People of <br>the steppes

In the steppes of Asia, in a huge area from Carpathian Mountains in the west to Manchuria in the east, the conditions are hostile to people. It is very cold during the winter and very hot during the summer (-40 to 40 degrees); although there is a lot of water vegetation is very poor. There is a vast grazing land with bushes and grass benefited nomadic civilizations, completely different from the rest of the world. People of the steppes were forced to move all the time in order of finding food for them and their cattle; they had to be flexible so they did not use houses but tents to live in.



They were strong and amazing warriors and riders as they usually learn how to ride first and then how to walk. The horses in the Steppes were small in size, compare to the Arabic, but way more stable. The number of people, the size of the herds and the supply of grazing land were always in a delicate balance in the Asian steppes. If there was a drought in the summer, war was the result as different tribes will fight for survival. If a drought lasted longer than the others, then mass immigration would follow in search for new land, food and wealth. The Chinese had built the Great wall for protection from them.


In the 2nd century AD the people of the steppes which included Huns, Bulgarians and many other Asian tribes of Mongolic and Turkic origin, began to move to the west. Their wandering lasted for centuries. The passed from the desserts of Mongolia and west Siberia, some stayed on the north of the Caspian, some others in riverside of Volga where they adopted the name Bulgarians. Other continued northwest towards the Black sea and the steppes of north Russia. They looted cities and villages in their way, slaughtering the residents except of those who were taking as slaves. Those people contributed in the increase of their population as they were eventually adapted.



One of the most hostile tribes was the Huns. When the rumor that they had passed the river Volga was spread in 374, so great was the terror that led to the mass immigration of German tribes towards the lands of the Roman Empire. (Migration period)

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