Page "Khazars" Paragraph 25

* A Hunnish origin has also been postulated, particularly as an Akatzir tribe, by such scholars as O. Pritsak and A. Gadlo.

Khazars are mentioned after the fall of the Hunnic Attila Empire in 454.

Since the Hun empire was not ethnically homogeneous, this proposal is not necessarily in conflict with others.

It is likely that the Khazar nation itself was made up of tribes from various ethnic backgrounds, as steppe nations traditionally absorbed those they conquered.

Their name would accordingly be derived from Turkic * qaz -, meaning " to wander, flee.

" Armenian chronicles contain references to the Khazars as early as the late 2nd century.

These are generally regarded as anachronisms, and most scholars believe that they refer to Sarmatians or Scythians.

Priscus stated that one of the nations in the Hunnish confederacy was called Akatziroi.

Their king was named Karadach or Karidachus.

Some, going on the similarity between Akatziroi and " Ak-Khazar " ( see below ), have speculated that the Akatziroi were early proto-Khazars.