It can be said that one of the layers of the transformation processes of the Balkan world occurred with the entry of elements of the Germanic kingdoms, which had dissolved as a result of the Huns advancing westward along the northern Black Sea in the late 4th century, into the Balkans. The Huns would increase their influence on the Balkans from the first half of the 5th century onwards by taking over a part of the region and carrying out political-military activities in the rest. The Huns were now faced with the ancient Roman Empire, which dominated most of this geography, and the Romans would essentially be on the defensive. Therefore, they were the object of Balkan political-military history during this period. On the other hand, those who penned the texts that shed light on the period also appear before us as the sole authors of the location during this period. Therefore, they are the subject of historiography. This study will attempt to shed light on the Balkans from the perspective of Priscus of Panium, whose work occupies a distinguished place in this ‘sole’ data pool when the Balkans and especially the Huns are considered. Because Priscus had the opportunity to observe the Balkan geography in person by taking part in one of the Eastern Roman embassy delegations sent to the Hun ruler Attila. He provided information about the cities he traveled to, the route itself and the regions on the route. When it comes to places outside the Roman geography, which also includes the north of the region in question, it is an exceptional situation to find texts based on direct observation in the literature of the period. Priscus's inclusion of the lands of the Hun Empire on the embassy route in his description provides the opportunity to access an observation area that exceeds the Roman-Hun political borders for Balkan historiography. Therefore, although it has partially survived to the present day, Priscus' work stands out from the existing and limited data pool. In order to evaluate and make sense of the Balkan description in the work, we will approach it from the perspective of extra-textual, intra-textual and inter-textual contexts. It is expected that this study, which will follow the steps of the embassy delegation, will reach a section from the Balkan panorama and the traces left by the Hun influence in the Balkans.

Huns, the Romans, Vth century, Priscus, Balkans, urban history.