The White Huns

The Ancients

History Hit

History

4.7 • 3.5K Ratings

🗓️ 17 August 2025

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The Huns weren’t just Attila’s warriors in Europe — in Central Asia, the White Huns built the most powerful Hunnic empire, ruling for a century and dominating the ancient Silk Roads.

While the European Huns fought Rome, the White Huns commanded trade routes, overthrew kingdoms, and waged relentless campaigns across Central and South Asia. Their influence reached from Persia to India, transforming politics, warfare, and culture. In today's episode of The Ancients, Tristan Hughes is joined by Professor Hyun Jin Kim to uncover the origins, rise, and legacy of this formidable yet often overlooked empire.

Attila the Hun: Scourge of God:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/7y5w7yyVOqwYxvqHAAfthi?si=0a9aaff5b64b4d36

Attila the Hun: Terror of Rome:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5f12sJEHRH8KPrQCopenrG?si=1bb6c6b6b8164dea

Presented by Tristan Hughes. Audio editor is Aidan Lonergan and the producer is Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds

The Ancients is a History Hit podcast.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey guys, Tristan here, and I have an exciting announcement. The Ancients will be returning to the
0:06.0	London Podcast Festival. Now, last year tickets, they sold out at record speed. So this time,
0:12.6	we've been upgraded. We've got a bigger room. And you, you can be there too on Friday the 5th of
0:18.8	September at 7pm at King's Place.
0:21.6	Now I've invited Friend of the podcast, the fabulous Dr. Eve MacDonald, to join me on stage
0:27.6	where we will be exploring the gripping story of ancient Carthage.
0:32.6	Carthage, the Phoenician city that became a superpower, an empire that rivaled Rome for control in the
0:38.9	Western Mediterranean, and ultimately had a terrible traumatic demise.
0:44.8	Of course, the ancients is nothing without you, so we want you to be there in the audience
0:49.5	taking part and asking us your burning questions. Tickets for the festival always sell fast.
0:56.1	So book yourself a seat now at www. kingsplace.co.uk forward slash what's on. We'll click
1:03.0	the link in the show notes of this episode. The team and I cannot wait to see you there.
1:10.8	Hello guys. Welcome to this latest episode of the ancients and we are going to Central Asia
1:16.8	to talk through the story of a group of Huns not very well known here in the West.
1:22.5	And yet they forged one of the largest empires in ancient history. They dominated the Persians and so much more.
1:30.8	They are the white hunts.
1:32.8	And to tell their story today is Professor Hyunjin Kim,
1:37.0	who dialed in from Melbourne in Australia.
1:40.0	I am so happy that we are now covering this story on the ancients.
1:43.1	It's a brilliant one.
1:44.2	I hope you guys enjoy.
1:45.9	Let's go.
	...

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