Chapt. 12 Pastoral Peoples on the Global Stage

The history of the earliest civilizations all began with the spread of nomadic tribes, seeking fertile land with enough supply of water to make a living. Originally, nomads wandered the regions of Eurasia, settling in one area and then moving on to the next when conditions proved to be unbearable. Eventually, many nomads established themselves in small communities which paved the way for expansion into cities and then society. However, not all tribes were situated in cities; the Mongolians were known to have created a civilization that had cities or empires to expand their way of life. They made use of the land they lived by using their livestock for food producing and transportation. Thus, these people are remembered as pastoral nomads - tribes who had their cattle as their means to survive. Pastoral societies were rather small and more community based when it came down to raising the livestock. They weren't as productive, but their unique techniques of herding cattle assured them a plentiful supply of food and useful transportation. Everyone shared a common ancestry and there arose nobles or the wealthiest of the pastoral people, depending on who had the largest flock. Women were highly regarded in the pastoral way of life and many were political advisors or involved in military affairs. They were as skilled as the men on horseback and could make anything from skin to leather-made material. The role of pastoral women, though, was frowned upon by some Western writers and Chinese scholars at the time. One great characteristic the pastoral tribes had was their capability to mobilize their villages if they needed to find a safe, better land. Of course, they couldn't survive on their own without the interaction with their other agricultural neighbors. Food, goods, and luxury items were available within the neighboring farming communities. Tribal feuds often existed between the pastoral people as maintaining enough wealth to build armies and establish a political system were difficult to put together. The pastorals then spread out to the different religions in the regio, such as Christianity and Islam, to help become acquainted with other people's ways. Pastoral life styles began to change as all tribes came together to form a centralized political system, which created civilizations that became empires in India, Persia, and China. Perhaps the largest land based empire to arise out of Eurasia was the Mongolian empire. The Mongols had a truly, fascinating culture with shamans whom they used to predict the empire's future and the outcome that followed. Mongolian troops went out all across Eurasia, allowing the empire to settle in those lands and make it their own. The military was not as large as most, but with dedicated leadership of their ruler, Chinnggis Khan, the Mongolian armies were far more organized, better led, and many worthy men from various tribes were mixed within the units. The Mongolian empire soon expanded its borders as far as Western Europe, creating a vast system of trade and cultural network. It came with a price, though, as the plague start up in much of Eurasia, then on to China, and finally most of Europe. Nomadic existance is one source that historians have attempted to try to interpret. It was hard at first for the most advanced civilizations then portrayed the nomads as bloodthirsty barbarians, who's only thought was to bring chaos to others and leave destruction in their path. Due to no record of any written language, historians have had to rely on "less-than-unbiased observers" for what is remembered of the nomadic tribes thousands of years ago. Many have concluded, however, that no matter how history tells it, nomads set the foundations for civilization by adapting to inhospitable environments, creating many tools, provide technological innovations, and make use of livestock as the first means of transporting themselves throughout the region. If it hadn't been for them, where would society be today?