Symbols of the Huns1 in Central Asia

Over the past two centuries, historians have extensively debated whether the Xiongnu people
in the ancient Chinese chronicles had a relationship with the Central Asian Hunas and the
European Huns. By the end of the 20th century, owing to the huge amount of archaeological
findings and numismatic evidence, most scholars agree that there was a connection, that the
ruling tribes of the Huns are the same in all aspects both in Asia and Europe.

Researching the history and culture of the Huns presently is the most developing field among
international academic scholars. Numerous kurgan burials have been excavated in Inner and
Central Asia and their findings proved that the Huns had a unique civilisation. Now, experts
of Hunnic studies claim that the Huns had a long history and significantly influenced global
events and the material culture of some empires surrounding the Eurasian steppe belt.

If we begin to investigate this field, we meet some difficulties. The main problem is the lack
of the Huns’ own early historical sources. The neighbours of Hunnic tribes – mainly Chinese
– recorded chapters on them, but they focused only on specific areas, such as foreign affairs
or military events.

We have only scattered information about the way of life and state of the early Central Asian
Huns. Probably, they moved and settled there along with Zhizhi shanyu in the 1st century BC
and after his death they remained there as allied tribes of the Kushans, Parthian and Sasanids,
also.2 After the collapse of the Great Kushan and Parthian Empire, they were able to create
independent kingdoms wearing their own names as Kidarite, Hephtalites and others.

Regarding the ancient heritage of the Huns, scholars must use comparative methods if they
want to find out more. If we wish to clarify some questions relating to the civilisation of the
Huns, we must find analogies with those “steppe” people, who preserved the ancient Hunnic-
type way of life, such as the Mongolians, who still live in yurt or round tent and have a vast
livestock in the steppe. We acquired relevant information from Turkic runic scripts also,
because their writers – according to Chinese records – were one of the descendants of the
Huns in Inner Asia.3 We must consider some historical tradition regarding the leading tribes
of Bulgarians and Hungarians, who recorded their lineage from Attila, the greatest Hun king
of Europe.

The questions of ethnicity of steppe tribes – e. g. Scythians and Huns – in Inner Asia are not
as easy as some scholars might think, because the above-mentioned and other tribes
concluded treaties and united their tribes by sworn brotherhood.

After they had concluded the above-mentioned treaty system, they were able to accept the
name of the leading tribe of the alliance. For example the Huns in Central Asia were involved
as a part of the Kushan Empire, so we have information about them after the collapse of the

1
Unless otherwise indicated, "Huns" refer to East Asia's Xiongnu, Central Asia's Hunas and Europe's Huns throughout the paper.
2
Zeimal,1996. 130.
3
Liu, 1958. I. 40. He-Guo, 2008. 10-12.
great kingdom of that region. As the Shi Ji says, it is very difficult to record the history of the
Huns, because sometimes they split up into parts, sometimes they were united as a big state.4

The objects of their material culture and even some of the names of these tribes are also
intermixed. Hunnic tribal names may have been also used by earlier Scythian or later Turkic
tribes. But thanks to numismatics, we can distinguish Scythian and Hunnic leading tribes,
who ruled over Central Asia in late ancient times.

The one problem regarding the history of the Huns is that archaeologists concentrate on big
royal graves and analyse the structure of these graves, but the coins of the Huns in Central
Asia are tended to be ignored. Nevertheless, coins can contribute to solving some historical
questions. I would like to present some.

On some symbols and signs

Now, let’s investigate some symbols of Central Asian Hunnic coins. As I referred to above,
they prove the connection between the Asian Huns5 and the European Huns. On the coins we
recognise their own tribal name: Al-Chon or Hyon. In some cases we find their king’s name,
such as Khingila, Zabola or Hephtal.

Central Asian Hun coins reflect some amazing traditions. Some of them originated from local
or Central Asian soil, but some other ones lead us to Inner Asia, where the Huns came from.
One question worth investigating is the horn on the king’s head. At a first look, we think, it is
directly connected only with some Parthian statues and late Persian coins 6 , because their
nobility wore horns of deer on their heads. However, the horn as the sign of power also
appeared in Chinese chronicles, e. g. Han-shu, where the ten most powerful Hunnic leaders
were titled as “horns” or jiao.7 Not only historical sources, but also archaeological findings
refer to the horn as a real Hunnic symbol of the state. Istvan Erdelyi, Hungarian archaeologist
took part in joint Mongolian-Hungarian archaeological surveys in Mongolia. He excavated a
unique deer-horn from a Hunnic noble’s grave in Naymaa Tolgoy in 1987. Erdelyi thinks it
could have been a power symbol of the Huns. We must notice that deer horns have a
significant role in Mongolian and Manchu shamanic tradition; some shamans still wear a
crown with a deer horn. It symbolises the ancestral spirits.

According to the shamanistic belief in the steppe, each representative or shaman of a given
tribe has a chance to communicate with their great ancestors, who is responsible to manage
their descendants’ faith. Each tribe has its own special symbol of the ancestral spirits: the horn
of the deer is for the leading tribe of the Huns.

Because the early Hunnic kings were spiritual leaders and they led sacrifices in honour to
their gods, it is possible that they used such crown for spiritual events. During the Middle

4
Shi Ji, 110. In: Watson, 1961.
5
The Chinese sources call them Xiongnu, but the ancient pronouncation of this word is hun or hung. Wu, 2005. 9-15.
6
Sasanid Buran (629-631), Yazdgard III (632-651)
7
Shi Ji, Hou Han-shu, Jin shu. L: Pritsak, 1954. 178-202.
Ages the steppe tribes divided into the power of the kings or khagans as political and religious
ones, so the ancient spiritual head dresses had survived among shamans in that region. 8

As the horns referred to the beliefs of the Huns, we can find other related elements. As we
know, their original belief system was the so-called shamanism or “boos.” Maybe one scene
on some Hunnic coins is connected with their ancient belief. On some early Kidarite coins we
find a sitting woman. Most numismatic experts identified her as a goddess. We have similar
portrays on Kushan coins, where Ardoksho, the goddess of fortune, can be found. Also there
is such a sitting woman on the coins of Toramana II.

On Central Asian Hunnic coins we can observe goddesses. It is very difficult to decide,
whether they borrow this imaginary from an ancient civilisations of the Indus Valley or come
from an ancient Kushan tradition. The cult of Earth Goddess dating back to the dawn of
civilisation, the archaeologists had excavated ancient portrays of them from the Neolithic
period, where women were equivalent with fertility. 9 While the cult of this goddess
disappeared from lots of cultures during the Bronze Age, the tribes of Eurasian steppe
preserved this ancient phenomenon. We have no place here to deal with this question deeply,
so I would like to shed some light only on one aspect of the ancient Earth goddess cult. As
some researchers, I also assume these women may be connected to the ancient Scythian and
Hunnic Earth goddess, whose name in Inner Asian sources is Etugen or Nana/Nanay in
Kushan ones.10 The leading tribes of the Kushans moved from Inner Asia, from the right bank
of the Yellow-river in the 2nd century BC and arrived to Bactria (Da Xia) and gradually
moved southward.11 Probably, they brought their ancient belief system to their new home.
Ancient nomadic people kept that she was the guardian of the empires and people; she was
the real owner of the Earth who stands above the kings and emperors.12 We have evidence on
Rabatka inscription, where Kanishka says, that he obtained the kingship from Nana and from
all the gods…”13 Another Kushan emperor, Huvishka knelt in front of Nana symbolising that
she is above all kings. 14 We have some further analogies, e. g. Saint Stephen, the first
Christian king of Hungary who is derived from Attila’s lineage, offered his sacred crown and
Hungary to the Sacred Lady,15 who was identified as the Christian St. Mary. Later Chinggis
khan, the great Mongolian emperor, claimed that above him only Etugen goddess stands.16

On Hunnic coins we can recognise some signs.17 There are some points of views regarding
the origin and spread of the ancient signs. We have a great number of publications about this
topic, so we are able to focus on some questions, connecting the royal signs of the Hunnic

8
The great kings of the Mongolian Empire officially divided the early administrative and spiritual functions into two parts. The king was
responsible for the state affairs and shamans had right to communicate with the ancestral spirits and gods. About the so called Double
customs (Khoyor Yosun) L. Arban buyan-tu tsagaan nom (The White book on the 10 virtues). Liu,1998.
9
Obrusanszky, 2009. 117-133.
10
The later one can be found among Manchurian tribes, where Nana or Naynay are equivalent with old woman.
11
Han shu 96. Xi Yu zhuan 1. 14-15. In: Dubs, 1938-1955.
12
Kanishka, the great Kushan king bowed in front of Nana. On Huviska’s coin the king kneels in front of Nana.
13
http://www.gengo.l.u-tokyo.ac.jp/~hkum/bactrian.html
14
Nicholas Sims Williams-Joe Cribb, 1995. 107.
15
St. Stephan’s legend by bishop Hartvik, on chapter 22, he offered his crown to Sacred Lady of Hungary.
http://www.szkosz.com/node/1895
The Hungarians presently pray for their own goddess, or „Boldogasszony” who is an ancient fertile goddess. It is very hard to identify her
with Virgin Mary.
16
From: Golden summary (Altan tovchi) chronicle. Luvsandanzan, 1984. 235.
17
The Mongolians named as belgü or mark, the Alans, Sarmatians called as tamgas and the Persian applied the expression of nishan. Zeimal,
1996.131.
kings. The origin of the signs is tightly connected by the early – Bronze and Iron Age -–
steppe tribes in Inner Asia or Central Asia, who used special symbol in order to distinguish
their livestock and lands. That is why we can observe them in some ancient rock carvings in
Mongolia or Northern China. 18 Yatsenko investigates the tamgas of the ancient Saka and
Sarmatians, who occupied the vast territory of Central Asia and Eastern Europe. According to
his viewpoint, the origin of the signs can be placed on Western Turkestan and Mongolia, or
the early settlements of Huns. 19 During the excavation of big royal graves of the Huns,
Russians recognised some signs on Hunnic royal cups.20 Probably, the Hunnic kings carved
their sign on the bottom of their cup in order to distinguish theirs from other ones. For the first
time the Kushans drew their tamga on the coins and this tradition was inherited by Kidarite
Huns and Hephtalites, also. Scholars also hold the view that the clan sign or symbol, or tamga
lately, became neshan, or Persian seal.21 Its origin goes back to the Central Asian Saka tribes,
who distinguished themselves by their own signs. 22 The same system operated among the
Hunnic tribes in Inner Asia. Among the later Sassanid seals, or neshans, scholars found some
unknown ones, but they look like Kidarite tamga on Hunnic coins. Because a special symbol
referred to only one tribe, they are likely to belong to such Hunnic tribes, who joined the
Persian Empire. As Yatsenko records, the Sassanid nobles adopted this kind of system, while
others used combined monographs for signing their objects.23

Dignitaries on Hunnic coins

Robert Göbl has published a four-volume monograph on the Hunnic coins from Central Asia.
I have found some interesting dignities in his work. Some of them are said to have belonged
to ancient Turkic ranks, and other ones are held as unknown origin. Because the Huns
preceded the Turkic empire, I think these are related to Huns which later the Turks adopted
for their new state administration. I have tried to gather and classify them. In my works, I
used Clauson’s etymological dictionary in order to find analogies from those early Turkic
states or empires, which had relationship with the Huns.

The name of the main-king or emperor in Central Asia was sah, which is based on local
tradition. On Khingila’s coin we can read the following title: deva sahi, which is the loan
translation of tengri-khan, or “emperor, who united great amount of people.” This title was
used so widespread that Chinggis khan, who united the scattered Mongolian tribes, adopted
this title also, so Chinggis is variant word for tengri. On Hunnic coins we can find the form
sahi tegin, which can be identified with the Eastern Hunnic tuqi wang, or the wise king. He
was responsible for governing the greatest administration unit, or wing. Regarding the tegin, it
was not only a Turkic, but also an ancient Hunnic rank and it can be identified with the

18
Tseveendorj, 1999. He shows some examples of early signs or tamgas from the 2nd millenium BC from the territory of Mongolia (Uvs,
Omnogovi, Govi Altai countries)
Dalen Gurib, 2000. 156-198. He shows some examples from Yin-shan and Alashan mountains.
19
Yatsenko, 2001. 187.
20
Erdenebaatar, 2011. 20.
21
Farrokh, 2005. 20-22.
22
Farrokh, 2005. 20. It is very difficult to determinate, whether for the first times the Saka tribes used this kind of signs. Boardman
discovered such kind of signs on some Persian Achamenid coins, but it didn’t belong to royal ones, but satrapas. It had analogies with the
later Central Asian Sarmatian signs. (Yatsenko, 2001. 101). The first royal sign can be observed only on Parthian coin. (Yatsenko,
2001.102.)
23
Yatsenko, 2001. 187.
European duke.24 On Hunnic coins we can find additional titles as: bg.s.tgyn or beg tegin as
well as tgyn hwr’s’n mlk or tegin khorasan malik. The name Khorasan is not only a
geographic name but also has an important meaning: “people gatherer” and it refers to those
emperors who were able to unite or conquer many tribes. Khurasan or Khorasan was the name
of Hun nobles [in both] both in the Caucasus and the Hungarian chiefdom: Khursan. The
other version is Kuvrat, he was a great “people unifier” king of the Bolgars, where the verb
kura- or kuvra- means gathering, uniting.25

Bago is also a rare Kidarite rank. We can see the following expression on one coin: “Bago
Kidara Vazurka Koshano” meaning the great king of the Kushans. 26 Later, one Hephtalite
coin bears the title bago, meaning lord or ruler.27

On some White Hunnic coins I discovered a very interesting rank: jaya-tu. The meaning of
this title is not clear. Some scholars translate it from Brahmi as “glorious or majesty”. The
expression jayatu appeared in the Secret History of Mongols as one of the titles of Chinggis
khan. The origin of this word is obscure for Mongolians, but they translate it as “heavenly
origin” or “good faithed”. The other Hunnic expression is sri which has the same meaning.
The translation of this word is “majestic.” We can find the same meaning under the
designation “suu,” “suu tu” in the Mongolian chronicles as Chinggis khan’s title. I just
wonder how the above-mentioned expression reached the Mongolian land. The Buddhism had
not reached the Mongolian steppe, only some merchants and travellers communicated with
the two distinct territories. So, it is likely that the leading tribe of the Mongolians, or Borjigin
has preserved the ancient Inner Asian Hunnic tradition and used some ancient expressions,
which dated back to Hunnic epoch.28

On Hunnic coins we can find such names, which were used during the Turkic khaganate.
Previously, most scholars thought these titles originated from Turks, but they derived from the
Huns and the Turks, who adopted the Hun heritage, used it. One important title is the “ybgw”
or the yabgu, but we also find “tarkhan” or privileged in the form of “torkhono.” I mentioned
“bg” (bg mlk, bg tgyn) have parallels with beg or beki, or tribe leader. Later the title became
military leader in the Turkic empire. According to Clauson’s dictionary beg was leader of
hundred men.

On Hunnic coins the title kada was given to the high judge among the Huns. We can find this
rank among the Khazars as kadir, or Caucasian kadaroi with the same meaning. The ancient
Hungarian chronicle recorded a chapter on the history of the Huns, in which we can read the
following information: When the Huns entered into the Carpathian basin, elected the chief-
judge among them. The name of the high rank was kadar.

From the above presented documents it is clear, that Huns who ruled Central Asia and
Northern India for a long period, preserved ancient Inner Asian steppe tradition. We must

24
As Clauson says it is a very old title, inherited from some earlier non-Turkish language. Clauson, 1972. 483.
25
Clauson, 1972. 586.
26
Zeimal, 1996. 130.
27
Zeimal, 1996. 130.
28
Boldbaatar, J. speech on the International Hsiung-nu Empire and the Study of Ancient Mongolian History. 2011. 08.27.
investigate, whether they directly brought from or inherited from the great Kushans, who
occupied a huge territory in the late ancient times.

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