REITERNOMADEN DES SCHWARZMEERRAUMS (KUTRIGUREN UND UTIGUREN) UND BYZANTINISCHE DIPLOMATIE IM 6. JAHRHUNDERT.

The article analyzes the interactions between the Byzantine Empire and the nomadic Kutrigur and Utigur peoples during the reign of emperor Justinian I in the 6th century. Taking two plundering incursions into Byzantine territory by the Kutrigurs in 551 and 559 as a starting point, the author discusses the geographic contact zones between the two polities, the Balkan region and the Pontic-Caspian steppe. He describes political change and disintegration among 6th-century Huns and also reflects on the historiographical problem that most available sources are written from the perspective of Roman or Byzantine historians. He concludes by outlining the diplomatic strategies the sedentary Byzantine state used to hold its nomadic neighbors in check.