Instructions:
Step 1 - Steppe lands
and Pastoralism
Activity 1: Explore the
Websites Steppe
,and Wikipidea:
Steppe. Define Steppe land. Analyze how the geography of
this climatic zone affects social development among human settlements in
these areas.
Activity 2: Go to the
ArcIMS
Viewer to explore Central Asian Steppe lands. Follow the
instructions below
- Click the Zoom out
button, then place the cursor in the middle of the map.
- Choose "Topography" as
the Visible and Active Layer then hit "Refresh." Using the
"Toggle Between Legend and Layer List" and "Identify" buttons on the
right hand side, identify the major elevated areas of Central
Asia. According to the information found in the websites above,
what areas on the map could you identify as possible Steppe land
regions? You should also remove "Topography" from your visible
layer and chose "Physiography" instead to further familiarize yourself
with the mountain ranges of the region.
- Now remove
"Physiography" from your visible layer and chose "Natural Vegetation"
as your visible and active layer. Don't forget to hit
refresh. Identify all the areas on the map shown as Steppe
lands." How close were your predictions? If your prognosis
was not on target, you may wish to review the websites above to
clarify why steppe lands exist where they do. Make "Modern
Countries" your active layer. Identify those countries today
that claim significant pieces of the Eurasian Steppe lands for your
own contemporary reference.
Activity 3: Explore the Websites: Hunting
and Gathering: Pastoralism and Nomadic Challenges and
Civilized Responses and Pastoralism. Define Pastoralism.
Describe, based on the information available to you here, what a
pastoral society in the Central Asian steppes might
have been like 3,000 years ago. What animals were involved? What
kind of technology had they developed. Now read the information at Traditional
Cultures in Central Asia to find more specific information to
complete your description.
- Go back to the ArcIMS
Viewer. Remove "Modern Countries" as a visible and active
layer. Select "Nomadic Belt" and "Natural Vegetation" as
visible layers with "Natural Vegetation" being active. The
nomadic belt shows a wide swath across the Eurasian land mass where
pastoralism predominated. Note that many areas labeled as "Shrub
land" and "Desert" fall within this belt. Depending on average
rain fall, these areas could support pastoralism at different time in
history. Also note that some steppe land falls above the nomadic
belt. Why do you think that is? Also note that this nomadic belt
was dotted with numerous oasis or rivers that could be irrigated.
Thus, parts of the nomadic belt were suitable for sedentary
agriculture. Based on your reading so far, what relationship do you
think pastoral groups had with these sedentary societies?
Activity 4:
To explore an early pastoral cultural group in Central Asia, go to The
Scythians.
- Go back to the ArcIMS
Viewer. Keep "Nomadic Belt" and "Natural Vegetation" as
visible layers but add "Scythians." Why did Scythian culture
expand so far in the steppe lands? What key economic and
cultural features distinguished the Scythians? What relations
did they have with more settled communities in the region?
- One visible layer at a
time, chose "Huns," "Xiongnu," "Uighurs,"and " Kyrgyz Turks." Be
sure to hit "Refresh" each time you add a layer." In the end,
you might want to remove "Natural Vegetation" and "Modern Countries"
for a better view. These layers show different pastoral groups
in Central Asia and areas they dominated in different periods of
time. For more on the "Uighurs," for example, see All
Empires: The Orkhon Uigher Empire. Most pastoral societies
here have fallen into several large linguistic categories. (See
The Steppe
People of Asia.) Why do you think pastoral groups controlled
such large areas of the steppes? Why was warfare between each
other and settled societies they encountered such a normal
occurrence? How might have this warfare shaped the political and
cultural history of the region? (Hint: Remember that pastoral
societies were highly mobile.) How do you think the mobility of
these societies might affect the history of the entire Eurasian land
mass? For a brief preview, see InfoPlease:
Turks - Early Migrations and Empires. Make a list of all the
means through which you think these pastoral groups influenced the
history of Eurasia. Keep this list in mind when completing the
remaining steps.
Step 2 - The Classical Era - 500 BCE
- 500CE: Central Asia Pastoral Societies, State Formation, and Cross
Cultural Exchange
Activity 1: To begin
exploring the role of Central Asian Pastoral Societies during the
Classical Era of Eurasian history, go to the ArcIMS
Viewer. Remove "Modern Countries" as a visible layer.
Make "Nomadic Belt" a visible layer. Using the "Zoom Out" and
"Pan" (shaped like a hand" buttons, manipulate the map to show the
entire nomadic belt. Now make "Classical Empires" a visible and
active layer. Identify these empires that flourished in the first
century C.E. (You might consult your text to identify empires that
preceded each in these regions.) Note these great empires of East
Asia, South Asia, Iran, and the Mediterranean World all bordered the
pastoral belt.
Activity 2: Now make
"Classical Steppe Peoples" a visible and active layer. (You might
want to remove "Classical Empires" as a visible layer for
clarity.) Use the "Toggle Between Layer List" to note the
legend. This layer shows linguistic groupings with the pastoral
world of Eurasia. Using the identify key, place your cursor on
various parts of this layer and notice that some of the linguistic
groups are broken down further into tribes. What kind of
predictions can you make about relations between these empires and
steppe peoples?
Activity 3: Make "Nomadic
Belt", "Classical Empires" and "Xiongnu" visible layers. To study
the relations between the Xiongnu and the Han Dynasty in East Asia,
explore Chinese
History: The Xiongnu, The Xiongnu Culture -
Third Century BCE, and All
Empires: The Xiong Nu. Describe relations between the two
groups? How did each groups behavior affect the history of both
empires? Why did the Chinese build massive fortifications in
Northern China. (To view them, make "Fortifications" the visible
layer.) Where else to you see similar construction?
Activity 4: Other
classical empires experienced similar relations. Keep "Classical
Empires" and "Xiongnu" as visible layers. Now make "Huns" a
visible layer. (You might need to turn "Classical Empires" off as
a visible layer to grasp the full extent of the Hunnic Empire. Be
sure to turn the layer back on when finished.) To read more of the
impact of the Huns on Roman society, see All Empires: The
Huns and The
Huns. How did Hunnic migrations affect the Roman Empire?
How similar were Roman and Hunnic relations to the Han and
Xiongnu?
Activity 5: For another
example of steppe peoples' interaction with settled societies during
this time, see Kushan Empire:
ca 2nd Century B.C. - 3rd Century A.D. Who were the
Kushan? How were they affected by events already explored in this
step? To see the kingdom they created, make "Kushans" a visible
layer. The Kushans show what would become a typical pattern among
pastoral groups in Central Asia. Whether because of warfare or
climate change, many pastoral groups would conquer and rule over settled
and urban populations. In particular, various pastoral groups
fought over the oasis cities of the deserts and shrub land of Central
Asia. For better understanding, make "Nomadic Belt" and "Natural
Vegetation" visible layers. (Remove "Classical Steppe Peoples,"
"Classical Empires," "Huns," "Xiongnu," and "Kushan." Make
"Natural Vegetation" the active layer. Now make "Historic Cities"
a visible layer. Locate cities found in desert or shrub
land. How do you think these cities found enough water to support
sustainable agriculture? How else might these cities acquire the
agricultural resources they needed? Why do you think these cities
became important to pastoral peoples? (Note: Almost all the cities
fall within the nomadic belt.)
Activity 6: You have by no
doubt seen references to the Silk Road or trade routes that connected
the classical empires and classical steppe peoples during this era in
world history. To view these trade routes, make "Classical
Empires", "Nomadic Belt" and "Trade Routes" visible layers. Switching
back and forth between the visible layers, "Topography" and "Natural
Vegetation," explain the physical barriers that these trade routes
overcame. To identify some of these barriers, switch "Topography
Labels" to a visible layer. Now add "Historical Cities." How
did these cities facilitate long distance trade? To learn more
about how these trade routes emerged, explore The Silk Road up to
the section "The Greatest Years." For images see "Pictures."
Explain how did the steppe people of Central Asia affected the growth of
these networks? How did they help to "unify" Eurasia? What
were some of the consequences of this cross cultural exchange during the
classical era? For further information see Buddhism and Its
Spread along the Silk Road and Origins
of the Silk Road.
Step 3: The
Postclassical Era - 500-1200 CE - Central Asia Pastoral
Societies, State Formation, and Cross Cultural Exchange
Activity 1: To begin
studying this era in Central Asia, go to the ArcIMS
Viewer. Remove "Modern Countries" as a visible layer.
Make "Nomadic Belt," and "Post Classical Empires" visible
layers. Make the latter an active layer. Identify
these two major empires of the early Postclassical period. For
further information read The Exoticism in Tang
(618-907). For the Abbasid Caliphate begin with the
essay Ummayad
Territorial Expansion and then see The Abbasid
Dynasty. Why do you think Chinese and Muslim leaders fought
over the nomadic regions of Central Asia. For clues, add "Historic
Cities" and "Trade Routes" as visible layers. For further
information see Battle of
Talas 751.
Activity 2: During the
latter Postclassical Era, several new states appeared in Eurasia.
To explore them, turn off "Post Classical Empires" as a visible layer
and turn on "Post Classical Steppe States" instead. Make "Post
Classical Steppe States" your active layer. Using the "Toggle
Between Legend and Layer List" and "Identify" keys, locate the Seljuk,
Tangut, Khitan, and Delhi Sultanate states. Describe their
location. All of these states were founded by Central Asian
pastoral groups as Abbasid and Tang power waned after the ninth
century. Explain this process. Why do you think these
pastoral groups moved into these areas? Why was this
possible? (You might want to turn "Post Classical Empires" back on
as an active layer.) Note: The Song Empire in China found on the
"Post Classical Steppe States" was the successor to the Tang Dynasty and
not a steppe state.
For further information see
The
Islamic World to 1600: Central Asia, The
Muslim Period in Indian History, Liao
Dynasty, and Western Xia
Dynasty. When finished, ponder the question: How
did pastoral groups affect state formation during this era?
Activity 3: The
Postclassical Era is often referred to as the Greatest Years of
the Silk Road. Trade Routes through Central Asia played a crucial
role in cross-cultural transmission during this time. Go to the ArcIMS
Viewer. Remove "Modern Countries" as a visible layer and Make
"Trade Routes," "Historic Cities" and "Nomadic Belt" visible. Now
make "Post Classical Empires" visible. Remove "Post Classical
Empires" and make "Post Classical Steppe States" visible. For
further information on the importance of these trade routes, see Silk
Road Trade Routes. As you can see, throughout wide reach of
time, most Eurasian societies were connected with each other, whether
pastoral or sedentary, through the Central Asia trade routes or Silk
Roads. And over time, not only did they trade goods with each
other, they exchanged culture. This exchange has left a lasting
influence on much of this part of the world today.
To explore cross cultural
influences, explore the various links at Monks
and Merchants. What role did each group play in cross-cultural
diffusion? Between which groups? Now explore the links at Religions
of the Silk Road. Also read the essay at Belief
Systems. Which religions did pastoral groups adopt?
Where did these religions begin? Where did they spread? How
did cross-cultural contacts affect these religions? Explore the
artwork of this era at Monks
and Merchants: Art Resources and The
Silk Road: Intercultural Exchange. Analyze how this artwork
demonstrates cross-cultural exchange and diffusion.
Activity 4: To explore the
mechanics of cross cultural diffusion along the Silk Road, explore the
links at Dunhuang: Caves
of the Singing Sands and Art at Dunhuang
Grottoes. Also see Printing.
Be sure to locate Dunhuang at the ArcIMS Viewer. Make "Natural
Vegetation" a visible and active layer. Using the "Toggle Between
Layer List and Legend" and "Information" keys, analyze the location of
this monastery. What geographic role did it play along
the trade routes? Why do you think the monks chose that
location? What role did this monastery play in cultural
transmission? How did monasteries such as this aid merchants and
travelers?
Besides humans, animals
were vital to cross-cultural transmission. Read the essay at Horses
and Camels. Review the "Natural Vegetation" layer, describe
the importance of these domestic camels to the trade routes.
While much has been written
on the great empires of the Post Classical Era, less is known about
oasis societies. One group in particular that was affected by this
extensive trade and cross cultural contact where the Sogdianan.
Make Sogdiana an active layer. Explain the area this cultural
group occupied during this era? How were they able to shape the
transmission of goods and culture during this time due to their
location? How were they, in turn, affected by their
location. For more information, read the Glories of
Sogdiana, Soghdiana,
Iranian Culture in Central Asia and The
Sogdian Ancient Letters.
Step 4 - The Mongol
Interlude (1200-1400)
Activity 1: No Central
Asian pastoral society had a deeper and broader influence on world
history than the Mongols who emerged north of China and conquered and
connected much of the Eurasian world in the thirteen the fourteenth
centuries. Go to the ArcIMS Viewer. Remove "Modern
Countries" as a visible layer. Make "Nomadic Belt" and "Trade
Routes" a visible layer. Now following in chronological order,
make each "Mongol" layer visible, but do so one step at a time. Be
sure to hit refresh after every layer is added. Do not make
"Mongol Khans" visible yet. Now make "Natural Vegetation" a
visible and active layer. Describe, geographically, the areas the
Mongols conquered. Was the area desert, steppe land, or forest,
etc.? Turn on "Trade Routes" and "Historic Cities." Turn off
"Natural Vegetation" and make "Mongol Khans" visible. Now turn off
all other "Mongol layers." These are the territories the
Mongols settled down to rule after their major conquest. Using the
"Toggle Between Layer List and Legend" key, identify the various
territorial organizations. Why do you think they chose the areas
they did? What impact do you think this had on the trade routes
through Central Asia? Considering your studies, had one political
group ever controlled the trade routes to this extent? What impact
do you think Mongol control had on these trade routes?
Activity 2: Do
further examine the questions from activity one read the
following
Review Activity and
revise your responses to the questions.
Activity 3: Now read The
Mongols in World History: The Mongols Mark on World
History. How did the Mongols accelerated cross cultural
processes that you explored in Step III? How did they encourage
the diffusion of technology, religion, ideas, and other cultural
items? For a list of technological diffusion the Mongols helped to
initiate see Medieval
Technology Timeline. Compare this list to Chinese
Technology. But trade routes also transmitted less
desirable items. The Mongol interlude culminates with the spread
of the bubonic plague over much of Eurasia. (See The Plague Death:
The Bubonic Plague.) How did Mongol rule over the trade routes
contribute to this pandemic?
