The "Barbarians" of Central Asia

The term "Central Asia" describes a loosely defined area which stretches from the Aral Sea in the west to the Gobi Desert in the east, and from the Tibetan Plateau in the south to Lake Baikal in the north. Today this region includes the nations of Kazakhstan and Mongolia, as well as southern Siberia (a part of Russia) and northwest China. In ancient times, it was the homeland of various peoples referred to by the Chinese as “barbarians."

The word civilization has a very distinct meaning. To say that a group of people is uncivilized does not imply a value judgment, any more than it is a value judgment to say that a circle is not a square. The word "barbarian," on the other hand, is usually a negative, prejudicial term not unlike "savage." It suggests a person who slaughters men, rapes women, kidnaps children, and generally causes destruction wherever he goes.

The peoples of Central Asia were most certainly uncivilized; on the other

Hand, not all of them deserved the name "barbarian" that the Chinese gave them. Most probably did, it is true, but some of these nomads absorbed Chinese culture and became civilized. In any case, the Chinese would later refer to Europeans as barbarians also.

Whether they were barbarians or merely uncivilized, the nomads of Central Asia would have an enormous impact on Chinese and world history. These hardy peoples, outstanding horsemen highly skilled at lightning-quick assaults on their enemies, were among the most powerful and feared warriors of the ancient world. Because of their nomadic lifestyle, which continually required fresh pastures for their animals, they were restless and always on the move.

Over time, central Asian tribes migrated in various directions. The Scythians and other groups moved westward into what is now the Ukraine and Caucasus regions in about 1000 b. c.

A military leader named Ts'ao Ts'ao (DZOW-dzow; c. A. D. 150-230) suppressed the revolt in a. d. 189. Nine years later, in a. d. 208, he marched his troops against the Sun family, who were attempting to create a separate state called Wu in a large area south of the Yangtze (YAHNG-zay) River. The boats of the newly proclaimed Sun Dynasty fought him off in a river battle at Ch'i Pi.

Ts'ao Ts'ao effectively assumed leadership of what was left of Han China, though in fact it still had an emperor. In a. d.

The Yueh-Chih, whose most powerful group became known as the Kushans, pushed into India, Persia, and surrounding areas in the mid-100s b. c. and would greatly influence the history of that region.

Among the groups that most directly affected China were the Hsien Pei and the HsiungNu. The Hsien Pei reached their high point during the troubled days of the Later Han, when they took advantage of unrest in about a. d. 100 to launch an attack on their "barbarian" enemies, the HsiungNu. Under Tang-shi-huai (dahng-shee-HWIE) in about a. d. 150, they conquered a vast area, wider than the modern-day United States. Though the Hsien Pei holdings receded quickly after the death of Tang-shi-huai, this great conquest would serve as a model for Central Asian empires in years to come. Many such empires would rise— and, because of the nomads' small populations and lack of skill and

Knowledge in ruling, quickly fall—over the next 1,300 years.

As for the HsiungNu, they reasserted their power after the passing of Tang-shi-huai and, by means of intermarriage and migration, extended their reach through space and time. Some moved westward, where they became known as "Huns." Led by Attila in the a. d. 400s, they would, along with various tribes of northern Europe, take part in the destruction of the Roman Empire. Others married Hsien Pei and members of other nations. Out of this line would come the Turkic and Mongol peoples, who greatly affected world history for a period of many centuries beginning in the Middle Ages. Various Turks and Mongols terrorized medieval Europe; conquered Anatolia (modern Turkey); swept through Persia and surrounding lands; established the powerful Mogul Empire in India; and, under Genghis Khan in the 1200s, conquered China.

220, however, the last Han ruler was overthrown. China, already troubled, was about to enter a period of unrest that would last for more than three centuries.