"Civilized-Barbarian Interaction:
Mongols"
Sharif Hegazi
Lightning Talk Presented: March 10, 2014
Published: March 15, 2014
Barbarian: the word with very many different
meanings. Some may say barbarians were
specific people. Others may claim that barbarians were just primitive people in a developing
society. After digging through endless encyclopedias and dictionaries, the most common
definitions would be summed as "a primitive, uneducated and uncivilized person."
When you have a booming country of new and rich heritage working its way to becoming a
more civilized nation but at the same time you have a civilization living in the past fighting
change and urbanization, you will have much drama. This sort of thing has happened
throughout the Earth's civilizations. Some may even compare it to today with a civilization like
the Middle East, specifically Saudi Arabia. Fraying away from any sort of Westernization and
staying true to its roots, outsiders seeing this as keeping the country from further developing,
but I'm sure they themselves do not see it the same way.
I'm sure that in 13th century Asia, the Mongols (a well known Empire of Asia) didn't see their
takeover of China as a slowing in the development of their beloved country. If we were to go
back that far in time, I'm sure that the people that were over powered by this barbaric tribe
would see them how modern day individuals see countries like Saudi Arabia in the sense that
they are preventing a more civilized culture from growing. Perspective is everything when it
comes to this.
Some may call The Mongols a primitive organization for being uneducated. They may also see
the rest of the nations under the rule of the Mongol Empire as a much more civilized people.
"But were they really primitive?" I thought. I then looked to see what a civilized society has and
one of the first things that came to mind was an army. Maybe they were much more civilized
then we give them credit for. After all, they managed to take over a great portion of the globe
and that could not have just been a fluke.
Reprinted from College History
http://collegehistory.info/manuscripts/hegazi-sharif.html
Last updated on 25 July 2014
Photo Caption: Watercolor of Mongol Warriors, 14th century
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Not a fluke at all. This small tribe started out in central Asia, but it did not take long to grow.
Once under rule of the Supreme Khan, Genghis Khan, expanding was almost certain. He
managed to unite tribes across the Mongolian land. They began pillaging and invading the
countryside. Next thing you know, they have spread all over the map from modern day middle
East to as far east as Japan. This gave the tribe a very bad reputation and scarring them with the
barbaric description by doing things much like what took place throughout the crusades;
although the Christians were not given the barbarian label.
The Mongols were far less educated than many societies which did not help their reputation
one bit. Or maybe they were referred to as barbarians based on their brutal and unorthodox
acts and rituals such as drinking horse blood or death ceremonies. They did not let that take
away from their brilliance and intelligence. They were such a success because of their
leadership, tactics and weaponry.
Once the Mongol Empire was under Genghis Khan's rule, he was very articulate with his
training and how he disciplined his soldiers. Preparing for war was just as important to war
itself with him. He made his men practice horsemanship, archery, and unit tactics until they had
it perfect. Once he went to battle, he liked to approach his enemies from a distance dealing
damage before sending his troops in for a raid. The Mongols used your common bows and
arrows, but they were also very advanced using things like rams and catapults to break down
walls. The amount of land that they ravished may have never been possible without their
horses which could bring them to moving at speeds up to 22 kilometers per hour.
The Mongols were smart on survival outside of the war. They knew that having a consistent
food source was very important rather than struggling and possibly putting many lives at risk of
starvation. They raised and bred domestic animals like sheep and goats to eat. They relied on
horses, cattle, and camels for things such as travel and also milk. When riding on a horse with
food and water scarce, they would often cut the horse's neck and drink its blood for
sustenance. They also found a way to use the milk of a horse to make into alcohol.
These strides showing later societies the ways of living and thriving did not end there. The
Mongols helped in advances of trade as well. Genghis Khan was a supporter of merchants and
buying and selling because of how the system helped him with his takeover. A lot of the
information he gathered on neighboring cultures were gathered from diplomats and traders.
The Mongols were on the move a lot and couldn't always put too much time into producing
crops. Therefore, they created partnerships with merchants making deals to supply them with
proper food. The Silk Road was used by Genghis and also his two successors, Ögedei and Güyük,
for trading of clothing food and other things. The Mongols had currency they bought things
Reprinted from College History
http://collegehistory.info/manuscripts/hegazi-sharif.html
Last updated on 25 July 2014
Photo Caption: Watercolor of Mongol Warriors, 14th century
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with, but would often d give tax exemptions instead. This became a model for business and
trading for centuries to come.
The Mongol Empire existed from1206-1370. For over 150 years it thrived and took over many
parts of the world. Through advances in tactics, weaponry, trade they became one of the most
dominant empires in history. Known to this day by many as a barbarian civilization, when
looked at through different perspectives, the Mongols can be seen as the complete opposite
and, in turn, probably helped the civilization process speed up.
Works Consulted
Dunn, Marilyn. 2013. Belief and Religion in Barbarian Europe C. 350-700. Book. 2 Feb. 2014
Gill, N.S. "Hun-Driven Barbarian Invasions and Migrations into the Roman Empire." Retrieved
2 Feb. 2014.
A very interesting piece describing the Hun and their leader Attila predating Genghis Khan. Talks
about their Journey into Europe and some of the Huns Encounters with the people in the West.
Johnson, Jean. "The Mongol Dynasty When Kublai Khan Ruled China." 2 Feb. 2014.
Genghis Khan's grandson Kublai Khan although not too popular made many advancements for
the Mongols. In 1279 he and his army defeated the Chinese Southern Song, thus putting China
under foreign rule for the first time.
Moore, Malcolm. 2009. "Mongolians Destroy the Great Wall of China." 2 Feb. 2014.
The discussion takes place of how interaction of the Mongols and a more civil society take place
and violence soon thereafter. Also describing how the Mongolians went about achieving what
they have done.
Watkins, James A. 2012. "Genghis Khan and the Mongol Empire." 2 Feb. 2014.
Discusses Genghis Khan and how he took leadership over his people and his ruling and
conquering he has committed.
Van Roon, Hans. 2014. "Mongols China and The Silk Road." 2 Feb. 2014.
This blog discusses these Barbarians involvement with and against the silk roads and what went
on in China during this period.
Reprinted from College History
http://collegehistory.info/manuscripts/hegazi-sharif.html
Last updated on 25 July 2014
Photo Caption: Watercolor of Mongol Warriors, 14th century
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