Buckle with a scene of boar hunting – horserider of probable Xiongnu origin 2nd–1st century BC, National Museum of Antiquities of Tajikistan (public domain image)
(3) NOMADIC EMPIRES
“History is mostly a matter of hoping those psychos on horseback don’t attack this summer, steal the grain and take the slaves” – Pax Romana Youtube channel
And occasionally they would stay and make empires.
As I’ve noted for the Mongol Empire – the nomadic empire par excellence – the horse blitzkrieg was a recurring feature mounted by nomadic herding tribes, particularly by those from the steppes of central Asia, to such devastating effect against more sedentary or settled agricultural states throughout history.
“Nomadic empires, sometimes also called steppe empires, Central or Inner Asian empires, were the empires erected by the bow-wielding, horse-riding, nomadic people in the Eurasian Steppe, from classical antiquity (Scythia) to the early modern era (Dzungars). They are the most prominent example of non-sedentary polities”.
The nomadic empires exemplify what James C. Scott, in his Against the Grain, dubbed the Golden Age of the Barbarians – or what Walter Scheidel, in his Escape from Rome, dubbed the steppe effect. Or the vivid image by John Keegan in his A History of Warfare that nomadic herding tribes gained their tactical and strategic edge by essentially applying the same maneuvers in warfare as they did herding their animals. Essentially, Eurasian steppe horse nomads will always feature significantly in any general military or world history, punching above their weight (in population).
Although as Genghis Khan, the greatest nomadic emperor of them all, is reputed to have observed – it is one thing to conquer the world on horseback, it is another to dismount and rule it.
“Some nomadic empires consolidated by establishing a capital city inside a conquered sedentary state and then exploiting the existing bureaucrats and commercial resources of that non-nomadic society. In such a scenario, the originally nomadic dynasty may become culturally assimilated to the culture of the occupied nation before it is ultimately overthrown”.
One could compile a top ten nomadic empires, khanates or khaganates, and hordes – although let’s face it, the Mongols and Huns would be the big names at the top. But there’s also Cimmerians (no – not Conan), Scythians, Sarmatians, Kushans, Bulgars, Uyghurs and more.