Review of the monograph by v. E. Voitov “turks of the ashina clan: genealogy. Chronology. History. M. ; spb. , 2022. 764 p. ”

Abstract

In 2022, the monograph by V.E. Voitov "Turks of the Ashina clan: Genealogy. Chronology. History" was published. It was the result of his many years of research into the archaeology and history of the Central Asian Turks. Unless the introduction, conclusion, bibliography and other secondary sections, the monograph includes two chapters: the first is dedicated to the legendary ancestors of the Turks and the First Eastern Turkic Khaganate, while the second one is devoted to the period of subjugation of the Turks to China and the Second Eastern Turkic Khaganate. The presentation of historical events is based on descriptions of replacing each other Turkic khagans. However, the main feature of this monograph can be characterized as V.E. Voitov's excessive borrowing and citation of texts by historians, archaeologists and sinologists. In fact, approximately 90% of the book consists of extensive quotations from other authors. This is why V.E. Voitov can be considered more the compiler of information on the Ashina Turks than the author of an original and fundamental study on this topic. Most interesting and compelling is V.E. Voitov's opinion on the absence of an Altai period in the early history of the Tugyu Turks and on the settlement of the Altai by the Tiele tribes in the early Middle Ages.