Pastoralism Essay

Pastoral societies, while diverse in themselves, shared many specific features that clearly distinguished them from early agricultural civilizations. People in these communities generally lived in small and widely scattered encampments, maintained less productive economies, and organized themselves in kin-based groups. Ultimately, the most distinctive and characteristic feature of these pastoral societies was their frequent mobility, as environmental conditions largely dictated where they could settle and for how long (Strayer and Nelson, 389). During their migration into the civilizations of Eurasia, pastoral nomads provided early connections among the Eurasian cultures and influenced their historical development. Two of the prominent first

Like the civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt, Chinese civilization developed along great waterways and developed into a strong imperial state of large domain. Society was highly stratified, and cities and towns became economic, social, and political centers of importance. During the Xia Dynasty, which implemented a monarchial rule, Indo-European pastoral nomads began to move into Northern China. Through the Chinese connection to these nomads, China adopted skills in bronze metallurgy and the uses of chariots (Strayer and Nelson, 186). Both skills aided China in the development and strengthening of their military forces. Furthermore, metallurgy would have allowed China to build more intricate architectural temples and palaces, as well as new agricultural tools and weapons. Pastoral peoples also had a profound cultural influence on China. Notably, they began to adopt nomadic styles of dress, makeup, and music. Additionally, these new conditions resulted in the loosening of the strict patriarchy of ancient China. This weakening of China’s patriarchy would allow women to become more involved in the historical development of China politically and culturally. Nevertheless, the patriarchy of China did not cease to exist. The tone in which it was expressed, however,

Much like the other civilizations discussed, the Indus Valley civilization developed along the Indus river and was built by early indigenous people. Cities engaged in trade, population development was stimulated, and social distinctions were cultivated. It is believed that during the decline of Harappan society bands of nomadic herders began to filter into the Indian subcontinent, most prominently nomadic and pastoral peoples (Bentley Zeigler Streets-Salter, 48). These communities heavily relied on their domesticated herds of cattle as well as their horses. Similarly, to their related communities in northern and southwestern Asia, they developed horse-drawn chariots and used cattle as a means of currency. They also introduced well-defined social orders as well as a collection of religious works known as the Vedas. The Vedas reflect a society in which there was much conflict between the pastoral peoples and the indigenous peoples. Competition for resources was encouraged, and an enormous potential for conflict in many situations was created. Furthermore, their strict social hierarchy developed into what we know today as the caste system. This led to caste identities developing in the indigenous people which depended on the sharp hereditary distinctions between individuals as well as a strongly patriarchal order. Moreover, as the two communities began to build