The Rise and Fall of the Nomad‐Dominated Empires of Eurasia

The purpose of this article was to integrate the multidisciplinary studies of the nomad‐dominated empires of Eurasia in the field of historical sociology. The large polities of militarized pastoralists ruled over most of Inner Eurasia for about two millennia (c. 500 BC–c. 1500 AD). By examining five such polities (the Scythians, the Huns, the Xiongnu, the Turks, and the Mongols), this study addresses four research questions: Why did such states emerge? How did it happen? How did the nomadic rulers obtain resources to uphold their power? Why did the nomad‐dominated empires have a limited life span? In conclusion, I discuss the long‐term effects of the rise and fall of the steppe empires on state formation in the whole Eurasia.