Editing Croats (section)

====Croat ethnogenesis====
[[File:Distribution of Croatian ethnonym in the Middle Ages.jpg|thumb|255px|left|The range of Slavic ceramics of the [[Penkovka culture|Prague-Penkovka culture]] marked in black, all known ethnonyms of Croats are within this area. Presumable migration routes of Croats are indicated by arrows, per V.V. Sedov (1979).]]
Much uncertainty revolves around the exact circumstances of their appearance given the scarcity of literary sources during the 7th and 8th century [[Middle Ages]]. Traditionally, scholarship has placed the arrival of the [[White Croats]] from [[White Croatia|Great/White Croatia]] in Eastern Europe in the early 7th century, primarily on the basis of the later [[Byzantine]] document ''[[De Administrando Imperio]]''. As such, the arrival of the Croats was seen as part of main wave or a second wave of Slavic migrations, which took over Dalmatia from [[Avar Khaganate|Avar hegemony]]. However, as early as the 1970s, scholars questioned the reliability of [[Constantine VII|Porphyrogenitus]]' work, written as it was in the 10th century. Rather than being an accurate historical account, ''De Administrando Imperio'' more accurately reflects the political situation during the 10th century. It mainly served as Byzantine propaganda praising Emperor [[Heraclius]] for repopulating the [[Balkans]] (previously devastated by the [[Pannonian Avars|Avars]], [[Sclaveni]] and [[Antes (people)|Antes]]) with Croats, who were seen by the Byzantines as tributary peoples living on what had always been 'Roman land'.<ref>{{Harvard citation text|Curta|2006|p=138}}</ref>

Scholars have hypothesized the name Croat (''Hrvat'') may be [[Iranian languages|Iranian]], thus suggesting that the Croatians were possibly a [[Sarmatians|Sarmatian]] tribe from the [[Pontus (region)|Pontic]] region who were part of a larger movement at the same time that the Slavs were moving toward the [[Adriatic Sea|Adriatic]]. The major basis for this connection was the perceived similarity between ''Hrvat'' and [[Tanais Tablets|inscriptions]] from the [[Tanais]] dated to the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD, mentioning the name {{transliteration|grc|Khoro(u)athos}}. Similar arguments have been made for an alleged [[Goths|Gothic]]-Croat link. Whilst there is possible evidence of population continuity between Gothic and Croatian times in parts of Dalmatia, the idea of a Gothic origin of Croats was more rooted in 20th century [[Ustaše]] political aspirations than historical reality.<ref>{{harvtxt|Dzino|2010|p=20}}</ref>