Xiongnu

Xiongnu
3rd century BC–2nd century AD
-150 GRECO BACTRIANS PAR- THIA Sargat Shule INDO- GREEKS SAKAS Korgantas YUEZHI SABEANS Ordos culture JIN Tagar Sagly WUSUN Dian culture SELEUCID EMPIRE MAURYA EMPIRE HAN DYNASTY XIONGNU Khotan PTOLE- MIES MEROË Sarmatians Alans Sha- jing Territory of the Xiongnu in the 2nd century BC (before the Han–Xiongnu War 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.[1][2][3][4]
Capital	Longcheng[5]
Common languages	various
Religion	Shamanism, Tengrism, Buddhism[6]
Demonym(s)	Xiongnu
Government	Tribal confederation
Chanyu
• 220 - 209 BCE	Touman
• 209 - 174 BCE	Modu
• 174 - 161 BCE	Laoshang
• 46 AD	Wudadihou
Historical era	Antiquity
• Established	3rd century BC
• Disestablished	2nd century AD
Preceded by Succeeded by Slab Grave Culture Donghu people Yuezhi Sakas Ordos culture Han dynasty Xianbei Rouran Khaganate Tocharians First Turkic Khaganate

History of Mongolia
Timeline States Rulers Nobility Culture Politics Geography Language Religion
Prehistoric period Afanasievo culture 3300–2500 BC Chemurchek culture 2750–1900 BC Munkhkhairkhan culture 1800–1600 BC Sagsai culture 1500–1000 BC Ulaanzuukh culture 1450–1150 BC Deer stones culture 1400–700 BC Slab-grave culture 1100–300 BC Chandman culture 700–300 BC Pazyryk culture 600–300 BC
Ancient period Xiongnu 209 BC–93 AD Xianbei state 93–234 Rouran Khaganate 330–555 Göktürks (First, Eastern, and Second Turkic Khaganates) 555–630 682–744 Xueyantuo 628–646 Tang protectorate 647–682 Uyghur Khaganate 744–840 Liao dynasty 907–1125
Medieval period Mongol khanates 9th–12th century Khamag Mongol 1130–1206 Mongol Empire 1206–1368 Yuan dynasty 1271–1368 Northern Yuan 1368–1635 Oirat Confederation 1399–1634 Dzungar Khanate 1634–1757 Qing dynasty 1691–1911
Modern period National Revolution 1911 Bogd Khaganate 1911–1919 Chinese occupation 1919–1921 People's Revolution (Soviet intervention in Bogd Khanate) 1921 1921–1924 People's Republic 1924–1992 Democratic Revolution 1990 Modern Mongolia 1990–present
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The Xiongnu (Chinese: 匈奴,^[9] [ɕjʊ́ŋ.nǔ]) were a tribal confederation^[10] 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.^[11]

After overthrowing their previous overlords,^[12] 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 adjacent 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 in northern China.

Attempts to associate the Xiongnu with the nearby Sakas and Sarmatians were once controversial. However, archaeogenetics has confirmed their interaction with the Xiongnu, and also possibly their relation to the Huns. The identity of the ethnic core of Xiongnu has been a subject of varied hypotheses, because only a few words, mainly titles and personal names, were preserved in the Chinese sources. The name Xiongnu may be cognate with that of the Huns and/or the Huna,^[13][14][15] although this is disputed.^[16][17] Other linguistic links—all of them also controversial—proposed by scholars include Turkic,^{[18][19][20][21][22][23]} Iranian,^[24][25][26] Mongolic,^[27] Uralic,^[28] Yeniseian,^{[16][29][30][31]} or multi-ethnic.^[32]