Pannonian Avars

Quick Facts: Who was Pannonian Avars?

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Pannonian Avars

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Confederation of Eurasian nomads establishing the Avar Khaganate in Central Europe.

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2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

The Pannonian Avars or Carpathian Avars ( AV-arz) were a confederation of Eurasian nomads. They were also known as the Obri (modern Russian: обры, Obry) in the chronicles of the Rus, the Abaroi or Varchonitai (Greek: Βαρχονῖται, romanized: Varchonitai), or Pseudo-Avars in Byzantine sources, and the Apar (Old Turkic: 𐰯𐰺) to the Göktürks. They established the Avar Khaganate, centred in the Carpathian Basin, from the late-6th to the early-9th centuries. They exerted influence and control over surrounding areas in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe. The name "Pannonian Avars" (after Pannonia in the upper Danube basin where they eventually settled) is used to distinguish them from the Avars of the Caucasus, a separate people with whom the Pannonian Avars may or may not have had links.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Although the name Avar first appeared in the mid-5th century, the Pannonian Avars entered the historical scene in the mid-6th century, on the Pontic–Caspian steppe as a people who wished to escape the rule of the Göktürks. They are probably best known for their invasions and destruction in the Avar–Byzantine wars from 568 to 626 and for their influence on the Slavic migrations to the Balkans. Recent archaeogenetic studies indicate that the Pannonian Avars likely originated within the borders of present-day Mongolia, with primarily Ancient Northeast Asian ancestry, similar to the forebears of modern-day people from Mongolia and the Amur River region in Manchuria. This points to an initial rapid migration into the Carpathian Basin from the Eastern Eurasian Steppe. The Pannonian Avars' core may have been descended from the remnants of the Rouran Khaganate, which were accompanied by other Eurasian steppe peoples.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The earliest clear reference to the Avar ethnonym comes from Priscus the Rhetor (420s–after 472), who recounts that in c. 463 the Šaragurs and Onogurs were attacked by the Sabirs, who had been attacked by the Avars. In turn, the Avars had been driven off by people fleeing "man-eating griffins" coming from "the ocean" (Priscus Fr 40). Whilst Priscus' accounts provide some information about the ethno-political situation in the Don-Kuban-Volga region after the demise of the Huns, no unequivocal conclusions can be reached. Denis Sinor has argued that whoever the "Avars" referred to by Priscus were, they differed from the Avars who appear a century later, during the time of Justinian (r. The next author to discuss the Avars, Menander Protector, appeared during the 6th century and wrote of Göktürk embassies to Constantinople in 565 and 568.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Pannonian Avars

True or False: “The Pannonian Avars were directly descended from the remnants of the Huns who migrated westward into Europe.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): Archaeogenetic studies suggest the Pannonian Avars likely originated within Mongolia with Ancient Northeast Asian ancestry, not directly from the Huns.

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