Guiding Questions - Part 1:
- What was the geographical conditions (physical landscape and climate) of the Mongolian steppes and why is this important for understanding Genghis Khan?
- What was the nature of the nomadic tribes in the Mongolian Steppes and how did that contribute to the Mongol success?
- What was Mongol society like before the rise of Genghis Khan.
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By User:Astrokey44 - Based on the freely licenced Image:Genghis khan empire at his death.png using information from maps of the Mongol Empire in atlases and on the web such as [1], [2], [3], [4], [5]. Made in Photoshop and Painter., CC BY-SA 3.0, Link
GEOGRAPHY of the Tribes
Geographical OutlineThe Mongolian plateau is located in central Asia. At present, the region is north of China and south of Russia. The area is approximately at an elevation of between 4,000 and 6,000 feet from sea level (around 1,200 meters). A vast belt of flat and treeless grassland called steppes mostly cover the expanse of the high tableland. Land is made fertile by the penetration of the rivers that flow from the plains and the scattered hills and mountains along the plateau tower into the open blue skies.
There are two main expanses of the steppe. The western steppe (see map below) runs from Central Asia to Eastern Europe. The eastern steppe, covers the area of present-day Mongolia and is home to the Mongols. Very little rain falls on the steppe, but the dry, windswept plain supports short, hardy grasses. Seasonal temperature changes can be dramatic. Temperatures in Mongolia, for example, range from –57°F in winter to 96°F in the summer. Rainfall is more plentiful and the climate milder in the west of the region than in the east. This perhaps explains the movements of people historically tended to be toward the west and the south.
South of the steppes is the vast Gobi Desert which covers more than approximately 500,000 square miles (1.3 million square kilometers) extending beyond southern Mongolia into northern China. The Gobi is one of the driest land regions on earth and in some years, it receives no rain at all. The Gobi is also known as a "cold" desert because winter temperatures can drop as low as -40°F and high temperatures can soar as far as 100°F (38°C). North of the steppes is Siberia - a daunting borderland with dense forests and long winters which make traveling extremely treacherous.
The significance of the steppes to neighboring civilizations at the time included:
There are two main expanses of the steppe. The western steppe (see map below) runs from Central Asia to Eastern Europe. The eastern steppe, covers the area of present-day Mongolia and is home to the Mongols. Very little rain falls on the steppe, but the dry, windswept plain supports short, hardy grasses. Seasonal temperature changes can be dramatic. Temperatures in Mongolia, for example, range from –57°F in winter to 96°F in the summer. Rainfall is more plentiful and the climate milder in the west of the region than in the east. This perhaps explains the movements of people historically tended to be toward the west and the south.
South of the steppes is the vast Gobi Desert which covers more than approximately 500,000 square miles (1.3 million square kilometers) extending beyond southern Mongolia into northern China. The Gobi is one of the driest land regions on earth and in some years, it receives no rain at all. The Gobi is also known as a "cold" desert because winter temperatures can drop as low as -40°F and high temperatures can soar as far as 100°F (38°C). North of the steppes is Siberia - a daunting borderland with dense forests and long winters which make traveling extremely treacherous.
The significance of the steppes to neighboring civilizations at the time included:
- It served as a land trade route connecting the East (China) and the West (central Asia, Middle East and Europe).
- It served as a defense against external invaders who found the terrain and physical geography daunting to traverse.
- It was home to nomadic peoples who would frequently sweep down on their neighbors to plunder, loot, and conquer.
Download and print a copy of the map below
| mongol_tribal_map_copy.pdf |
What do we need to know about the tribes?
| chapter-14-mongol-expansion-obook-only.pdf |
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Society_of_the_Mongol_Empire
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Society_of_the_Mongol_Empire
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Society_of_the_Mongol_Empire
| who_were_the_mongols_-_reading.docx |
![[1]](http://www.silk-road.com/maps/images/mongol.jpg){kind=link}
![[2]](http://www.loyno.edu/~seduffy/MapImages/MongolEmpire-display.jpg){kind=link}
![[3]](http://www.siu.edu/~dfll/Chinese/mongol.jpg){kind=link}
![[4]](http://www.allempires.com/empires/mongol/mongolempire_map.jpg){kind=link}
![[5]](http://www.tiscali.co.uk/reference/encyclopaedia/hutchinson/images/c01786.jpg){kind=link}
Bringing Mongol lifestyle and culture to life
Nomadic Pastoralism
ATL Skill: Research and CommunicationEcological Perspectives
Read the source below from Fletcher, "The Mongols: Ecological and Social Perspectives", Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies 46, No. 1 (Jun., 1986), pp.13-14:
Fletcher: Pastoral Nomadism
Questions:
Read the source below from Fletcher, "The Mongols: Ecological and Social Perspectives", Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies 46, No. 1 (Jun., 1986), pp.13-14:
Fletcher: Pastoral Nomadism
Questions:
- State two pieces of information from the source (2).
- Outline one advantage of the pastoral nomadism from the source above (4).
| atl-pastoral-nomadism-questions.pdf |
ATL Activity: Research and Communication
Field Report
Complete the uploaded task on writing a Field Report regarding the Mongolian Steppes.
PDF ATL Activity Mongolian Steppes Field Report (file Below)
Task: Field Report of the steppes
Brief
You are a young Geographer who has been hired by a local government initiative for students learning about the Mongolians steppes. You are part of a team of archeologists and sociologists to survey the physical landscape of Mongolia as well as the behaviour and lifestyle of its inhabitants. You will be required to complete a short field report of the key features of the region you have researched from its physical description to its climate zones as well as the pattern of daily life lived by the inhabitants. What will you include in your report and why?
(max words 150)
Complete the uploaded task on writing a Field Report regarding the Mongolian Steppes.
PDF ATL Activity Mongolian Steppes Field Report (file Below)
Task: Field Report of the steppes
Brief
You are a young Geographer who has been hired by a local government initiative for students learning about the Mongolians steppes. You are part of a team of archeologists and sociologists to survey the physical landscape of Mongolia as well as the behaviour and lifestyle of its inhabitants. You will be required to complete a short field report of the key features of the region you have researched from its physical description to its climate zones as well as the pattern of daily life lived by the inhabitants. What will you include in your report and why?
(max words 150)
| atl-activity-mongolian-steppe-field-report.pdf |
Additional Resources
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