Makkay János: A magyarság keltezése – A Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok Megyei Múzeumok közleményei 48. (1994)
splinter groups of non-Turkic peoples, as for example Slavs, were swept away by the Turkic nomads moving in from the Pontic Steppes into the Carpathian-Danubian basin. It is more than probable that the large area of common [Proto]Slavic language was broken up into major regions (i.e. those which became East, West and South Slavic) by the invasion of early Avars around AD. 567. There is reason to suppose not only that during the course of these migrations the Slavic groups were swept into the Carpathian Basin under the pressure of the early Avarians (and later of the Kuvratian Onogurs), but that the same also happened with speakers of already dialectised Proto-Ugrian, i.e. *Proto-Hungarian dialects. These in their former protohabitats in the forest steppe belt had lived under the rule of these Turkic chiefdoms. It may be taken as almost certain that groups speaking Proto-Hungarian lived in Great Bulgaria. The most consistent theme of Bolgaro —Rus' relations was competition for control over the Finno-Ugric forest peoples, a theme that persisted until destruction of the Volga —Bolgár state by the Mongols in 1236-1237. Also the ethnic unit which migrated under Kuber into the Carpathian — Danubian area of the Avars may have included Finno —Ugric groups. This chapter (3.1—5.) provides some indirect evidence in support of this thesis, including the fact that written sources from the 6th —8th centuries remain totally silent about the ethnic composition of the Avarian Chief dom in the Carpathian Basin. These sources only provide a small amount of information on the leading persons in the Avarian khaganat and therefore the surviving personal names are Turkic. Another question is the name Теша, applied to the German Gepids, or Vandals, or both, and its reflex in Hungarian, tót, that comes from a reconstructed IE root teu-ta 'people, land, mass of people'. In the Hungarian area it denotes only Slavic tribes, at first the Slavonians to the SW, and then later other groups as well. The Gepids must have survived the rule of the Huns and early Avars until the coming together with the Kuvratian Onogurs of the first Hungarian speakers at latest between AD. 670—680. Surviving Gepids are mentioned in Byzantine sources relating the events of AD. 599 and traces of a Gepid population in Pannónia can be found as late as AD. 871—873 . The same sources also mention Slavs and tribes of inner (or internal) Barbarian peoples, other Barbarians, peoples living near to the frontiers of the Avars and 216
