Xiong-nu

Considered to be the early ancestors of the Mongols, the Xiongnu (also Hsiong-nu or Hunnu) left an important mark on the history of Central Asia, as the first of the Central Asian nomadic tribes to establish their own state.

In 209 BCE, leader Modun Shanyu united the 24 Xiongnu tribes to form an empire whose seat was located near the Xangai Mountains, in the ORXON VALLEY. Under Modun Shanyu the Xiongnu built up considerable military strength, which eventually enabled them to win a defeat over Han-dynasty China in 198 BCE - leading the Chinese Emperor Gao Di to establish a truce with the Xiongnu, recognizing the independence and equality of their two states, and establish kinship ties with Modun.

The territory controlled by the Xiongnu extended from the Great Wall of China in the south as far as Lake Baikal in the north, and from Il Tarvagatai in the west to Korea in the east. Weakened by internal strife and the deceit of the Han Chinese, the Xiongnu state was divided into two parts in 53 CE, and was eventually conquered by the Sianbe in 93 CE.

Although Xiongnu society was controlled by a hereditary upper class, the clan structure and the influence of tribal chiefs remained intact. The Xiongnu state had three administrative divisions, governed by way of the "tenths" system; the central territory was controlled by the Shanyu himself, while the east and west territories were administered by princes appointed by the Shanyu. This political structure is seen to have survived in the states later established by the Mongols and the Turks.

The primary economic activity of the Xiongnu was pasture-based nomadic animal husbandry, supplemented to a significant extent by hunting. Agriculture is also known to have been practised within the Xiongnu state.

One of the main contributions made by the Xiongnu to cultural development was the creation of a system of writing, devised by adapting the Aramaic alphabet to the phonetics of their own language, supplemented by ancient tribal tamga symbols.

Important numbers of Xiongnu sites and artefacts have been discovered throughout Mongolia, the centre of the Xiongnu state, but also in areas occupied by sedentary peoples of China, Korea, Greece and the Middle East, demonstrating that the Xiongnu maintained wide-ranging relations with their sedentary neighbours.

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