even assisted in 834 in building Sarkil, a fortress on the Don. Constantine's (Syril) mission resulted in the restoration of some local churches in Khazar regions, but they never became united in anything like the abolished Gothic Eparchy. Eventually with the eclipse of the military glory of the Khazars the attitude of Byzantium underwent a quick change. In the first half of the Xth century, Byzantium organized a number of unsuccessful raids against the Khazars by their neighbours: the Ghuzz, the Pechenegs, the Asies, and the Alans. Khazaria found strength enough to defeat the intruders, but shortly afterwards, in the year 913/4 and 943/4, strong Russian-Varangian hired bodies of men at arms, dismissed by Russian princes, crossed the Khazar lands on their plunder expedition to the Caspian coast, the Khazars being unable to put up resistance.

The center of the Khazar empire of the IXth — Xth centuries was the town of Atil situated on both banks of the Volga, later, Saray-i-Butu, the first capital of the Gold Horde, was built on its site. The eastern part of the town was inhabited by merchants and craftsmen from different countries, the western — was reserved for the pure-bred Khazars, and king's paid body-guard consisting chiefly of Muslims. The Khazars remained during the winter in town. In spring they went out to the steppes and stayed there till autumn pasturing flocks. Lands formally assigned to separate clans were in fact in feudal possession of the clan and military aristocracy with all the consequent duties paid to them by the actual producers. Some of the lands were cultivated and yielded crop which was taken to town in autumn.

The important position of Khazaria in international trade relations and the diversified pattern of the population of its capital caused the Jewish Khazars to turn from previous religious intoleration to full liberty of various creeds for all. Especially as Judaism was essentially non-proselytic, and remained the religion of the ruling class only, which rather separated than contributed to the unity of the Khazar population, other religions being extensively practiced, old Turkic paganism being particularly popular. Hebrew learning flourished only at the king's court but there it led to the appearance of historical works such as local genealogies and chronicles. The wide sections of Turkic speaking populace of Khazaria used Tiurk runic letters. The Khazars didn't create any material culture of their own but developed old Sarmat-Alan traditions supplemented with some borrowings from Central Asia and Iran-Arab East. The Khazars and Bulgars differed very little ethnographically and are supposed to have been descendants of the Alans remaining in Central Caucasus and along the northern outskirts of the steppes between the Don and the Donets. The Madyars brought the elements of the same culture to Hungary. Other Turkic speaking nomads who invaded Europe, beginning with the Pechenegs, belonged to a different ethnographical type reminding more of a standard formed in Central Asia of the Khaganate period.

The downfall of Khazaria was the consequence of defeats inflicted by the Russians who joined forces against the Khazars with the Ghuzz, hostile tribes from the regions beyond the Volga. The Russian state claimed to inherit predominance of the Khazars in the East-European steppes, as well as to capture control of eastern trade-routes and trade, which had so much enriched the Khazars and in which the Russians themselves actively participated. In consequence of Sviatoslav and Vladimir's expeditions down the Volga nearly all Khazar territories were lost to the Russians inspite of the interference of Khwarizm, whose assistance the Khazars secured adopting Islam. Only Bulgaria on the Volga remained independent and continued to control the middle Volga water-way. In this connection the important role of the Russian principality of Tmutorokan becomes evident. It exercised strong political influence over all the lands of southeast including the strait of Kertch, the country of Kuban river, the lower Povolzye, and the lower Podonye and secured for the Russians free trade with the East. In the beginning of the XIIth century the Russian State was forced, under the stress of feudal strife, to retreat before the invasion of the new nomad horde — the Komans — and lose the remains of the Khazar heritage. The mastery of the steppes passed to the Komans, and any traces of the Khazars and other Turkic speaking tribes vanished among them.

The book gives not only a pragmatic account of the history of the southern part of eastern Europe of the IVth — XIth centuries, but also throws light on general laws of historical development, and on many particular points which are of importance for the history of some peoples and territories constituting once the Khazar kingdom, such as for instance the Goths of the Crimea, the Hun-Sabirs of northern Dagestan, the Black Bulgars of the Kuban river, the Alans, the Asies and many others. The book deals also with the important role of the West-Turkut Khaganate in the history of eastern Europe.

The notes of L. N. Gumilev, the editor of the book, contain valuable additions and new standpoints relating to the historical event of Eurasia which expand and enrich the account of the author. The book is intended not only for historians, but also for nonspecialists possessing elementary historical knowledge. The table of contents gives the plan upon which the book has been constructed.

Замеченные опечатки.

Хронология событий, упомянутых в книге

93 г. — Передвижение северных хуннов в Джунгарию.

Между 155–160 гг. — Вытеснение северных хуннов сяньбийцами за Тарбагатай.

160 г. — Первое упоминание гуннов в европейской литературе (Дионисий Периегет).

Между 175–182 гг. — Упоминание «хунов» у Птолемея.

217–238 гг. — Хосрой I, армянский.

226–240 гг. — Арташир I — основатель династии Сасанидов.

240–271 гг. — Шапур I.

287–332 гг. — Тердат III.

304 г. — Христианское надгробие с именем Евтропия в Боспарском некрополе.

309–380 гг. — Шапур II.

325 г. — Епископ Боспора Кадм участвует в I Вселенском соборе в Константинополе.

30-е годы — Санесан царь маскутов — Санатрук владетель Пайтакарана.

332–338 гг. — Хосрой III, армянский.

354 г. — Упоминание болгар в «Хронографе».