The political landscape of Turkic Khaganate at the beginning of Kai-yuan(开元)era as seen from the Tonyukuk inscriptions
The political turmoil of the Turkic Khaganate in the 4th year of the Kai-yuan(开元)era(716 CE)marks a pivotal point for understanding the evolvement of political order in Eurasia during the 7th and 8th centuries.One of the central figures involved in this political upheaval,Tonyukuk,is only briefly mentioned in Chinese historical sources;however,a wealth of information was recorded by his commemorative stele.As such,the Tonyukuk inscriptions becomes a key context in interpreting the his-torical events during this period.By contextualising the Turkish inscription in its specific historical set-ting,issues such as the timing of the stele's erection,its focus on the reign of Ilterish Qapaghan,and the reason for using large characters in the first line of the inscription can all be satisfactorily re-solved.The same political setting also explained why the narrative on the commemorative stele of another key figure in the coup,Kul Tigin,abruptly ends in the 4th year of the Kai-yuan era.
万方数据
维普
