Bactrian seal of Hephthalite in tulip headdress 5th-6th C. CE
"In Indian works, the Hephthalites are known as Sveta Huna; they are designated by these names in the Brhatsamhita of Varahamihira and in the Mahabharata. On the evidence of the Avesta, Bailey has identified Sveta Huna with Spet Hyon (meaning White Huns).
From the mid-fifth to the mid-sixth century Central Asia was ruled by the Hephthalite tribes. There are many gaps in our knowledge of the origin of the Hephthalites and the formation of their state, the first difficulty being that they are given different names in the various sources. In Chinese sources the name of the dynasty is I-ta (a variant of I-tien, ancient*iep-t’ien) and their king bears the name Yen-tai-i-li-t’o (ancient *Yeptalitha). In Syriac sources they are called eptalit, aβdel; in Greek-language sources, Aβδελαι, Eφθαλιται; in Armenian sources, hep’t‘al; in Middle Persian sources, eftal, and alsohyon; in Arabic sources, haital; and in New Persian sources, hetal. Another name for them is Chinese Hua.
According to Balcami, the etymology of the word ‘Hephthalites’ is as follows: ‘in the language of Bukhara’, it means ‘strong man’. In Khotanese Saka a similar word exists, meaning ‘brave, valiant’. The legends on Hephthalite coins are in the Bactrian script. They feature a Bactrian title, XOAΔHO, for the ruler together with another Bactrian title, šao. One coin bears the title bogo, meaning ‘lord’ or ‘ruler’. The names of Hephthalite rulers given in Firdausi’s Shah-nameare Iranian. Gem inscriptions and other evidence show that the official language of the ruling upper class of the Hephthalites in their Tokharistan territories was an East Iranian language.
Chinese sources do not agree on the origin of the Hephthalites. Some hold that they originated in Ch’e-shih, that is, from Turfan; others consider them to be ‘descendants of K’ang-chü’ in southern Kazakstan; still others postulate that they were descended from the Great Yüeh-chih.
The Chinese writer Wei Chieh, who personally conversed with some Hephthalites, dejectedly observed: However, the information has come from remote countries, and foreign languages are subject to corruption and misunderstanding. Moreover, it concerns matter of very ancient time. So we do not know what is certain. [In this way] it is impossible to decide [the origin of the Hephthalites].
The 6th-century Byzantine historian Procopius 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" (Note that Procopius is writing 100 years after Attila's day).
Ghirshman is inclined to agree with al-Masudi, who stated that the Hephthalites were Sogdians who lived between Bukhara and Samarqand. V. Livshits supported the theory of Ghirshman, noting “the basic conclusion of Ghirshman that the Hephthalites were one of the branches of the Chionites and that the own name of the Hephthalites was “Hyon” in Middle Persian sources (OIONO on coins)”.
Note that in the Sogdian Ancient Letter #2 from the 300s CE (you can find on my blog), the well-traveled Sogdians refer to the Xiongnu as "Xwn" [Hun] also.
-taken from wikipedia
-The Hephthalite empire by Litvinsky, B.A. (History of civilizations of Central Asia, v. 3: The Crossroads of civilizations, A.D. 250 to 750)
-The Hephthalites: Archaeological and Historical Analysis by Aydogdy Kurbanov
 |
| Bactrian seal of Hephthalite (or other Hun) in tulip headdress 5th-6th C. CE. Image credit: Nadeem - Eran ud Turan. |
Source:
Comments
Post a Comment