Over the past 2500 years, the Eurasian steppes have spawned a series of pastoral peoples who have lived on and wandered through that great land- mass. These peoples have lived on the fringes of the world’s great civilizations—in Europe, the Middle East, south Asia, and China—and their relationship with the sedentary peoples who lived on the periphery of their world has been complex and often characterized by raiding and warfare. On more than one occasion, these pastoral warriors parlayed the skills they learned on the steppes into an overwhelming military dominance that led to the conquest of their more civilized neighbors. In almost every case, however, these nomads found it easier to conquer than to rule. These peoples came from a variety of ethnic and linguistic groups including various Indo-European Iranian tribes and Turkish peoples. Regardless of their ethnic origins or language, all of these groups were tied together by a common cultural tradition and lifestyle.