Xiongnu
Sign in to saveThe Xiongnu (, ) were a tribal confederation of nomadic peoples who, according to ancient Chinese sources, inhabited the eastern Eurasian Steppe from the 3rd century BC to the late 1st century AD. Modu Chanyu, the supreme leader after 209 BC, founded the Xiongnu Empire.
AI overview
The Xiongnu were a powerful confederation of nomadic tribes who lived on the Eurasian Steppe from around the 3rd century BC until the late 1st century AD, eventually forming an organized empire under their leader Modu Chanyu starting in 209 BC. They matter because they represent one of the earliest and most significant nomadic powers in Eurasian history, and their rise fundamentally shaped the political and military landscape of ancient Asia.
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Key facts
- Country.map_caption
- Territory of the Xiongnu in the 2nd century BC (before the Han–Xiongnu Wars of 133 BC – 89 AD): it includes Mongolia, east Kazakhstan, east Kyrgyzstan, south Siberia, and parts of northern China such as western Manchuria, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia and Gansu.
- Country.conventional_long_name
- Xiongnu
- Country.common_name
- Xiongnu
- Country.era
- Antiquity
- Country.government_type
- Tribal confederation
- Country.common_languages
- various
- Country.capital
- Longcheng
- Country.year_start
- 3rd century BC
- Country.year_end
- 2nd century AD
- Country.religion
- Shamanism, Tengrism, Buddhism
- Country.demonym
- Xiongnu
Article
47 sectionsContents
- Name
- History
- Predecessors
- Early history
- State formation
- Xiongnu hierarchy
- Marriage diplomacy with Han dynasty
- Han–Xiongnu war
- Xiongnu Civil War (60–53 BC)
- Tributary relations with the Han
- Southern Xiongnu and Northern Xiongnu
- Northern Xiongnu
- Southern Xiongnu
- Descendants and later states in northern China
- Han-Zhao dynasty (304–329)
- Han (304–319)
- Former Zhao (319–329)
- Tiefu tribe and Helian Xia dynasty (309–431)
- Juqu clan and Northern Liang dynasty (401–460)
- Significance
- Ethnolinguistic origins{{anchor|Language}}
- Proposed link to the Huns
- Iranian theories
- Yeniseian theories
- Turkic theories
- Mongolic theories
- Multiple ethnicities
- Language isolate theories
- Geographic origins
- Archaeology
- Genetics
- Maternal lineages
- Paternal lineages
- Autosomal ancestry
- Relationship between ethnicity and status among the Xiongnu
- Culture
- Art
- Rock art and writing
- Religion and diet
- See also
- Notes
- References
- Sources
- Primary sources
- Other sources consulted
- Further reading
- External links
The Xiongnu (, ) were a tribal confederation of nomadic peoples who, according to ancient Chinese sources, inhabited the eastern Eurasian Steppe from the 3rd century BC to the late 1st century AD. Modu Chanyu, the supreme leader after 209 BC, founded the Xiongnu Empire.
After overthrowing their previous overlords, the Yuezhi, the Xiongnu became the dominant power on the steppes of East Asia, centred on the Mongolian Plateau. The Xiongnu were also active in areas now part of Siberia, Inner Mongolia, Gansu and Xinjiang. Their relations with the Chinese dynasties to the south-east were complex—alternating between various periods of peace, war, and subjugation. Ultimately, the Xiongnu were defeated by the Han dynasty in a centuries-long conflict, which led to the confederation splitting in two, and forcible resettlement of large numbers of Xiongnu within Han borders. During the Sixteen Kingdoms era, listed as one of the "Five Barbarians", their descendants founded the dynastic states of Han-Zhao, Northern Liang and Helian Xia and during the Northern and Southern dynasties founded Northern Zhou (founded by members of the Yuwen tribe of Xiongnu origin) in northern China.
Gallery (52)
Connections
Categories
460 disestablishmentsAncient peoples of ChinaForeign relations of the Han dynastyFormer confederationsFormer countries in Chinese historyHarv and Sfn multiple-target errorsNomadic confederaciesNomadic empiresStates and territories disestablished in the 1st centuryStates and territories established in the 3rd century BCXiongnu