Conclusion 283
Nomadism or the nomadic tradition in Khazaria should be understood not
as the dominant type of economy, but as the economic practice of nomadic
groups of a sometimes vague status and even numbers. The main ideas and
beliefs of the steppe communities were brought to Khazaria and preserved
there. They were typical for the larger part of the khaganate’s population
(mainly the bearers of the Saltovo culture—the Khazars, Bulgars and the
Alans). The border areas along the periphery of the state (the tributary regions)
changed, but this did not affect its stability as a whole. The Khazar Khaganate
was destroyed when its central (inner) lands were subjected to attacks and
destruction. They were the ones that had a mixed economy. The pasture-lands
(both mountain and steppe ones) in a way played the role of their periphery.
It could be argued that the steppe territory was a vast economic periphery of
centers that controlled it and which had a mixed economy. The agricultural
sectors of the steppe state (internal or external) provided all the goods neces-
sary for its survival regardless of its relations with the classic sedentary states,
situated in the south.
The reasons most often associated with the downfall of the Khazar
Khaganate are derived from the general theory of the nomadic economy. This
concerns the dependence of the nomadic economy on its subject farmers
and the strong centrifugal tendencies, existing in such a society that could be
managed only by military force. The resources for this force (the army) were
supplied mainly from external sources. Also of particular importance for the
prestige of the ruler and for the revenues of the treasury was international
trade. This theory regards the existence and destruction of a state as largely
dependant on external (often also civilizational) factors. Rejecting the possi-
bility of internal development, it misses important guidelines for the study of
statehood in the steppes beyond the influence of the southern civilizations
whose brilliance is sometimes overwhelming. And the steppe statehood is an
ancient tradition with ideological roots going far back into the Bronze Age that
is related to communities whose economy was not always dominated by stock-
breeding. A descendant of this same tradition is the Khazar Khaganate.