The word Mongol first appeared in historical records during the eighth century, yet its true origins remain shrouded in the mists of ancient etymology. Some scholars propose the name derives from Mongkhe-tengri-gal, meaning Eternal Sky Fire, while others trace it to the personal name Mùgüĺü, the progenitor of the Rouran Khaganate. This linguistic ambiguity mirrors the complex ethnic genesis of the Mongols, who are bound together by a common heritage descending from the Proto-Mongols. Their indigenous dialects collectively form the Mongolian language, spoken across a vast contiguous geographical area known as the Mongol heartland. The ethnogenesis of these peoples is largely linked to the expansion of Ancient Northeast Asians, with their pastoralist lifestyle possibly derived from the Western Steppe Herders, though without significant gene flow between the two groups. This suggests a profound cultural transmission rather than a simple biological merger. The Donghu, a nomadic confederation occupying eastern Mongolia and Manchuria, are often cited as the earliest proto-Mongol ancestors, though some historical texts claim a mixed Xiongnu-Donghu ancestry for certain tribes like the Khitan. The Donghu are mentioned by Sima Qian as existing in Inner Mongolia north of Yan between 699 and 632 BCE, alongside the Shanrong. Unofficial Chinese sources such as the Yi Zhou Shu project the Donghu's activities back to the Shang dynasty, which lasted from 1600 to 1046 BCE, although the Hu were not mentioned among the non-Shang fang-countries in the extant oracle bones from that period. The Xianbei formed part of the Donghu confederation and possibly had some independence within it, as well as from the Zhou dynasty. During the Warring States period, the poem The Great Summons in the anthology Verses of Chu mentions small-waisted and long-necked Xianbei women, highlighting the distinct physical characteristics attributed to them in ancient Chinese literature. The Xianbei chieftain was appointed joint guardian of the ritual torch along with Chu viscount Xiong Yi, indicating their integration into the broader political and ritual landscape of the time. These early Xianbei came from the nearby Zhukaigou culture, which flourished between 2200 and 1500 BCE in the Ordos Desert, where maternal DNA corresponds to the Mongol Daur people and the Tungusic Evenks. The Zhukaigou Xianbei had trade relations with the Shang, establishing early economic ties that would shape their future development. After the Donghu were defeated by Xiongnu king Modu Chanyu, the Xianbei and Wuhuan survived as the main remnants of the confederation. Tadun Khan of the Wuhuan, who died in 207 AD, was the ancestor of the proto-Mongolic Kumo Xi. The Wuhuan are of the direct Donghu royal line, and the New Book of Tang states that in 209 BCE, Modu Chanyu defeated the Wuhuan instead of using the word Donghu. The Xianbei, however, were of the lateral Donghu line and had a somewhat separate identity, although they shared the same language with the Wuhuan. In 49 AD, the Xianbei ruler Bianhe raided and defeated the Xiongnu, killing 2000, after having received generous gifts from Emperor Guangwu of Han. The Xianbei reached their peak under Tanshihuai, who reigned from 156 to 181, and expanded their vast but short-lived confederation. Three prominent groups split from the Xianbei state as recorded by the Chinese histories: the Rouran, the Khitan people, and the Shiwei. The Shiwei, a subtribe called the Shiwei Menggu, is held to be the origin of the Genghisid Mongols. Their culture was nomadic, their religion shamanism or Buddhism, and their military strength formidable. There is still no direct evidence that the Rouran spoke Mongolic languages, although most scholars agree that they were Proto-Mongolic. The Khitan, however, had two scripts of their own and many Mongolic words are found in their half-deciphered writings. Geographically, the Tuoba Xianbei ruled the southern part of Inner Mongolia and northern China, the Rouran ruled eastern Mongolia, western Mongolia, the northern part of Inner Mongolia and northern Mongolia, the Khitan were concentrated in the eastern part of Inner Mongolia north of Korea, and the Shiwei were located to the north of the Khitan. These tribes and kingdoms were soon overshadowed by the rise of the First Turkic Khaganate in 555, the Uyghur Khaganate in 745, and the Yenisei Kirghiz states in 840. The Tuoba were eventually absorbed into China. The Rouran fled west from the Göktürks and either disappeared into obscurity or, as some say, invaded Europe as the Avars under their Khan, Bayan I. Some Rouran under Tatar Khan migrated east, founding the Tatar confederation, who became part of the Shiwei. The Khitans, who were independent after their separation from the Kumo Xi of Wuhuan origin in 388, continued as a minor power in Manchuria until one of them, Abaoji, who lived from 872 to 926, established the Liao dynasty, which lasted from 916 to 1125.