Afro-Eurasia Nomadic Migration Map Analysis - CSUF History 110A

This assignment provides a map analysis of nomadic migration in Afro-Eurasia around 1200 BCE, examining the origins of nomadic peoples, the basis of their economies, and their migration patterns across Europe, the Middle East, India, China, Mongolia, and Russia. It discusses the impact of these migrations on urban cores, including the exchange of knowledge, technologies, and diseases, while also addressing the negative perceptions associated with nomadic lifestyles. The analysis considers the contributions of nomads to trade and urbanization, as well as the challenges in studying their history due to a lack of documented remains. It concludes by exploring the reasons for the negative image of nomads, stemming from their perceived exploitation of resources without contributing to the betterment of settled societies. The assignment references 'Worlds Together, Worlds Apart' by Tignor et al. (2017) to support its claims.

Map Analysis – Nomadic Migration
MAP ANALYSIS – NOMADIC MIGRATION IN AFRO-EURASIA, 1200 BCE
Where did the nomadic peoples come from?
From the beginning of civilization, humans were found to adapt two distinct ways of
lifestyle – settlers and nomadic. Nomads are people who do not have a fixed habitation, and
keep migrating from one place to another in search of a better livelihood. Even though
nomads could be found all over the world due to their migratory nature, the earliest
documented nomads were from Sudan, Egypt and other parts of Africa.
What was the basis of the economies of these nomadic invaders in Afro-Eurasia?
The Eurasian nomads came to the lands as horse breeders, and domesticated animals,
which became the basis for their economy. The nomads practiced pastoralism, which
involved an irregular pattern of herding livestock by constantly migrating to favorable
pastures.
Where did the nomadic peoples migrate to, and why?
The Eurasian nomads were one of the largest groups of nomads who invaded the
lands corresponding to the present day Europe, The Middle East, India, China, Mongolia, and
Russia. The pastoral nomads moved to the Central and South West Asia, and Northern
Africa, while the transhumant nomads moved to South and East Asia. The reasons for their
migration can be attributed to climate change and scarcity of resources (Tignor, et al., 2017,
pp 84-85).
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Map Analysis – Nomadic Migration
What was their impact on the “urban cores” of the ancient world?
At 1200 BCE, major urban cores were located in Northern Africa, South west Asia,
and the Northwestern parts of India corresponding to the Indus Valley civilization (Tignor, et
al., 2017, pp 124-125). As the nomads passed through the urban cores, they exposed the
urban people to war transport and military strategies, inventions and discoveries, crop
transfers from one place to another, and created new trade routes. However, the nomads were
also instrumental in the spread of various diseases, caused erosions of grasslands due to their
massive pastoralism, and cause a lot of wars and disturbances in a settled societies etc.
Was it only negative, or did they contribute to these societies, unwelcome as they have
been in the urban cores?
Nomads migrating to the urban cores were known to cause more harm than good, as
they migrated from one land to another using brute force and uncivilized methods. However,
nomads have been instrumental in creating trade relations with neighboring countries, and
exposing the urban settlers to novel inventions. Nomads have also been crucial to the rise of
cities, as many places they passed by became centers for business the trade, thus attracting a
lot of settler population.
Why is it that we know so little about them?
Since nomads were always migrating from one place to another, they did not leave
behind any archeological remains, and most of their style of living has remained largely un-
documented most likely due to their unique language and lifestyle, and the constant wars they
were involved in. However, recent excavations have revealed much about the nomadic
culture and lifestyle, unearthing various warfare equipments, artifacts, and items of utility.
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Map Analysis – Nomadic Migration
What does that suggest about why we generally have a negative image of them?
In civilization, every person gives back to the land what one takes from it – be it
resources or facilities. This characteristic was not exhibited by the nomads, who tended to
utilize the benefits of the land, and move away from it without giving back to it. Nomads do
not contribute to the betterment of the land, as they do not pay taxes, but rather tend to
destroy the land and its people via invasions, wars, and mass migrations. Thus, an urban
settler tends to dislike nomads, as they feel their lifestyle is being exploited by the nomads.
Most governments discourage nomads, as their movement tends to be uncontrollable, and that
they do not account for their presence and their utilization of the resources in the places of
their temporary settlement.
REFERENCES
Tignor, R. (2017). First Empires and Common Cultures in Afro-Eurasia, 1250-325 BCE. In
R. Tignor, J. Aldeman, B. Elman, P. Brown, S. Kotkin, G. Prakash, et al., Worlds
Together, Worlds Apart (pp. 124-125). W. W. Norton.
Tignor, R., Aldeman, J., Elman, B., Brown, P., Kotkin, S., Prakash, G., et al. (2017).
Nomads, Chariots, territorial States, and Microsocieties, 2000-1200 BCE. In R.
Tignor, J. Aldeman, B. Elman, P. Brown, S. Kotkin, G. Prakash, et al., Worlds
Together Worlds Apart (pp. 84-85). W. W. Norton.
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