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282 THE GUPTA EMPIRE AND THE WHITE HUNS " augmenting and victorious." The conclusion is, there- fore, legitimate that the victory over the barbarian in- vaders was gained at the beginning of the reign, and was sufficiently decisive to secure the tranquillity of all parts of the empire for a considerable number of years. But, about 465 A. D., a fresh swarm of nomads poured across the frontier, and occupied Gandhara, or the Northwestern Pan jab, where a " cruel and vindictive ' chieftain usurped the throne of the Kushans and " practised the most barbarous atrocities." A little later, about 470, the Huns advanced into the interior and again attacked Skandagupta in the heart of his dominions. He was unable to continue the successful resistance which he had offered in the earlier days of his rule, and was forced at last to succumb to the re- peated attacks of the foreigners. The financial distress of his administration is very plainly indicated by the abrupt debasement of the coinage in his later years. The death of Skandagupta may be assumed to have occurred in or about the year 480. When he passed away, the empire perished, but the dynasty remained, and was continued in the eastern provinces for many generations. Skanda left no heir male capable of under- taking the cares of government in a time of such stress, and was accordingly succeeded on the throne of Ma- gadha and the adjacent districts by his half-brother, Puragupta, the son of Kumaragupta I by Queen Ananda. The reign of this prince was apparently very brief,