Where Is the Archeological Evidence of the Existence of a Khazar State?

Abstract

The role of archeology in solving issues of Khazar history is evident. Khazar cultural heritage in Eastern Europe should be discussed through reliance on archaeological material of reliably established Khazar cultural attribution. While searching for such material one sometimes is faced with curious cases far from science, as well as scientific guesswork. Such free interpretations of the archaeological sources, ignoring known methodical procedures and attributing Saltovo archaeological culture and its variants too loosely has resulted in discrediting the very existence of Khazar cultural heritage in Eastern Europe. This particularly relates to the attribution of certain tribal entities to the Khazars. Khazar antiquities do exist in South Russia, but they are not represented by Saltovo culture in any strict classical meaning of the term. The territory of the Khazar domain may be archeologically marked by meticulous analysis and historical interpretation of three categories of archeological sources dated from the second half of the 8 th - first half of the 10 th centuries: 1) spatial distribution of fortresses of the Byzantine type that guarded the Khazar borders; 2) three directions of migrations marked by catacomb burial rites of Alan tribes settled along the Khazar frontier for its protection; 3) geographical spread of burial sites displaying kurgan burials encircled with square-shaped ditches - the monuments left by the Khazar tribes proper.