Northern Nomads

The tribes who inhabited the northern plains of Central Asia from the first to the fifth century AD were mainly nomadic or semi-nomadic, living as cattle-herders and stock breeders.  Amongst these tribes, the most important were the K’ang-chü, the Huns, the Hsien-pi and the Turks, to name but a selection. Shifting balances of power in Central Asia meant that these tribes often fought with each other, but they also traded goods and learnt new agricultural techniques from each other.