Shedding light on the origin of the Huns
Who were the European Huns, and where did they come from? A research team supported by the EU-funded HistoGenes(opens in new window) project adopted an interdisciplinary approach combining archaeology, anthropology, archaeogenetics and historiography to cast much needed light on their origins. Published in ‘PNAS’, their study(opens in new window) reveals that the Hun migration from East Asia to Europe was not straightforward, involving DNA mixing and the loss of some cultural traits. The Huns appeared in Europe in the late 4th century, establishing a powerful empire that reshaped West Eurasian history. Although they are believed to be descended from the Xiongnu, a nomadic empire that ruled the Mongolian steppe until around 100 CE, the 300-year gap between this empire and the Huns’ appearance in Europe has mystified experts. To see if they could bridge this gap between the Xiongnu and the Huns, the research team studied the DNA of 370 people who lived between the 2nd century BCE and the 6th century CE. A total of 35 new DNA sequences and published genomic data were analysed from burial sites across the Mongolian steppe, Central Asia and the Carpathian Basin.
Xiongnu in the genes
The results showed no evidence of a large community of Asian or steppe origin living in the Carpathian Basin after the Huns’ arrival. However, the researchers did identify a small set of individuals who had been buried in elite eastern-type graves, which are often associated with nomadic traditions. Analysing shared DNA sequences known as identical-by-descent (IBD) segments showed that this set of individuals carried clear East Asian genetic signatures. “It came as a surprise to discover that a few of these Hun-period individuals in Europe share IBD links with some of the highest-ranking imperial elite individuals from the late Xiongnu Empire,” remarks study co-first author Guido Alberto Gnecchi-Ruscone of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in a news item(opens in new window) posted on ‘Archaeology News’. These links also include an individual buried in the largest Xiongnu terrace tomb discovered to date. Even with this link between the Huns and Xiongnu, the DNA and archaeological data paint a complex picture of mobility and interaction. They suggest that as the Huns moved westward, they mixed with populations across Eurasia, becoming highly heterogeneous genetically. This contrasts significantly with another nomadic group, the Avars, who arrived in Europe two centuries later. “The Avars came directly to Europe after their East-Asian empire had been destroyed by the Turks, and many of their descendants still carried considerable East Asian ancestry until the end of their rule in circa 800,” remarks co-corresponding author Walter Pohl of HistoGenes project coordinator Austrian Academy of Sciences. It is undeniable that the Huns significantly influenced Europe’s political landscape through their military conquests. However, as the study supported by the HistoGenes (Integrating genetic, archaeological and historical perspectives on Eastern Central Europe, 400-900 CE) project shows, their genetic legacy was not as great. Co-corresponding author Zuzana Hofmanová of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology concludes: “Although the Huns dramatically reshaped the political landscape, their actual genetic footprint—outside of certain elite burials—remains limited.” For more information, please see: HistoGenes project website(opens in new window)