The Huns! The name of this ancient people triggers a multiplicity of responses and evokes a number of images (nearly all of them negative). They have been portrayed as a savage people, who contributed little to world history. But is this really the case? In this podcast, Tristan was joined by Professor Hyun-Jin Kim to talk about the emergence of the Huns in the west in the late 4th century, and the striking geopolitical changes that their rapid expansion brought about. Hyun-Jin dismantles the portrayal that all the Huns did was destroy and plunder and highlights the remarkable structure of this ancient empire. The first unified empire in Europe beyond Rome’s borders.

Hyun-Jin is a Professor in Classics at the University of Melbourne, Australia. He is the author of The Huns, published by Routledge in 2016.