites and main Asian polities c. 500 CE
The Hephthalites conquered the territory ofSogdiana, beyond theOxus, which was incorporated into their Empire.[140] They may have conquered Sogdiana as early as 479 CE, as this is the date of the last known embassy of the Sogdians to China.[140][141] Theaccount of the Liang Zhigongtu also seems to record that from around 479 CE, the Hephthalites occupied the region of Samarkand.[141] Alternatively, the Hephthalites may have occupied Sogdia later in 509 CE, as this is the date of the last known embassy fromSamarkand to the Chinese Empire, but this might not be conclusive as several cities, such asBalkh orKobadiyan, are known to have sent embassies to China as late as 522 CE, while under Hephthalite control.[141] As early as 484, the famous Hephthalite rulerAkhshunwar, who defeatedPeroz I, held a title that may be understood as Sogdian: "’xs’wnd’r" ("power-holder").[141]
The Hephthalites may have built major fortifiedHippodamian cities (rectangular walls with an orthogonal network of streets) in Sogdiana, such asBukhara andPanjikent, as they had also inHerat, continuing the city-building efforts of theKidarites.[141] The Hephthalites probably ruled over a confederation of local rulers or governors, linked through alliance agreements. One of these vassals may have been Asbar, ruler ofVardanzi, who also minted his own coinage during the period.[142]
The wealth of the Sasanian ransoms and tributes may have been reinvested in Sogdia, possibly explaining the prosperity of the region from that time.[141] Sogdia, at the center of a newSilk Road between China to the Sasanian Empire and theByzantine Empire became extremely prosperous under its nomadic elites.[143] The Hephthalites took on the role of major intermediary on theSilk Road, after their great predecessor theKushans, and contracted localSogdians to carry on the trade of silk and other luxury goods between the China Empire and the Sasanian Empire.[144]
Because of the Hephthalite occupation of Sogdia, the original coinage of Sogdia came to be flooded by the influx of Sasanian coins received as a tribute to the Hephthalites. This coinage then spread along theSilk Road.[140] The symbol of the Hephthalites appears on the residual coinage ofSamarkand, probably as a consequence of the Hephthalite control of Sogdia, and becomes prominent in Sogdian coinage from 500 to 700 CE, including in the coinage of their indigenous successors theIkhshids (642-755 CE), ending with theMuslim conquest of Transoxiana.[145][146]
In the late 5th century CE they expanded eastward through thePamir Mountains, which are comparatively easy to cross, as did theKushans before them, due to the presence of convenient plateaus between high peaks.[155] They occupied the westernTarim Basin (Kashgar andKhotan), taking control of the area from theRourans, who had been collecting heavy tribute from the oasis cities, but were now weakening under the assaults of the ChineseNorthern Wei dynasty.[44] In 479 they took the east end of the Tarim Basin, around the region ofTurfan.[44][156] In 497–509, they pushed north of Turfan to theUrumchi region.[156] In the early years of the 6th century, they were sending embassies from their dominions in the Tarim Basin to the Northern Wei dynasty.[44][156] They were probably in contact withLi Xian, the Chinese Governor ofDunhuang, who is known for having furnished his tomb with a Western-styleewer probably made inBactria.[156]
The Hephthalites continued to occupy the Tarim Basin until the end of their Empire, circa 560 CE.[44][157]
As the territories ruled by the Hephthalites expanded into Central Asia and the Tarim Basin, the art of the Hephthalites, characterized by the clothing and hairstyles of the figures being represented, also came to be used in the areas they ruled, such asSogdiana,Bamyan orKucha in theTarim Basin (Kizil Caves,Kumtura Caves,Subashi reliquary).[147][47][158] In these areas appear dignitaries with caftans with a triangular collar on the right side, crowns with three crescents, some crowns with wings, and a unique hairstyle. Another marker is the two-point suspension system for swords, which seems to have been an Hephthalite innovation, and was introduced by them in the territories they controlled.[147] The paintings from theKucha region, particularly the swordsmen in theKizil Caves, appear to have been made during Hephthalite rule in the region, circa 480–550 CE.[147][159] The influence of theart of Gandhara in some of the earliest paintings at theKizil Caves, dated to circa 500 CE, is considered as a consequence of the political unification of the area between Bactria andKucha under the Hephthalites.[160] Some words of theTocharian languages may have been adopted from the Hephthalites in the 6th century CE.[161]
The early Turks of the First Turkic Khaganate then took control of theTurfan andKucha areas from around 560 CE, and, in alliance with theSasanian Empire, became instrumental in the fall of the Hepthalite Empire.[162]
When the Suolu (Northern Wei) entered (the Chinese frontier) and settled inthe (valley of the river) Sanggan (i.e. in the period 398–494 CE), the Hua was still a small country and under the rule of theRuirui. In theQi period (479–502 CE), they left (their original area) for the first time and shifted to Moxian (possiblySamarkand), where they settled.[170] Growing more and more powerful in the course of time, the Hua succeeded in conquering the neighbouring countries such as Bosi (Sasanid Persia), Panpan (Tashkurgan?), Jibin (Kashmir), Wuchang (Uddiyana orKhorasan), Qiuci (Kucha), Shule (Kashgar), Yutian (Khotan) and Goupan (Karghalik), and expanded their territory by a thousandli...[169]
ThePortraits of Periodical Offering of Liang mentions that no envoys from the Hephthalites came before 516 to the southern court, and it was only in that year that a Hephthalite King named Yilituo Yandai (姓厭帶名夷栗陁) sent an ambassador named Puduoda[] (蒲多达[], possibly a Buddhist name "Buddhadatta" or "Buddhadāsa").[165][171] In 520, another ambassador named Fuheliaoliao (富何了了) visited the Liang court, bringing a yellow lion, a white marten fur coat and Persian brocade as present.[165][171] Another ambassador named Kang Fuzhen (康符真), followed with presents as well (in 526 CE according to theLiangshu).[165][171] Their language had to be translated by theTuyuhun.[171]
InPortraits of Periodical Offering ofLiang, the Hepthalithes are treated as the most important foreign state, as they occupy the leading position, at the front of the column of foreign ambassadors, and have by far the largest descriptive text.[172] The Hepthalites were, according to theLiangshu (Chap.54), accompanied in their embassy by three states:Humidan (胡蜜丹),Yarkand (周古柯, Khargalik) andKabadiyan (呵跋檀).[173] The envoys from right to left were: the Hephthalites (滑/嚈哒),Persia (波斯),Korea (百濟),Kucha (龜茲),Japan (倭),Malaysia (狼牙脩),Qiang (鄧至),Yarkand (周古柯,Zhouguke, "nearHua"),[173]Kabadiyan (呵跋檀Hebatan, "nearHua"),[173]Kumedh (胡蜜丹,Humidan, "nearHua"),[173]Balkh (白題,Baiti, "descendants of theXiongnu and east of theHua"),[173] and finallyMerv (末).[172][164][174]
Most of the ambassadors from Central Asia are shown wearing heavy beards and relatively long hair, but, in stark contrast, the Hephthalite ambassador, as well as the ambassador fromBalkh, are clean-shaven and bare-headed, and their hair is cropped short.[175] These physical characteristics are also visible in many of the Central Asian seals of the period.[175]
Overall, Chinese chronicles recorded twenty-four Hephthalite embassies: the first embassy in 456, and the others from 507 to 558 CE (including fifteen to theNorthern Wei until the end of this dynasty in 535, and five to theSouthern Liang in 516–541).[176][177] The last three are mentioned in theZhoushu, which records that the Hepththalites had conqueredAnxi,Yutian (Hotan region inXinjiang) and more than twenty other countries, and that they sent embassies to the Chinese court of theWestern Wei andNorthern Zhou in 546, 553 and 558 CE respectively, after what the Hepthalites were "crushed by the Turks" and embassies stopped.[178]
Ruins ofShahr-e Zuhak, a Hephthalite fortress in Bamiyan
The complex of theBuddhas of Bamiyan was developed under Hephthalite rule.[86][87][181] After the dissolution of their empire in 550–560, the Hephthalites continued to rule in the geographical areas corresponding toTokharistan and today's northernAfghanistan,[1][182][183] and particularly held a series of castles on the roads to Bamiyan.[184] Carbon dating of the structural components of the Buddhas has determined that the smaller 38 m (125 ft) "Eastern Buddha" was built around 570 CE (544–595 CE with 95% probability), while the larger 55 m (180 ft) "Western Buddha" was built around 618 CE (591–644 CE with 95% probability).[84] This corresponds to the period soon before or after the major defeat of the Hephthalites against the combined forces of Western Turk andSasanian Empire (557 CE), or the following period during which they regrouped south of the Oxus as Principalities, but essentially before the Western Turks finally overran the region to form theTokhara Yabghus (625 CE).
Among the most famous paintings of the Buddhas of Bamyan, the ceiling of the smaller Eastern Buddha represents a solar deity on a chariot pulled by horses, as well as ceremonial scenes with royal figures and devotees.[179] The god is wearing a caftan in the style ofTokhara, boots, and is holding a lance, he is "The Sun God and a Golden Chariot Rising in Heaven".[185] His representation is derived from the iconography of the Iranian godMithra, as revered inSogdia.[185] He is riding a two-wheeled golden charriot, pulled by four horses.[185] Two winged attendants are standing to the side of the charriot, wearing aCorinthian helmet with a feather, and holding a shield.[185] In the top portion are wind gods, flying with a scarf held in both hands.[185] This great composition is unique, and has no equivalent inGandhara orIndia, but there are some similarities with the painting ofKizil orDunhuang.[185]
The central image of the Sun God on his golden chariot is framed by two lateral rows in individuals: Kings and dignitaries mingling with Buddhas andBodhisattvas.[109]One of the personages, standing behind a monk in profile, much be the King of Bamyan.[109] He wears a crenelated crown with single crescent andkorymbos, a round-neck tunic and a Sasanian headband.[109] Several of the figures, eitherroyal couples,crowned individuals orrichly dressed women, have the characteristic appearance of the Hephthalites ofTokharistan, with belted jackets with a unique lapel of their tunic being folded on the right side, the cropped hair, the hair accessories, their distinctive physionomy and their round beardless faces.[76][109][186] These figures must represent the donors and potentates who supported the building of the monumental giant Buddha.[109] They are gathered around theSeven Buddhas of the past andMaitreya.[187] The individuals in this painting are very similar to the individuals depicted inBalalyk Tepe, and they may be related to theHepthalites.[76][188] They participate "to the artistic tradition of the Hephthalite ruling classes ofTukharestan".[189]
These murals disappeared with the destruction of the statues by theTaliban in 2001.[109]
Hephthalite royals on the tombs of Sogdian traders
TheTomb of Wirkak is the tomb of a 6th-century Sogdian trader established in China, and discovered inXi'an.[190] It seems that depictions of Hephthalite rulers are omnipresent in the pictorial decorations of the tomb, as royal figures with elaborate Sasanian-type crowns appearing in their palaces, nomadic yurts or while hunting.[190] Hephthalites rulers are shown short-haired, wearing tunics, and are often depicted together with their female consort.[190] The Sogdian trader Wirkak may therefore have primarily dealt with the Hephthalites during his young years (he was around 60 when the Hephthalites were finally destroyed by the alliance of theSasanians and the Turks between 556 and 560 CE).[191] The Hephthalites also appear in four panels of theMiho funerary couch (c.570 CE) with somewhat caricatural features, and characteristics of vassals to the Turks.[192] On the contrary, the depictions in the tombs of later Sogdian traders, such as theTomb of An Jia (who was 24 years younger than Wirwak), already show the omnipresence of the Turks of the First Turkic Khaganate, who were probably his main trading partners during his active life.[191]
End of the Empire and fragmentation into Hephthalite Principalities (560–710 CE)
AfterKavad I, the Hephthalites seem to have shifted their attention away from theSasanian Empire, and Kavad's successorKhosrow I (531–579) was able to resume an expansionist policy to the east.[122] According toal-Tabari, Khosrow I managed, through his expansionsit policy, to take control of "Sind, Bust, Al-Rukkhaj,Zabulistan,Tukharistan, Dardistan, andKabulistan" as he ultimately defeated the Hephthalites with the help of the First Turkic Khaganate.[122]
In 552, theGöktürks took over Mongolia, formed theFirst Turkic Khaganate, and by 558 reached theVolga. Circa 555–567,[g] the Turks of the First Turkic Khaganate and the Sasanians underKhosrow I allied against the Hephthalites and defeated them after an eight-day battle nearQarshi, theBattle of Gol-Zarriun, perhaps in 557.[h][195]
These events put an end to the Hephthalite Empire, which fragmented into semi-independent Principalities, paying tribute to either the Sasanians or the Turks, depending on the military situation.[1][182] After the defeat, the Hephthalites withdrew to Bactria and replaced king Gatfar withFaghanish, the ruler ofChaghaniyan. Thereafter, the area around the Oxus inBactria contained numerous Hephthalites principalities, remnants of the greatHephthalite Empire destroyed by the alliance of the Turks and the Sasanians.[196] They are reported in theZarafshan valley,Chaghaniyan,Khuttal,Termez,Balkh,Badghis,Herat andKabul, in the geographical areas corresponding toTokharistan and today's northernAfghanistan.[1][182][183] They also held a series of castles on the roads toBamiyan.[184] Extensive Hephthalitekurghan necropoli have been excavated all over the region, as well as a possible one in the Bamiyan valley.[197]
The Sasanians and Turks established a frontier for their zones of influence along theOxus river, and the Hephthalite Principalities functioned as buffer states between two Empires.[182] But when the Hephthalites choseFaghanish as their king in Chaganiyan,Khosrow I crossed the Oxus and put the Principalities ofChaghaniyan andKhuttal under tribute.[182]
When Khosrow I died in 579, the Hephthalites ofTokharistan andKhotan took advantage of the situation to rebel against the Sasanians, but their efforts were obliterated by the Turks.[182] By 581 or before, the western part of the First Turkic Khaganate separated and became theWestern Turkic Khaganate. In 588, triggering theFirst Perso-Turkic War, the TurkicKhaganBagha Qaghan (known as Sabeh/Saba inPersian sources), together with his Hephthalite subjects, invaded the Sasanian territories south of the Oxus, where they attacked and routed the Sasanian soldiers stationed inBalkh, and then proceeded to conquer the city along withTalaqan,Badghis, andHerat.[198] They were finally repelled by the Sasanian generalVahram Chobin.[182]
Circa 600, the Hephthalites were raiding theSasanian Empire as far asIspahan (Spahan) in central Iran. The Hephthalites issued numerous coins imitating the coinage of Khosrow II, adding on the obverse aHephthalite signature inSogdian and aTamgha symbol.
Circa 616/617 CE theGöktürks and Hephthalites raided theSasanian Empire, reaching the province of Isfahan.[199] Khosrow recalledSmbat IV Bagratuni fromPersian Armenia and sent him to Iran to repel the invaders. Smbat, with the aid of a Persian prince named Datoyean, repelled the Hephthalites from Persia, and plundered their domains ineastern Khorasan, where Smbat is said to have killed their king in single combat. Khosrow then gave Smbat the honorific titleKhosrow Shun ("the Joy or Satisfaction of Khosrow"), while his sonVaraztirots II Bagratuni received the honorific nameJavitean Khosrow ("Eternal Khosrow").[200]
From 625 CE, the territory of the Hephthalites fromTokharistan toKabulistan was taken over by theWestern Turks, forming an entity ruled by Western Turk nobles, theTokhara Yabghus.[182] The Tokhara Yabghus or "Yabghus of Tokharistan" (Chinese:吐火羅葉護;pinyin:Tǔhuǒluó Yèhù), were a dynasty ofWestern Turk sub-kings, with the title "Yabghus", who ruled from 625 CE south of theOxus river, in the area ofTokharistan and beyond, with some smaller polities surviving in the area ofBadakhshan until 758 CE. Their legacy was extended to the southeast until the 9th century CE, with theTurk Shahis and theZunbils.
Circa 650 CE, during the Arab conquest of the Sasanian Empire, the Sasanian Empire rulerYazdegerd III was trying to regroup and gather forces around Tokharistan and was hoping to obtain the help of the Turks, after his defeat to the Arabs in theBattle of Nihâvand (642 CE).[204] Yazdegerd was initially supported by the HephthalitePrincipality of Chaghaniyan, which sent him troops to aid him against the Arabs. But when Yazdegerd arrived inMerv (in what is today'sTurkmenistan) he demanded tax from theMarzban of Marw, losing his support and making him ally with the Hephthalite ruler ofBadghis,Nezak Tarkan. The Hepthalite ruler of Badghis allied with theMarzban of Merv attack Yazdegerd and defeated him in 651.[204] Yazdegerd III barely escaped with his life but was murdered in the vicinity of Merv soon after, and the Arabs managed to capture the city of Merv the same year.[204]
In 652 CE, following theSiege of Herat (652) to which the Hephthalites participated, the Arabs captured the cities of northern Tokharistan,Balkh included, and the Hepthalites principalities were forced to pay tribute and accept Arab garrisons.[204] The Hephthalites again rebelled in 654 CE, leading to theBattle of Badghis.
In 659, Chinese chronicles still mentioned the "Hephtalite Tarkans" (悒達太汗Yida Taihan, probably related to "Nezak Tarkan"), as some of the rulers in Tokharistan who remained theoretically subjects to the Chinese Empire, and whose main city was Huolu 活路 (modernMazār-e Sherif, Afghanistan).[205][206]
The city ofMerv became the base of the Arabs for their Central Asian operations.[204] The Arabs weakened during the 4-year civil war leading to the establishment of theUmayyad Caliphate in 661, but they were able to continue their expansion after that.[204]
Hephthalite revolts against the Ummayad Caliphate (689–710 CE)
Hephthalite copy of a Sasano-Arab coin ofAbd Allah ibn Khazim withAH 69 (688 CE) date. In the margin: a Hephthalite countermark with crowned facing head and a latetamgha. Circa 700 CE.
Circa 689 CE, the Hephthalite ruler ofBadghis and the Arab rebel Musa ibn Abd Allah ibn Khazim, son of theZubayrid governor of KhurasanAbd Allah ibn Khazim al-Sulami, allied against the forces of theUmayyad Caliphate.[207] The Hepthalites and their allies capturedTermez in 689, repelled the Arabs, and occupied the whole region ofKhorasan for a brief period, with Termez as the capital, described by the Arabs as "the headquarters of the Hephthalites" (dār mamlakat al-Hayāṭela).[208][209] The Arabs of theUmayyad Caliphate underYazid ibn al-Muhallab re-capturedTermez in 704.[207][205]Nezak Tarkan, the ruler of the Hephthalites of Badghis, led a new revolt in 709 with the support of other principalities as well as his nominal ruler, theYabghu of Tokharistan.[208] In 710,Qutaiba ibn Muslim was able to re-establish Muslim control over Tokharistan and captured Nezak Tarkan who was executed onal-Hajjaj's orders, despite promises of pardon, while the Yabghu was exiled toDamascus and kept there as a hostage.[210][211][212]
In 718 CE, Chinese chronicles still mention the Hephthalites (悒達Yida) as one of the polities under the suzerainty of the TurkicTokhara Yabghus, capable of providing 50,000 soldiers at the service of its overlord.[205] Some remnants, not necessarily dynastic, of the Hephthalite confederation would be incorporated into theGöktürks, as anOld Tibetan document, dated to the 8th century, mentioned the tribeHeb-dal among 12Dru-gu tribes ruled byEastern Turkic khaganBug-chor, i.e.Qapaghan Qaghan[213] Chinese chronicles report embassies from the "Hephtalite kingdom" as late as 748 CE.[205][2]
Swords with ornate cloisonné designs, found in the paintings of theKizil Caves, may be versions of daggers produced under Hephthalite influence.[147] The sword guards of the knights () depicted in the "Cave of the Painters" at Kizil have typicalHunnish designs of rectangle or oval shapes withcloisonné ornamentation, and are dated to the 5th century CE.[214]
The Hephthalites were considered to be a powerful military force.[215] Depending on sources, their main weapon was the bow, the mace or the sword.[215] The Chinese considered them excellent archers.[216] Judging from their military achievements, they probably had a strong cavalry.[215] In Persia, according to the 6th-century Armenian chroniclerLazar Parpetsi:
Even in time of peace the mere sight or mention of a Hephthalite terrified everybody, and there was no question of going to war openly against one, for everybody remembered all too clearly the calamities and defeats inflicted by the Hephthalites on the king of the Aryans and on the Persians.[215]
"Hunnic" designs in weaponry are known to have influenced Sasanian designs during the 6th–7th century CE, just before the Islamic invasions.[217] The Sasanians adopted Hunnish nomadic designs for straight iron swords and their gold-covered scabbards.[217] This is particularly the case of two-straps suspension design, in which straps of different lengths were attached to a P-shaped projection on the scabbard, so that the sword could be held sideways, making it easier to draw, especially when on horseback.[217] The two-point suspension system for swords is considered to have been introduced by the Hephthalites in Central Asia and in the Sasanian Empire and is a marker of their influence, and the design was generally introduced by them in the territories they controlled.[147] The first example of two-suspension sword in Sasanian art occurs in a relief ofTaq-i Bustan dated to the time ofKhusro II (590–628 CE), and is thought to have been adopted from the Hepthalites.[147]
Swords with ornate cloisonné designs and two-straps suspensions, as found in the paintings ofPenjikent andKizil and in archaeological excavations, may be versions of the daggers produced under Hephthalite influence.[218] Weapons with Hunnic designs are depicted in the "Cave of the Painters" in theKizil Caves, in a mural showing armoured warriors and dated to the 5th century CE.[214] Their sword guards have typicalHunnish designs of rectangle or oval shapes withcloisonné ornamentation.[214] TheGyerim-ro dagger, found in a tomb in Korea, is a 5-6th century highly decorated dagger and scabbard of "Hunnic" two-straps suspension design, introduced by the Hephthalites in Central Asia.[219] The Gyerim-ro dagger is thought to have reached Korea either through trade or as a diplomatic gift.[220]
The Buddhist "Hunter King" fromKakrak, a valley next toBamyan is often presented as a result of Hephthalite influence, especially in reference to the "triple-crescent crown". Wall paintings from the 7th–8th century, Kabul Museum.[222][223]
Polyandry was the Hephthalites most noteworthy social custom. Brothers had one wife in common and the children were considered as belonging to the oldest brother. The number of ‘horns’ on a married woman’s headdress corresponded to the number of her husbands.[224] They were also said to practiceartificial cranial deformation. Chinese sources said they worshiped 'foreign gods', 'demons', the 'heaven god' or the 'fire god'. The Gokturks told the Byzantines that they had walled cities. Some Chinese sources said that they had no cities and lived in tents. Litvinsky tries to resolve this by saying that they were nomads who moved into the cities they had conquered. There were some government officials but central control was weak and local dynasties paid tribute.[225]
According toSong Yun, the Chinese Buddhist monk who visited the Hephthalite territory in 540 and "provides accurate accounts of the people, their clothing, the empresses and court procedures and traditions of the people and he states the Hephthalites did not recognize the Buddhist religion and they preached pseudo gods, and killed animals for their meat."[226] It is reported that some Hephthalites often destroyed Buddhist monasteries but these were rebuilt by others. According toXuanzang, the third Chinese pilgrim who visited the same areas as Song Yun about 100 years later, the capital ofChaghaniyan had five monasteries.[61]
Although Song Yun states that the Hephthalites did not believe in Buddhism, Buddhist religious establishments flourished inTokharistan and other areas. In India, however, the Hephthalites showed intolerance towards Buddhist religious establishments.[227]
The triple-crescent crown in thisPenjikent mural (top left corner), is considered as a Hephthalite marker. 7th-early 8th century.[228]
According to historian André Wink, "...in the Hephthalite dominionBuddhism was predominant but there was also a religious sediment ofZoroastrianism andManichaeism."[8]Balkh had some 100Buddhist monasteries and 30,000 monks. Outside the town was a large Buddhist monastery, later known asNaubahar.[61] There were also many adherents ofHindu beliefs in Afghanistan and in Tokharistan.[229]
There wereChristians among the Hephthalites by the mid-6th century, although nothing is known of how they were converted. In 549, they sent a delegation toAba I, thepatriarch of theChurch of the East, asking him to consecrate a priest chosen by them as their bishop, which the patriarch did. The new bishop then performed obeisance to both the patriarch and the Sasanian king,Khosrow I. The seat of the bishopric is not known, but it may have beenBadghis–Qadištan, the bishop of which, Gabriel, sent a delegate to the synod of PatriarchIshoyahb I in 585.[230] It was probably placed under themetropolitan of Herat. The church's presence among the Hephthalites enabled them to expand their missionary work across the Oxus. In 591, some Hephthalites serving in the army of the rebelBahram Chobin were captured byKhosrow II and sent to theRoman emperorMaurice as a diplomatic gift. They hadNestorian crosses tattooed on their foreheads.[9][231]
Stamp seal with a bearded figure in Sasanian dress, wearing thekulāf denoting nobility and officials; and a figure with radiate crown,[i] both with royal ribbons. Attributed to the Hephthalites,[233] and recently dated to the 5th–6th century CE.[234] According to earlier sources, Bivar (1969) and Livshits (1969), repeated by the British Museum, the seal was dated to the 300–350 CE.[235][236]Stamp seal (BM 119999),British Museum.
Several seals found in Bactria and Sogdia have been attributed to the Hephthalites.
The "Hephthalite Yabghu seal" shows a Hephthalite ruler with a radiate crown, royal ribbons and a beardless face, with theBactrian script title "EbodaloYabghu" ( ηβοδαλο ββγο, "The Lord of the Hephthalites"), and has been dated to the end of the 5th century-early 6th century CE.[3][26][33] This important seal was published by Judith A. Lerner andNicholas Sims-Williams in 2011.[237]
Stamp seal (BM 119999) in theBritish Museum shows two facing figures, one bearded and wearing the Sasanian dress, and the other without facial hair and wearing a radiate crown, both being adorned with royal ribbons. This seal was initially dated to 300–350 CE and attributed to theKushano-Sasanians,[235][238] but has been more recently attributed to the Hephthalites,[233] and dated to the 5th–6th century CE.[234] Paleographically, the seal can be attributed to the 4th century or first half of the 5th century.[239]
The "Seal of Khingila" shows a beardless ruler with radiate crown and royal ribbons, wearing a single-lapel caftan, in the name of Eškiŋgil (εϸχιγγιλο), which could correspond to one of the rulers named Khingila (χιγγιλο), or may be a Hunnic title meaning "Companion of the Sword", or even "Companion of the God of War".[240][241]
The Hephthalites governed a confederation of various people, many of whom were probably of Iranian descent, speaking an Iranian language.[242] Several cities, such asBalkh,Kobadiyan and possiblySamarkand, were allowed to send regional embassies to China while under Hephthalite control.[141] Several portraits of regional ambassadors from the territories occupied by the Hephthalites (Tokharistan,Tarim Basin) are known from Chinese paintings such as thePortraits of Periodical Offering of Liang, originally painted in 526–539 CE.[169] They were at that time under the overlordship of the Hephthalites, who led the embassies to theSouthern Liang court in the early 6th century CE.[172][173] A century later, under theTang dynasty, portraits of the local people of Tokharistan were again illustrated inThe Gathering of Kings, circa 650 CE.Etienne de la Vaissière has estimated the local population of each major oasis inTokharistan andWestern Turkestan during the period to around several hundreds of thousands each, while the major oasis of theTarim Basin are more likely to have had populations ranging in the tens of thousands each.[243]
Find spots of epigraphic inscriptions (red dots) indicating local control by the Alchon Huns in India between 500–530 CE.[244]
TheAlchon Huns, who invaded northern India and were known there as "Hūṇas", have long been considered as a part or a sub-division of the Hephthalites, or as their eastern branch, but now tend to be considered as a separate entity, who may have been displaced by the settlement of the Hephthalites in Bactria.[245][246][247] Historians such asBeckwith, referring toÉtienne de la Vaissière, say that the Hephthalites were not necessarily one and the same as the Hunas (Sveta Huna).[248] According to de la Vaissiere, the Hephthalites are not directly identified in classical sources alongside that of the Hunas.[249] They were initially based in theOxus basin in Central Asia and established their control over Gandhara in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent by about 465 CE.[250] From there, they fanned out into various parts of northern, western, and centralIndia.
A number of groups may have descended from the Hephthalites.[257][258]
Avars: suggestions have been made that thePannonian Avars were Hepthalites who went to Europe after their collapse in 557 CE, but this is not adequately supported by archaeological or written sources.[259]
Pashtuns: The Hephthalites may have contributed to the ethnogenesis ofPashtuns. Yu. V. Gankovsky, a Soviet historian on Afghanistan, stated: "Pashtun began as a union of largelyEast Iranian tribes, which became the initial ethnic stratum of the Pashtun ethnogenesis dating from the middle of the first millennium CE, and is connected with the dissolution of the Hephthalite confederacy."[260] According toThe Cambridge History of Iran the descendants of Hephthalites arePashtuns.[261]
Durrani: TheDurrani Pashtuns of Afghanistan were called "Abdali" before 1747. According to linguistGeorg Morgenstierne, their tribal nameAbdālī may have "something to do with" the Hephthalite.[262] This hypothesis was endorsed by historianAydogdy Kurbanov, who indicated that after the collapse of the Hephthalite confederacy, they likely assimilated into different local populations and that the Abdali may be one of the tribes of Hephthalite origin.[7]
Khalaj: TheKhalaj people are first mentioned in the 7th–9th centuries in the area ofGhazni,Qalati Ghilji, andZabulistan in present-dayAfghanistan. They spokeKhalaj Turkic.Al-Khwarizmi mentioned them as a remnant tribe of the Hephthalites. However, according to linguistSims-Williams, archaeological documents do not support the suggestion that the Khalaj were the Hephthalites' successors,[265] while according to historianV. Minorsky, the Khalaj were "perhaps only politically associated with the Hephthalites." Some of the Khalaj were laterPashtunized, after which they transformed into the PashtunGhilji tribe.[266]
Kanjina: a Saka tribe linked to theIndo-IranianKumijis[267][268] and incorporated into the Hephthalites. Kanjinas were possibly Turkicized later, asal-Khwarizmi called them "Kanjina Turks". However,Bosworth andClauson contended that al-Khwarizmi was simply using "Turks" "in the vague and inaccurate sense".[269]
Karluks: (orQarlughids) were reported as settled in Ghazni and Zabulistan, present-day Afghanistan, in the thirteenth century. Many Muslim geographers identified "Karluks"Khallukh ~Kharlukh with "Khalajes"Khalaj from confusion, as the two names were similar and these two groups dwelt near each other.[270][271]
Abdal is a name associated with the Hephthalites. It is an alternate name for theÄynu people.
According toOrhan Köprülü,Abdal of Turkey might be descended from the Hepthalites.Albert von Le Coq mentions the relation between Abdals ofAdana and Äynus ofEast Turkestan, by them having some common words, and by both referring to themselves as Abdals and speaking an exclusive language among themselves.[272] Some Abdal elements can also be found in the composition ofAzerbaijanis, Turkmen (Ata,Chowdur,Ersary,Saryk), Kazakhs, Uzbek-Lokays,Turks and Volga Bulgars (Savirs).[273]
^de la Vaissière proposes underlying TurkicYeti-Al, later translated to IranianHaft-Al
^de la Vaissière also cited Sims-Williams, who noted that the initial η-ē of the Bactrian form ηβοδαλοĒbodālo precluded etymology based on Iranianhaft and consequently hypothetical underlyingTurkicyeti "seven"
^Similar crowns are known in other seals such as the seal of "Kedīr, the hazāruxt" ("Kedir theChiliarch"), dated by Sims-Williams to the last quarter of the 5th century CE from the paleography of the inscription.[31] Reference for the exact datation:Sundermann, Hintze & de Blois (2009), p. 218, note 14
^de la Vaissière (2012) pointed out that "[a] recently published seal gives the title of a fifth-century lord of Samarkand as 'king of the Oglar Huns.'"[69] (βαγο ογλαρ(γ)ο – υονανο). See the seal and this reading of the inscription in Hans Bakker (2020: 13, note 17), referencing from Sim-Williams (2011: 72-74).[70] "Oglar" is thought to derive from the Turkoǧul-lar >oǧlar "sons; princes" plus an Iranian adjective suffix -g.[71] Alternatively, and less likely, "Oglarg" could correspond to "Walkon", and thus theAlchon Huns, although the seal is closer toKidarites coin types.[71] Another seal found in the Kashmir reads "ολαρ(γ)ο" (seal AA2.3).[70] The Kashmir seal was published by Grenet, ur Rahman, and Sims-Williams (2006:125-127) who compared ολαργοUlarg on the seal to the ethnonym οιλαργανο "people ofWilarg" attested in a Bactrian document written in 629 CE.[72] The style of the sealings is related to theKidarites, and the title "Kushanshah" is known to have disappeared with the Kidarites.[73]
^abSee another example (with coin description).[119]
^A similar account of the rise and conquests of the Hua appears in theLiangshu (Volume 54)
^quote: "Sept Aryas". Tremblay X., "Pour une histoire de la Sérinde. Le manichéisme parmi les peuples et religions d’Asie Centrale d’après les sources primaires,Veröffentlichungen der Kommission für Iranistik,28, Verlag der Österreichischen Akademieder Wissenschaften, Vienne 2001, 185; cited in Étienne de la Vaissière, "Theophylact's TurkishExkurs Revisited" inDe Samarcande à Istanbul: étapes orientales . Hommages à Pierre ChuvinII, Paris, CNRS Editions, 2015, p. 93-94 of pp. 91-102
^abcdRezakhani 2017a, p. 208. "A seal bearing the legend ηβοδαλο ββγο, "Yabghu/governor of the Hephthal," shows the local, Bactrian form of their name, ēbodāl, which is commonly abbreviated to ηβ on their coins"
^Enoki, K. (December 1970). "The Liang shih-kung-t'u on the origin and migration of the Hua or Ephthalites".Journal of the Oriental Society of Australia.7 (1–2):37–45.
^"Asia Major, volume 4, part 1". Institute of History and Philology of the Academia Sinica, University of Indiana. 1954. Retrieved19 August 2017.
^M.A. Shaban (1971). "Khurasan at the Time of the Arab Conquest". In C.E. Bosworth (ed.).Iran and Islamin memory of the late Vlademir Minorsky. Edinburgh University Press. p. 481.ISBN0-85224-200-X.
^Christian, David (1998).A History of Russia, Inner Asia and Mongolia. Oxford: Basil Blackwell. p. 248.
^Rezakhani 2017, p. 135. "The suggestion that the Hephthalites were originally of Turkic origin and only later adopted Bactrian as their administrative, and possibly native, language (de la Vaissière 2007: 122) seems to be most prominent at present."
^Rezakhani 2017, p. 135. "The suggestion that the Hephthalites were originally of Turkic origin and only later adopted Bactrian as their administrative, and possibly native, language (de la Vaissière 2007: 122) seems to be most prominent at present."
^abcdefAzarpay, Guitty; Belenickij, Aleksandr M.; Maršak, Boris Il'ič; Dresden, Mark J. (1981).Sogdian Painting: The Pictorial Epic in Oriental Art. University of California Press. pp. 92–93.ISBN978-0-520-03765-6.
^de la Vaissière 2012, pp. 144–155. "The Huns are beyond doubt the political and ethnic inheritors of the old Xiongnu empire"
^Cosmo, Nicola Di; Maas, Michael (26 April 2018).Empires and Exchanges in Eurasian Late Antiquity: Rome, China, Iran, and the Steppe, ca. 250–750. Cambridge University Press. pp. 196–197.ISBN978-1-108-54810-6.In 2005, Étienne de la Vaissière, in a seminal article, used some new or little-known sources to argue that the Xiongnu had in fact called themselves "Huns," and that after the dissolution of their empire a considerable part of the northern Xiongnu remained in the Altai region. In the middle of the fourth century, two large groups of Huns departed from there, one southward to the lands north of Persia (Kidarites, Alkhan, Hephthalites) and the other one westward to Europe. Although based on limited sources, the contention that the imperial and post-imperial Xiongnu, the Hunnic dynasties north and east of the Sasanians, and the European Huns are directly linked is well argued.
^abcBlänsdorf, Catharina; Nadeau, Marie-Josée; Grootes, Pieter M.; Hüls, Matthias; Pfeffer, Stephanie; Thiemann, Laura (2009)."Dating of the Buddha Statues – AMS14 C Dating of Organic Materials"(PDF). In Petzet, Michael (ed.).The Giant Buddhas of Bamiyan. Safeguarding the remains(PDF). Monuments and Sites. Vol. 19. Berlin: Bässler. p. 235, Table 4.ISBN978-3-930388-55-4. Archived fromthe original on 4 February 2023. Retrieved17 November 2020.Eastern Buddha: 549 AD – 579 AD (1 σ range, 68.2% probability) 544 AD – 595 AD (2 σ range, 95.4% probability). Western Buddha: 605 AD – 633 AD (1 σ range, 68.2%) 591 AD – 644 AD (2 σ range, 95.4% probability).
^Azarpay, Guitty; Belenickij, Aleksandr M.; Maršak, Boris Il'ič; Dresden, Mark J. (1981).Sogdian Painting: The Pictorial Epic in Oriental Art. University of California Press. pp. 92–93.ISBN978-0-520-03765-6....would argue for their association with the artistic tradition of the Hepthalite ruling classes ofTukharistan, that survived the downfall of Hephthalite power in 557 AD.
^Xin Tangshuvol. 217a txt: "回紇，其先匈奴也，俗多乘高輪車，元魏時亦號高車部，或曰敕勒，訛為鐵勒。" tr: "Uyghurs, their predecessors were the Xiongnu. Because, customarily, they ride high-wheeled carts. InYuan Wei time, they were also called Gaoju (i.e. High-Cart) tribe. Or called Chile, or mistakenly as Tiele."
^WeishuVol 103 Gaoju txt: "高車，蓋古赤狄之餘種也，[...] 諸夏以為高車丁零。" tr: "Gaoju, probably the remnant stock of the ancient Red Di. [...] The various Xia (i.e. Chinese) considered them Gaoju Dingling (i.e. Dingling with High Cart)"
^Cheng, Fanyi. "The Research on the Identification between the Tiele (鐵勒) and the Oğuric tribes" inArchivum Eurasiae Medii Aevi ed. Th. T. Allsen, P. B. Golden, R. K. Kovalev, A. P. Martinez. 19 (2012). Harrassowitz Verlag, Wiesbaden. p. 87
^Lee, Joo-Yup; Kuang, Shuntu (2017). "A Comparative Analysis of Chinese Historical Sources and Y-DNA Studies with Regard to the Early and Medieval Turkic Peoples".Inner Asia. (19): p. 199-201 of pp. 197-239
^Weishu,vol. 103 txt: "高車，[...] 其語略與匈奴同而時有小異，或云其先匈奴之甥也", tr: "The Gaoju, [...] their language and the Xiongnu's are similar though differ a little; or to say it differently, they are the sororal nephews/sons-in-laws of their Xiongnu predecessors"
^Rakhmanov, Shaymardankul A. (2016). "Wall Paintings from Tavka, Uzbekistan".Journal of Inner Asian Art and Archaeology.7:31–54.doi:10.1484/J.JIAAA.4.2017003.ISSN1783-9025.
^Kageyama 2016, p. 200. "Il’yasov's article references figurines wearing caftans with triangular-shaped collars on the right side. This is believed to be a style of garment that became popular in Central Asia under Hephthalite rule"
^History of Civilizations of Central Asia. UNESCO. 2006. p. 44.ISBN978-9231032110.
^abcAdylov & Mirzaahmedov 2006, p. 36. "The third incursion cost him his own life and his camp was captured together with his daughter who was taken as a wife by the Hephtalite king Kun-khi"
^History of Civilizations of Central Asia. UNESCO. 2006. p. 143.ISBN978-9231032110.
^History of Civilizations of Central Asia. UNESCO. 2006. p. 143.ISBN978-9231032110.
^History of Civilizations of Central Asia. UNESCO. 2006. p. 143.ISBN978-9231032110.
^de la Vaissière 2012, pp. 144–160. "Sogdiana under its nomadic elites became the principal center of agricultural wealth and population in Central Asia." and paragraph on "The Shift of the Trade Routes"
^MUZIO, CIRO LO (2008). "Remarks on the Paintings from the Buddhist Monastery of Fayaz Tepe (Southern Uzbekistan)".Bulletin of the Asia Institute.22: 202, note 45.ISSN0890-4464.JSTOR24049243.
^Kageyama 2016, p. 200. Kageyama quoting the research of S. Hiyama, "Study on the first-style murals of Kucha: analysis of some motifs related to the Hephthalite's period”
^Balogh 2020, p. 47. "When the Suolu (Northern Wei) entered (the Chinese frontier) and settled in the (valley of the river) Sanggan (i.e. in the period 398–494 CE), the Hua was still a small country and under the rule of the Ruirui. In the Qi period (479–502 CE), they left (their original area) for the first time and shifted to Moxian (possibly Samarkand), where they settled."
^Kurbanov 2010, p. 67. "Seizing large areas, the Hephthalites met with various kinds of art and of course, to some extent, acted as intermediary in the transfer of artistic traditions of one nation to another. It is here, in the opinion of Albaum, that the similarity of some of the figures in paintings from Balalyk-tepe and those from Bamiyan must be sought, which then was part of the Hephthalite state. Such similarities are exemplified by the right side triangular lapel, hair accessories and some ornamental motifs."
^Azarpay, Guitty; Belenickij, Aleksandr M.; Maršak, Boris Il'ič; Dresden, Mark J. (1981).Sogdian Painting: The Pictorial Epic in Oriental Art. University of California Press. pp. 92–93.ISBN978-0-520-03765-6.A striking parallel to the Balalyk tepe murals is offered by files of donors represented on the right and left walls of the vault of the 34 m Buddha at Bamiyan. (...) The remarkable overall stylistic and iconographic resemblance between the two sets of paintings would argue for their association with the artistic tradition of the Hephthalite ruling classes ofTukharestan that survived the downfall of Hephthalite power in A.D. 577
^McNicoll, Anthony; Ball, Warwick (1996).Excavations at Kandahar 1974 and 1975: The First Two Seasons at Shahr-i Kohna (Old Kandahar) Conducted by the British Institute of Afghan Studies. British Archaeological Reports Limited.ISBN978-0-86054-826-3.Along with other Central Asian nomadic nations, the Hephthalites practices kurghan burial, and extensive Hephthalite necropoli have been excavated in Afghanistan at Sadiqabad near Charikar and Shakh Tepe near Qunduz. A kurghan necropolis has also been recorded in the Bamiyan Valley which, by association with the Bamiyan monuments, might also be Hephthalite ( or Yabghu ) (Note 25 See Levi 1972 69-70. It is surprising that in view of the importance of these tumulus burials and their possible association with Hephthalites in the Bamiyan Valley - they have gone unremarked in all the main authorities on Bamiyan, e.g., Klimburg - Salter 1989).
^Pourshariati, Parvaneh (2011).Decline and Fall of the Sasanian Empire: The Sasanian-Parthian Confederacy and the Arab Conquest of Iran. I.B. Tauris. p. 139.
^Martindale, John R.; Jones, A.H.M.; Morris, John (1992). "Varaztiroch".The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire: Volume III, AD 527–641. Cambridge University Press. pp. 1363–1364.ISBN0-521-20160-8.
^Esin, E. (1977). "Tarkhan Nīzak or Tarkhan Tirek? An Enquiry concerning the Prince of Badhghīs Who in A. H. 91/A. D. 709–710 Opposed the 'Omayyad Conquest of Central Asia".Journal of the American Oriental Society.97 (3): 330.doi:10.2307/600737.ISSN0003-0279.JSTOR600737.
^Venturi, Federica (2008). "An Old Tibetan document on the Uighurs: A new translation and interpretation".Journal of Asian History.1 (42): 21.
^Kageyama 2016, p. 200. "Its scabbard is beautifully decorated with cloisonné and has a trapezoidal shape that widens at the end. The same dagger style is found in Kazakhstan, and similar works also appear in paintings from Pendzhikent and Kizil as well as Sogdian funerary reliefs from Anyang19. These highly decorated works may be more elaborate versions of the dagger with two suspension mounts produced under Hephthalite influence."
^abSkupniewicz, Patryk (2017). "Crowns, hats, turbans and helmets. The headgear: 'On the Helmet on the Capital at Ṭāq-e Bostān again'". In Maksymiuk, Katarzyna; Karamian, Gholamreza (eds.).Iranian history volume I: Pre-Islamic Period. Tehran: Publishing House of Siedlce University of Natural Sciences and Humanities. p. 221.ISBN978-83-62447-19-0.
^History of Civilizations of Central Asia. UNESCO. 2006. p. 151.ISBN978-9231032110.
^Erica C. D. Hunter (1996), "The Church of the East in Central Asia",Bulletin of the John Rylands University Library of Manchester78(3): 129–142, at 133–134.
^Mehmet Tezcan (2020). "On 'Nestorian' Christianity Among the Hephthalites or the White Huns". In Li Tang & Dietmar W. Winkler (eds.).Artifact, Text, Context: Studies on Syriac Christianity in China and Central Asia. Lit Verlag. pp. 195–212.
^abLivshits, V. A. (2000). "Sogdian Sānak, a Manichaean Bishop of the 5th–Early 6th Centuries".Bulletin of the Asia Institute.14: 48.ISSN0890-4464.JSTOR24049013.
^Kurbanov 2010, p. 320. "A cornelian in the British museum, showing two facing busts with an inscription written in Ancient Sogdian of the period AD 300–350 and which was the seal of Indamīč, Queen of Začanta"
^Frye 2002, p. 49. "Just as laternomadic empires were confederations of many peoples, we may tentatively propose that the ruling groups of these invaders were, or at least included, Turkic-speaking tribesmen from the east and north, although most probably the bulk of the people in the confederation of Chionites and then Hephhtalites spoke an Iranian language. In this case, as normal, the nomads adopted the written language, institutions and culture of the settled folks."
^Bosworth, C.E. (1981). "The Rulers of Chaghāniyān in Early Islamic Times".Iran. Vol. 19. p. 20.
^Bosworth, C.E.; Clauson, Gerard (1965). "Al-Xwārazmī on the Peoples of Central Asia".The Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland (1/2):8–9.
^Minorsky, V. "Commentary onḤudūd al-ʿĀlam's "§ 15. The Khallukh" and "§ 24. Khorasanian Marches" pp. 286, 347–348
^Nilüfer Köşker (2016). "Abdals in Cultural Geography of Anatolia". In Hülya YALDIR; Recep EFE; Elżbieta ZUZAŃSKA-ŻYŚKO; Mehmet ARSLAN (eds.).Current Topics in Social Sciences. Sofia: ST. KLIMENT OHRIDSKI UNIVERSITY PRESS. p. 585.ISBN978-954-07-4135-2.
Alram, Michael (2014). "From the Sasanians to the Huns New Numismatic Evidence from the Hindu Kush".The Numismatic Chronicle.174:261–291.ISSN0078-2696.JSTOR44710198.
Dani, A.H.; Litvinsky, B.A.; Zamir Safi, M.H. "Eastern Kushans, Kidarites in Gandhara and Kashmir, and Later Hephthalites". InLitvinsky, Guang-da & Samghabadi (1996), pp. 163–184.
Decker, Michael J. (2022).The Sasanian Empire at War: Persia, Rome, and the Rise of Islam, 224–651. Westholme Publishing.
Härtel, Herbert; Yaldiz, Marianne (1982). Laing, M. E. D. (ed.).Along the Ancient Silk Routes: Central Asian Art from the West Berlin State Museums. Metropolitan Museum of Art.ISBN978-0-87099-300-8.Internet ArchiveGoogle Books
Zeimal, E.V. (1994). "The Circulation of Coins in Central Asia during the Early Medieval Period (Fifth–Eighth Centuries A.D.)".Bulletin of the Asia Institute.8:245–267.ISSN0890-4464.JSTOR24048777.
Grignaschi, M. (1980). "La Chute De L'Empire Hephthalite Dans Les Sources Byzantines et Perses et Le Probleme Des Avar".Acta Antiqua Academiae Scientiarum Hungarica.28. Budapest: Akademiai Kiado.
Haussig, Hans Wilhelm (1983).Die Geschichte Zentralasiens und der Seidenstraße in vorislamischer Zeit. Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft.ISBN3-534-07869-1.
The Hephthalites at theWayback Machine (archived 9 February 2005) Article archived from the University of Washington's Silk Road exhibition – has a slightly adapted form of the Richard Heli timeline.
(pdf) The Ethnonym Apar in the Turkish Inscriptions of the VIII. Century and Armenian Manuscripts – Mehmet Tezcan
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