Visualising Huns

[Erpingham]

This is one of those terrible tales of distraction/inspiration from a previous topic.  Recent articles about Hunnic language origins have included reconstructions of Huns. They seem quite different, so I thought I'd have a look for images on the internet to get a better idea.  Big mistake, as there are hundreds, often very different. There do seem to be trends, though. Are these trends born of better research or just fashion, I wondered?  I decided to ask here, because of the number of experts on ancient costume and the Migration Period. So, to set the scene.

Hairy Huns



Onfroy de Breville image of Saint Genevieve seeing off the Huns



Classic looting barbarian/fall of the Roman Empire image by Georges Rochegrosse. Note the glaives, common in pictures of Huns into the 1970s. Perhaps a reference to Chinese practice, or just fantasy?

These two typify late Victorian to 1960s Huns.  Fur clad and hairy.  Often shown also naked to the waist with fur hat. This style still seems to appear in documentaries

Brown Huns



Hun relieving himself from saddle by Jeff Burn

I think of this as the classic WRG Hun. This is what Huns looked like in wargames armies of my youth. This is from the 80s

Steppe Huns



Angus McBride Osprey



A well-equipped version by P. Glodek.

Note the colourful long steppe coats and two different fur hats styles.  These are 21st century versions and probably especially the Osprey influenced modern wargames figure designs.

So, if you are still with me students of the period, how much of this is evidence based?

[stevenneate]

It's the old one about what did the Huns wear when they were terrorising the Roman Empire?

Anything they liked!

[Keraunos]

The mounted figure on the Angus McBride picture with the pointed hat with neck flaps looks close to the figures taken to be Huns on stone reliefs found in tombs in Shandong province.  These reliefs were carved at least two centuries before the Huns the Romans knew turned up.

[nikgaukroger]

Personally I suspect that the C5th Huns would look something like the C6th Turk, etc. types

[Keraunos]

The standard steppe outfit for man and beast probably saw little change from ancient times through to the modern world.  Qing depictions of Dzungar warriors differ only from much earlier Turks and Mongols in having a musket slung alongside their other weapons.  The equipment worked for the environment in which they had to operate.  Why change? 

[Erpingham]

Why change? 

One reason would be to pick up on Steve's joke above, that they had the pick of the wardrobe of the countries they were plundering. If you so fancied, you could have an embroidered Roman tunic or some trousers with a decorative stripe or whatever. There are a few illustrations of "Romanised" huns among the hundreds mention in the original post.

[Keraunos]

Sure, one might show off a bit of looted bling, but in the wear and tear of migration will you not soon go back to the tried and tested stuff that your own nomad economy is producing?

[DBS]

I suspect it strongly depends on where the Hunnic group is, where it has been, and the rank of the individual.  Huns north of the Caspian Sea, being beastly to Alans, are probably in "steppe" attire, but probably more a "Scythian" than "margins of China" look.  As they move further west, they might acquire more Germanic and/or Roman gear, with possibly a dash of Persian items.  The leaders, bribed by the Romans, Persians, etc, etc, with gifts and bling, probably depart from the steppe look more than the rank and file.  Chionites and Hepthalites, if they can even be counted as "Huns" in the same breath as, say, Attila's lads, will possibly be different again.

The Solokha comb may give a clue.  Yes, eight centuries previous and Scythian; but it seems to show an element of cultural assimilation.  The central horseman's helmet and cuirass are very Hellenistic, only the shield and trousers mark him as a Scythian.  His infantry supporter and unhorsed opponent are more Scythian, but primarily because they lack armour.  If the central horseman is the nobleman who has commissioned the comb from a Greek or Hellenised Black Sea artisan, then it does suggest he is someone with both the inclination and means to borrow from his "civilised" neighbours.  So I personally imagine Attila and his top lads being rather more Roman in appearance, his other ranks perhaps more Germanic, wearing trousers or shirts nicked from Goths, but perhaps still wearing a kaftan type jacket or coat.  No fieldmouse jerkins!

[Imperial Dave]

I still have that osprey book somewhere...

[CarlL]

Dave,

I see similarity not differences in the images you provide bar the kaftan wearing (two images): they are perhaps reminders of how the Romans viewed the Huns as 'brown / foreign', 'dirty / clad in skins', blood thirsty / loot thirsty, living off (or should that be on) a horse.

The physical evidence is perhaps growing and showing a Mongolian ancestry, albeit practising skull distortion among elite or leading families, while the more they travelled westward the more their army / movement of peoples became multi ethnic and multi lingual, swept along by terror, loot or changing patterns of allegiance.

They may be the ultimate consumers of their age, growing only their herds - horses, sheep, cattle - at a distance, on the steppes; while consuming the gifts of Western and Eastern Roman empires, and the pillage from villas to unfortified towns, and probably engaging in sale of human captives as slaves.

You would probably look to Chinese descriptions of steppe cultures for their origins and cousins.
While east European (as in west of the Urals) or Scandinavian origins for those whom they swept along and intermarried or held hostage to fortune and terror. How many wives had Atilla taken before dying on his last wedding night?

The steppes both east and west can be hot by day and cold by night, so cloaks, padded jackets and kaftans from China or Persian trade or conquest would mingle with clothing from animals both fur / hair products and leather. Its possible their loot funded their own craft 'industry' but archaeological pursuit of the Hun (outside of Hungary or the modern ex Soviet 'stan' republics) is limited field, it appears.

Its unclear if the warriors of Hun descent simply hid their families, herds and semi permanent settlements away from their enemies gaze, (possibly as part of seasonal following of grassland pasture and perhaps some small scale crop growing) or abandoned them as their subjects lands grew ever bigger and ample. Atilla managed to terrorise and seek booty / gifts from a wide geographic area in his lifetime.

Thompson probably remains our best summary in English of the writings in Greek and Latin, while archaeology remains limited and I know of few summaries from Chinese or Persian (pre or post Islam) available in English.

CarlL in sketch mode

[tadamson]

Ahhhh... Huns again!

Assuming that you are asking about Europan Huns in the 'Roman' period.

Start with the basic 'civian' nomadic dress...    trowsers, boots, wrapround tunic, knives, bow, bowcase, quivers...
These are all fairly generic over a huge range of space, time, ethnic groups. Bowcases follow several development paths and can excite much discussion... many adults retain a sling (children used them) and an axe/hatchet is an  almost universal tool.  Furs were very common in winter (some acted as portable wealth), padded tunics would be the norm.

Hats are interesting and hunnic details are quite vague. In general specific  shape, colour or style often defined various ethnic, tribal, of fashion groups but there is little detailed info.

Armour was usualy a sign of wealth or sucess. nomadic style often mixed with purchases, tribute and trophy armour from surrounding groups. European Huns seem to have used less horse armour than most nomads. Lomg, heavy , flightless arrows (for close in archery) are almost identical to javelins and almost universaly carried. Significant numbers would carry spears.

Roman tropes include poverty, dirtyness, furs from small animals. These are to identify them as low status, poor, wild, etc..

Also, remember that they are not all nomadic. Specialists (blacksmiths, charcoal burners, boatmen, etc) often had a permanent location as well.


You have a fairly wide scope.

Tom...