The Ancient Bulgarians – Who Were They? A New Look at the Old Question
The article presents a new Tocharian hypothesis to address the key question of the ethnogenesis of the ancient Bulgarians. It begins by examining the migration of Vund’s Bulgarians to Armenia, which most likely occurred in the 1st century AD. Drawing on historical and linguistic analysis, the article argues that the name “Unogundurs,” historically associated with the Bulgarian ethnonym during the Early Middle Ages, should instead be read as “Vlǝndur,” as recorded by the Armenian historian Movses Khorenatsi. The term “Vlǝndur” can be interpreted through the lens of ancient Indo-European — specifically Tocharian — languages, and very likely referred to the ruling clan or tribe of the Yuezhi Tocharians. The Vlǝndurs (or “Unogundurs”) were part of the broader Tocharian community and came to the attention of the Armenians in the Western Caucasus in the early 1st century AD. This coincides with the migration of the Yuezhi Arsians into Central Asia. Through phonological analysis of Chinese characters found in various Chinese sources, the article identifies references to the Bulgarians and Khazars in the eastern Tien Shan Mountains (also known as Mount Imeon). Both ethnonyms are analyzed and interpreted using Tocharian languages. In particular, the name Bulgar (or Bulkar) is proposed to mean “fiery people.” The article concludes that, under pressure from the expanding Xiongnu, the Bulgarians and Khazars migrated westward from the Tien Shan region to the Caucasus by the end of the 1st century BC.
The article was originally published in Chronica. Annual of the Institute of History, University of Szeged, Vol.22, 2023.