Xiongnu. The Xiongnu in China

The history of nomadic peoples is a central theme in the early scientific work of Lev Gumilev. As an orientalist, he aimed to prove that the history of steppe nomads is no less interesting and captivating than that of ancient... Greeks, Franks, or Crusaders. In the book about the Xiongnu state, an amazing rise of the nomadic ethnicity of the Xiongnu in the 7th century BC is traced, which later evolved into a complex of ethnicities and a superethnos. The Xiongnu were the first to unite the vast steppes of Eurasia into a single state from the Yellow Sea to Lake Balkhash; this was done a second time by the ancient Turks (the Great Turkish Khaganate), and then by the Mongols (the empire of Genghis Khan). The Russians completed the process by creating a vast empire in the territory from the Baltic Sea to the Pacific Ocean. But the Xiongnu were the first.
Based on detailed Chinese chronicles, the author describes the twists and turns of the Xiongnu history and clarifies how a small people managed to make such a grand leap, where their strength came from, how the Xiongnu interacted with other peoples, subjugating some by force and inviting others to cooperate while resisting their age-old enemy — China.
The book "The Xiongnu in China" shows how a small steppe people exhausted their strength in numerous wars and by the 5th century was absorbed by China, unable to withstand the allure of Chinese culture. As a result, only a small group of the Xiongnu survived, which moved far to the west in the 2nd century, where, mixing with the Ugric peoples, they formed a new people known in Europe as the Huns.
In addition, the book includes the text of the chapter "The Three Kingdoms in China," which was not included in the first Soviet edition of the book "The Xiongnu in China"
The author of the introductory article to Lev Gumilev's book "Xiongnu. The Xiongnu in China" is Doctor of Geographical Sciences, Professor S.B. Lavrov. The book is equipped with a synchronistic table, a bibliography, an index of historical figures, an index of researchers and cited authors, and an index of geographical names .