Nomadic peoples lived in the vast steppe region of Central Eurasia, moving on horseback while engaging in pastoralism. From several centuries BCE, these nomads formed powerful states and developed distinctive political and military organizations different from those of settled agricultural civilizations.
The Scythians (7th–3rd Centuries BCE)
- Iranian-speaking nomads who spread across the steppes north of the Black Sea
- Considered the first full-scale mounted nomadic state, skilled in horsemanship and archery
- Famous for goldwork featuring distinctive animal motifs (animal combat designs)
- Their way of life is described in detail in Herodotus’s Histories
The Xiongnu (3rd Century BCE–1st Century CE)
- A confederated nomadic state centered on the Mongolian Plateau. Their ethnic origins are unknown
- Modu Chanyu unified them around 200 BCE and defeated Liu Bang, Emperor Gaozu of Han, at the Battle of Baideng Mountain
- Relations with the Han: Qin and Han China developed the Great Wall to resist Xiongnu invasions. The Han sometimes compromised through a “peace and kinship policy” (sending princesses and giving silk cloth)
- They split into northern and southern Xiongnu in the 1st century and declined because of Later Han counterattacks and internal conflict
Key Points
Relations between the Xiongnu and Han: In 200 BCE, Liu Bang of Han was surrounded by the Xiongnu at the Battle of Baideng Mountain and made a humiliating peace. Afterward, the Han maintained relations through “peace and kinship” (gifts of silk and grain plus marriage to a princess). During the reign of Emperor Wu (141–87 BCE), Zhang Qian was sent to the Western Regions, and the Han began an active counterattack while seeking to attack the Xiongnu from both sides.
Relations between the Xiongnu and Han: In 200 BCE, Liu Bang of Han was surrounded by the Xiongnu at the Battle of Baideng Mountain and made a humiliating peace. Afterward, the Han maintained relations through “peace and kinship” (gifts of silk and grain plus marriage to a princess). During the reign of Emperor Wu (141–87 BCE), Zhang Qian was sent to the Western Regions, and the Han began an active counterattack while seeking to attack the Xiongnu from both sides.
The Secrets of the Strength of Mounted Nomads
The military power of nomadic peoples lay in their high mobility and mounted archery. The heavily armed infantry of farming peoples could not respond effectively to mobile cavalry forces on the vast steppes, so nomadic states compensated for their smaller populations with mobility. The spoils gained through raids and expeditions also formed an economic foundation of nomadic states.
Practice
- Give the name of the leader (chanyu) who unified the Xiongnu and describe his achievements.
- Give the name of the person whom Emperor Wu of Han sent to the Western Regions to encircle the Xiongnu and state his purpose.
- Give two reasons why the Scythians are considered the first mounted nomadic state.