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Alans

An ancient and medieval Iranian nomadic pastoral people of the North Caucasus and Pontic steppe who formed a powerful confederation in the 1st–4th centuries AD before being shattered by the Hunnic invasion of c. 370 AD.

Hunnic invasion c. 370 AD killed many and dispersed the rest westward with Goths and Vandals into the Roman Empire; a remnant in the North Caucasus eventually became the kingdom of Alania.

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Further reading

• The Fall of the Roman Empire: A New History of Rome and the Barbarians Peter Heather · 2006

  Covers the Alans within the broader migration crisis; traces their role in the Vandal confederation and their impact on Rome's western frontier.

• Barbarian Migrations and the Roman West, 376–568 Guy Halsall · 2007

  Integrates the Alan migration into the full narrative of late-Roman frontier stress, distinguishing Alan sub-groups that entered Gaul and Iberia.

Sources

• Wikipedia, 'Alans', en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alans (accessed 2026-06-20)
• Wikidata item Q12817684 'Alans', wikidata.org/wiki/Q12817684
• Encyclopaedia Iranica, 'ALANS — an ancient Iranian tribe', iranicaonline.org/articles/alans-an-ancient-iranian-tribe-of-the-northern-scythian-saka-sarmatian-massagete-group-known-to-classical-writers-from/
• Heather, Peter. The Fall of the Roman Empire: A New History of Rome and the Barbarians. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006.
• Wikidata 'Alans' (Q178054), cross-checked against duplicate Q12817684 via web search