▁E uras ian ▁Ste ppe , ▁which ▁include ▁the ▁r ul ers ' ▁divine ▁ancest ry . ▁At ▁the ▁head ▁of ▁the ▁cl an ▁was ▁the ▁Khan , ▁who ▁re igned ▁as ▁the ▁head ▁of ▁state , ▁military ▁leader , ▁and ▁probably ▁high ▁priest ▁of ▁the ▁Bulgar ▁god , ▁Tang ra . ▁ ▁Research ▁history ▁ ▁Most ▁of ▁what ▁is ▁known ▁about ▁the ▁cl an ▁is ▁written ▁in ▁the ▁Nom inal ia ▁of ▁the ▁Bulgar ian ▁k h ans . ▁The ▁Nom inal ia ▁lists ▁as ▁the ▁first ▁r uler ▁myth ical ▁Av it oh ol , ▁who ▁lived ▁ 3 0 0 ▁years ▁and ▁desc ended ▁from ▁the ▁D ulo ▁cl an . ▁Josef ▁Mar qu art ▁and ▁many ▁other ▁histor ians ▁identified ▁Av it oh ol ▁with ▁Att ila ▁the ▁Hun . ▁Steven ▁R unc iman ▁considered ▁the ▁connection ▁possible , ▁but ▁susp icious ▁and ▁un important ▁if ▁the ▁link ▁between ▁Ir nik - Er nak ▁is ▁confirmed . ▁R unc iman ▁considered ▁the ▁name ▁Av it oh ol ▁meaning less ▁and ▁its ▁bib lic al ▁origin ▁more ▁convin cing . ▁He ▁considered ▁that ▁the ▁mission aries ▁were ▁spread ing ▁Old ▁Testament ▁stories ▁around ▁the ▁E uras ian ▁Ste pp es , ▁as ▁well ▁the ▁story ▁of ▁Jap h eth , ▁the ▁ancest or ▁of ▁E uras ian ▁people , ▁which ▁easily ▁mod ifies ▁into ▁the ▁Latin ▁name ▁Av it us ▁( anc est ral ; ▁grand father ) ▁and ▁Turkish ▁Aw it ▁( anc est or ) ▁it ▁der ives