Fall of Civilizations
19. The Mongols - Terror of the Steppe (Part 2)
December 9, 20242h 44m · 19,259 words
Show notes
In the far east of the Eurasian steppe, the sound of hoofbeats is growing.In this episode we travel along the vast grassland corridor of the steppe, to hear one of the most remarkable and unlikely stories from medieval history – the story of the Mongol Empire. Find out how this group of nomadic horse riders united the peoples of the Mongolian steppe, and forged them into a truly unique kind of state.
Highlighted moments
The Mongols began to cut down the heavy date palms that grew everywhere along the riverbank and loaded pieces of their heavy trunks into their catapults. The citizens of Baghdad would soon face the sight of their own date trees being hurled over enormous distances into the city.
“The destructive power of the economy eventually left these cities in ruins more effectively than the Mongols ever had.”
“For the first time in nearly 5,000 years, the steppe horse archer was no longer the deadliest entity on the planet. With the rise of powerful, centralised nations and the crack of powder and shot, the retreat of the nomads quietly began.”
“Although never ruled by the Mongols, in many ways, Europe gained the most from their world system. The Europeans received all the benefits of trade, technology transfer, and the global awakening, without paying the cost of Mongol conquest.”
Transcript
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