I Woke Next to the Corpse by Edward Drobinski - HTML preview

Page 47

Little is known of the Khazars, and the “knowledge” of that which is supposed, commenced only during this decade, and is corrected and amended with each new Khazarian excavation. It has been estimated that anywhere from 18 to 28 distinct ethnically diverse groups made up the population of the Khazar Qağanate, aside from the ethnic elite. The ruling elite seem to have been constituted out of nine tribes-clans, themselves ethnically diverse, spread over perhaps nine provinces or principalities,

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each of which would have been allocated to a clan. In terms of caste or class, some evidence suggests that there was a distinction, whether racial or social is unclear. It is generally accepted that these nomadic bands were pagans until they mysteriously adopted Judaism as the official religion in the 11th century, at least at the elite level. The precise century may be off by one in either direction, depending on the

“expert” currently being read. In the overall scheme of things that matters little, but is stated here as an indication of the

“precision” with which Khazar information is presented as fact.

They “disappeared” in the 11th or 12th century, again dependent upon meagerly informed source speculation.

I Woke Next to the Corpse