Pastoral Peoples on the Pastoral Peoples on the Global StageGlobal Stage

Pastoral Peoples on the Pastoral Peoples on the Global StageGlobal Stage

The Mongol MomentThe Mongol Moment

1200-15001200-1500

Looking Back and Around: The Long History of Pastoral

NomadsThe World of Pastoral Societies

1. Small populations on large amounts of land

2. High levels of social and gender equality

3. Mobile but in contact with settled agriculturalists

4. Tribal alliances and military power of horsemen

A. Small populations on large landsB. Social and gender equality

A. Less productive than agriculturalists*specialized in living off unproductive lands*could sustain herds *lived on meat, milk and blood rather than grains

B. Low population and simple social structures

*Women engaged in most same tasks as men

*Herding and riding

C. Mobile but contact with settled peopleD. Tribal alliances and military power of

horsemen

C. Needed products of settle communities

*disdained agriculturalists yet

*Frequently exchanged animal products for manufactured goods of the towns

D. Without urban centers was hard to sustain a state system

*charismatic individuals could forge alliances

*strength of union depended on the wealth coming in so could fall apart more easily

Changing images of pastoral peoples

• Bad press for nomads

• Sources of urban centers

• Winners write history

• A new history of nomadic achievements

Was Mongol violence unique?

1) Bad press2) sources for urban centers

1) Most histories have a very dim view of nomadic people, only noting when they threatened another society.

2) Part of the problem is that historians use written sources from settled areas that were threatened by nomadic forces.

3) Winners write history4) A new view of achievements

• 3) most nomadic people were taken over by settled societies, thus the histories written were often disdainful of nomads

• 4) more modern historians have taken a fresh look and now stress their role in creating a world system (diffusion)

Mongol Violence?• Looking back at the horrors of the

twentieth century --puts this violence in perspective--obviously they were not the only brutal people in history--far from it.