Ch: 9, 11,&12

I most enjoyed reading chapter 11 this time around. I can't remember if I have ever formally learned about the Mongol culture, which shows I probably didn't it because I found this reading most intriguing. The history about Chinggis Khan and the Mongal movement was completely different from the impression I had (mostly through movies). I was always under the impression the Mongol's were a barbaric nomadic tribe, that was ruthless and overtook many cities by fear and death. Although they did take over many major cities through fear and death the Mongol's were very united, had great military tactics, and had organized social structure. Their military advancement and strategies mainly came from their horse back riding skills. They were able to steal technology and other advancements from their enemies whited helped them out in the run. 

Women also played a different role in their society versus other women in different cultures at the same time (i.e. chinese women). Mongol women were able to initiate divorce, some were able to be political advisors, and overall did not have a gender hierarchal role among men. 

Although they were seen as a nomadic tribe, the Mongols had a really good system and relied on resources and agriculture based on the seasons. Mongols were really connected to their environment and relied on their resources around them. They lived in elaborate tents and were able to move around using the resources around them. This is probably why their enemies had a hard time defeating them or tracking them down because they did not have a centralized location. Later on, Chinggis Khan established a capitol, which was a cosmopolitan city at the time. 

I found all of this information interesting and enlightening because I feel that Mongol's have somewhat of a stigma about them. It is probably because they did not have a written language and most of their history was passed down orally. Their enemies on the other hand, were able to write down their views/beliefs about them in many different languages. I would assume if you were attacked and defeated you probably wouldn't have anything positive to say about your enemy. Which explains why the Mongols are characterized as nomadic, barbarian like people until you learn about them!