Wusun
Sign in to saveThe Wusun ( ) were an ancient semi-nomadic steppe people mentioned in Chinese records from the 2nd century BC to the 5th century AD.
Key facts
- Ethnic group.group
- Wusun
- Ethnic group.region1
- Western China
- Ethnic group.region2
- Central Asia
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Article
19 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- History
- Early history
- Migration to the Ili Valley
- Establishing relations with the Han
- As Han allies
- Later history
- Physical appearance
- Language
- Economy
- Social structure
- Archaeology
- Connection to Western histography
- Genetics
- See also
- References
- Notes
- Citations
- Sources
The Wusun ( ) were an ancient semi-nomadic steppe people mentioned in Chinese records from the 2nd century BC to the 5th century AD.
The Wusun originally lived between the Qilian Mountains and Dunhuang (Gansu) near the Yuezhi. Around 176 BC the Xiongnu raided the lands of the Yuezhi, who subsequently attacked the Wusun, killing their king and seizing their land. The Xiongnu adopted the surviving Wusun prince and made him one of their generals and leader of the Wusun. Around 162 BC the Yuezhi were driven into the Ili River Valley in Zhetysu, Dzungaria and Tian Shan, which had formerly been inhabited by the Saka. The Wusun then resettled in Gansu as vassals of the Xiongnu. In 133–132 BC, the Wusun drove the Yuezhi out of the Ili Valley and settled the area.
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