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Revision as of 07:23, 2 September 2003 by 203.252.193.13 (talk)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)"Hephthalite" is the English transliteration of the Greek rendering of "Hayathelite", the name used by Persian writers to refer to a 6th century empire on the northern and eastern periphery of their land. In China they were known as 厭達 (pinyin Yanda). This has been given various latinised renderings, such as "Yeda", although the Korean pronunciation "Yoptal" is much more recognisable and is certainly a much more archaic fossilisation.
The chinese classic 梁職貢圖 (The Liang chih-kung-t'u) describes their origin in western China near the Great Wall. Other sources indicate that "Yoptal" was the name of a Yuezhi (月氏) family who became the rulers of a people calling themselves "Hua". According to Liu Qiyu this would have been pronounced as Huer in Yangtze delta dialects.
They are Procopius's "White Huns" Turkish sources call Uar reminicient of their self designation according to the 梁職貢圖. Procopius identified them as the "true" avars of the east and the true political force behind what he calls the "pseudo" Avars who entered Transylvania. White Supremacists have argued that they were "Aryan" Caucasoids and much that has been written about them has been influenced by such ideas. According to many authors (for example Dr. David Nicolle, Osprey) they were of Turko-Mongoloid stock.
Various theories concerning the origin of the name Yoptal include references to the number Seven and the biblical Patriarch Japheth.
Variations in spelling include "Ephthalite", "Epthalite", "Ephtalite", "Eptalite", "Hepthalite", "Hephtalite", and "Heptalite".
(Kazimierz Hubert-Zestauferov sookmyung.ac.kr)