nomadic confederation · Central Asia and the Steppe
Alchon Huns
Origins
The Alchon Huns emerged in Bactria in the late 4th century, probably among the Hunnic groups that followed the Chionites and Kidarites. They first issued coins copying the Sasanian king Shapur II, then moved south of the Hindu Kush, taking Kabul and later replacing the Kidarites in Gandhara in the mid-5th century.
Rule and society
Known mainly from coins with their distinctive elongated skulls and the Bactrian word 'alchono', and from Indian inscriptions, they ruled as warrior kings over a settled population. Around 500 Toramana invaded the Gupta Empire, reaching central India, as recorded at Eran. His son Mihirakula ruled from Sakala and was remembered by Buddhist writers such as Xuanzang as a persecutor who destroyed monasteries.
Decline and legacy
Mihirakula was defeated around 528 by the Indian king Yasodharman and possibly by the Guptas, and Alchon power retreated to Kashmir and Gandhara. By the mid-6th century their rule faded, and they were succeeded in the Kabul region by the Nezak Huns.
Lineage
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- Alchon Huns was conquered by Gupta Empire528 CE
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Alchon Huns. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/alchon-huns
- MLA
- “Alchon Huns.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/alchon-huns. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Alchon Huns.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/alchon-huns.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Alchon Huns’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/alchon-huns (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻