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Essay / The Mongols - 985
Throughout the Postclassical era of ancient history, many different civilizations coexisted throughout much of the then-known world. A plethora of empires ruling at this time had experienced textbook progress and their own share of conflict, but none would have had such an impact on every region of the world as the Mongols did. The Mongols, originally a nomadic group settled on the steppes of Central Asia, undertook the greatest conquest recorded in history in the 13th century. By the end of their reign, the Mongols had acquired a vast expanse of territory stretching between continents, and they had also acquired a reputation as barbarians. A loose way to view barbarians would be to view them as uncivilized people, lacking culture, respect, and moral standards. Although many may argue that the Mongols were complete barbarians due to the cruelty of their military tactics, the Mongols were in fact completely civilized due to their contribution to innovations that improved trade and the revival of laws that helped to create better living conditions for civilians. ideas of tolerance and security. Overall, the Mongols rebuilt a foundation of peace and stability in the regions they conquered. Due to the cruel battle tactics of the Mongols, some may argue that the Mongols were true barbarians. For example, in the Persian chronicler Juvaini's account of the Nishapur massacre, he states that the Mongols had massacred the population and pillaged the city, leaving everything in ruins (doc 4). Additionally, during periods of opposition resistance, the Mongols threw the rendered human fat of the dead at houses with catapults and often the fat was set on fire with Greek fire, this mixture being n...... middle paper. ....the cultural diversity of societies and cultural diffusion fostered a stable economy through successful trade and the new codes enabled a prosperous era of religious tolerance and security. It is crucial that the Mongols are rightly called civilized because they did not fit the idea of what barbarism is. Contrary to popular belief, the Mongols actually had a culture enriched through trade and displayed a certain respect for each other through their codes of conduct. Additionally, although it may seem that the Mongols did not have standard morals due to their cruel battle tactics, they actually did since they displayed it with their laws against theft and adultery. All of this suggests that the Mongols were far from being barbarians as many claim in history and that instead of wreaking havoc during this period, they helped create a solid foundation of peace and stability..