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Who were the ancient Xiongnu? Study uncovers genetically diverse empire and nomadic princesses

  • Researchers examining Xiongnu cemeteries investigate how DNA relates to social and political structures as well as gender
  • Historical narratives were largely written by rival Han Chinese who dismissed Xiongnu as ‘simple body’ of nomadic elites, says team

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The Xiongnu Empire, from 300BC, had a significant impact on the political economies of Central, Inner and East Asia and created extensive trade networks. Photo: Weibo
Echo Xie

The world’s first nomadic empire – which battled imperial China for centuries – was very genetically diverse and not the “simple body” of people that its Han Chinese rivals long claimed, according to a new study of ancient DNA.

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The nomads, known as the Xiongnu, also had prominent roles for women, the researchers said in a paper published in the peer-reviewed journal Science Advances on April 15.

The Xiongnu Empire was centred in Mongolia and for nearly three centuries from 200BC controlled the eastern Eurasian steppe that covered modern-day Mongolia, northern China, southern Siberia and Central Asia. Some historians have even suggested that the northern branch of the Xiongnu became the European Huns.

At its height, the empire was a force in the political economies of Central, Inner and East Asia, creating extensive trade networks to import foreign goods, such as Roman glass, Persian textiles, Greek silver and Chinese silk, the paper said.

However, the Xiongnu did not have a writing system, and much of what is known about them was written and passed down by its political rival, the Han dynasty ruling China.

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The Han Chinese “repeatedly and dismissively” characterised the Xiongnu Empire as a “simple body” of nomadic elites, and many aspects of the political constituencies and social organisation remain unknown, according to the paper’s authors.

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