To see the other types of publications on this topic, follow the link: Nomads (Iran).
Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Nomads (Iran)'
Create a spot-on reference in APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and other styles
Consult the top 19 dissertations / theses for your research on the topic 'Nomads (Iran).'
Next to every source in the list of references, there is an 'Add to bibliography' button. Press on it, and we will generate automatically the bibliographic reference to the chosen work in the citation style you need: APA, MLA, Harvard, Chicago, Vancouver, etc.
You can also download the full text of the academic publication as pdf and read online its abstract whenever available in the metadata.
Browse dissertations / theses on a wide variety of disciplines and organise your bibliography correctly.
1
Hamdhaidari, Shokrollah. "Development and technological change among the Kalhor nomads after the Islamic Revolution of Iran." Thesis, University of Sussex, 1998. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.244398.
Full text
2
Emadi, Mohammad H., of Western Sydney Hawkesbury University, Faculty of Agriculture and Horticulture, and School of Agriculture and Rural Development. "Pastoralists, participation and policy : an action oriented, systemic and participatory approach to improve the relationships between pastoralist nomads, government and natural resources in Iran." THESIS_FAH_ARD_Emadi_M.xml, 1995. http://handle.uws.edu.au:8081/1959.7/301.
Full textAbstract:
The study focuses on the relationships between nomads, the government and the natural resource base of Iran as a problematical situation. The research approach adopted was action-oriented with an emphasis on the process of development through the integration of theory with practice in a critical learning system designed to improve the situation and emphasising the significance of systemic thinking and acting.The underlying rationale for the approach is that the relatively limited achievements in nomadic development and natural conservation to date stem from the fact that policies are: (a) based on a reductionist view point and analysis, which separates theory from practice, and neglects the diversity, complexity and recursiveness of the different dimensions of nomadic life; and (b) developed on the basis of government perceptions of the nature of the issues confronting nomads rather than on the basis of shared concerns with the nomads themselves. There were three phases of fieldwork which, when taken together, represent what might be termed a system of systemic research methodologies. The first phase of the fieldwork was an attempt to explore the problematic situation from the point of view of particular group of nomads and government agents. The second phase of research turned to an action-oriented approach to establish the process of conversation and mutual recognition and accommodation of change among ‘clients’ and the researcher as facilitator to help each group of participants (nomads and government) to understand their own position and worldviews, to help each group of participants to recognise and appreciate differences in their positions, perceptions, and to establish a framework for action and improving the situation within each group could benefit in a reciprocal manner. The third phase of research focused on the learning organisation as a strategy to improve relationships. The recursive nature of the research, both in terms of relationship between theory and practice and also its three phases, is reflected in the structure of the thesis.Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
3
Emadi, Mohammad H. "Pastoralists, participation and policy : an action oriented, systemic and participatory approach to improve the relationships between pastoralist nomads, government and natural resources in Iran." Thesis, View thesis View thesis View thesis, 1995. http://handle.uws.edu.au:8081/1959.7/301.
Full textAbstract:
The study focuses on the relationships between nomads, the government and the natural resource base of Iran as a problematical situation. The research approach adopted was action-oriented with an emphasis on the process of development through the integration of theory with practice in a critical learning system designed to improve the situation and emphasising the significance of systemic thinking and acting.The underlying rationale for the approach is that the relatively limited achievements in nomadic development and natural conservation to date stem from the fact that policies are: (a) based on a reductionist view point and analysis, which separates theory from practice, and neglects the diversity, complexity and recursiveness of the different dimensions of nomadic life; and (b) developed on the basis of government perceptions of the nature of the issues confronting nomads rather than on the basis of shared concerns with the nomads themselves. There were three phases of fieldwork which, when taken together, represent what might be termed a system of systemic research methodologies. The first phase of the fieldwork was an attempt to explore the problematic situation from the point of view of particular group of nomads and government agents. The second phase of research turned to an action-oriented approach to establish the process of conversation and mutual recognition and accommodation of change among ‘clients’ and the researcher as facilitator to help each group of participants (nomads and government) to understand their own position and worldviews, to help each group of participants to recognise and appreciate differences in their positions, perceptions, and to establish a framework for action and improving the situation within each group could benefit in a reciprocal manner. The third phase of research focused on the learning organisation as a strategy to improve relationships. The recursive nature of the research, both in terms of relationship between theory and practice and also its three phases, is reflected in the structure of the thesis.
4
Emadi, Mohammad H. "Pastoralists, participation and policy : an action oriented, systemic and participatory approach to improve the relationships between pastoralist nomads, government and natural resources in Iran /." View thesis View thesis View thesis, 1995. http://library.uws.edu.au/adt-NUWS/public/adt-NUWS20030530.122653/index.html.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Western Sydney, Hawkesbury, 1995.PnD thesis, School of Agriculture and Rural Development, Faculty of Agriculture and Horticulture, University of Western Sydney, Hawkesbury, 1995. Bibliography : leaves 324-337.
5
Tahmasebi, Asghar [Verfasser]. "Pastoralism under Pressure : Vulnerability of Pastoral Nomads to Multiple Socio-political and Climate Stresses ; The Shahsevan of Northwest Iran / Asghar Tahmasebi." Bonn : Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek Bonn, 2012. http://d-nb.info/1044081457/34.
Full text
6
Tolini, Gauthier. "La Babylonie et l'Iran : les relations d'une province avec le coeur de l'Empire achéménide (539-331 av. J.-C.)." Paris 1, 2011. http://www.theses.fr/2011PA010574.
Full textAbstract:
Avec la prise de Babylone par Cyrus en 539 les Perses ont mis la main sur l'immense Empire néo-babylonien. La Babylonie a perdu son indépendance et a été intégrée au sein d'une nouvelle entité politique: l'Empire perse. Pourtant plusieurs caractéristiques font d'elle une province particulière au sein de l'empire crée par Cyrus. Elle occupe une position géographie singulière, frontalière de l'Iran, le cœur de l'empire; d'autre part, la ville de Babylone jouissait d'un prestige politique et religieux très important. Enfin, la Babylonie disposait d'une main-d'œuvre nombreuse et d'abondantes ressources agricoles. Il paraissait important pour les rois perses de mettre en place une politique volontariste afin de contrôler le territoire de la province et de s'en pproprier les richesses. Cette politique s'est traduite concrètement par l'intégration de la Babylonie à l'Iran pour former un vaste espace de nomadisation à l'intérieur duquel le Grand Roi se déplace pour asseoir son pouvoir sur les régions traversées tout en tirant profit des ressources disponibles. Les migrations du roi perse et de sa cour ont également entraîné des mouvements de flux vers les différents centres du pouvoir en Iran et en Babylonie.
7
Farsani, Mohsen. "Etude lexicologique de la langue Bakhtiari d'Iran." Thesis, Paris 3, 2011. http://www.theses.fr/2011PA030090.
Full textAbstract:
Nous avons commencé cette étude en présentant le peuple bakhtiari, d’Iran, dans toute sa diversité : étude résumée de son histoire, de ses origines et de sa formation ethnique, des espaces où il vit, de son rythme et de ses déplacements puisqu’il pratique la transhumance.Nous avons abordé à partir de ses activités et de son économie la manière dont il se loge, se nourrit, se soigne et les aspects les plus coutumiers de son organisation de vie familiale. Puis nous avons abordé et développé l’étude approfondie de la langue des Bakhtiaris.Nous l’avons étudiée, phonétiquement, donnant des renseignements sur les lettres, les sons et l’organisation du système phonétique de la langue bakhtiari. Puis nous avons développé une étude de la grammaire et de la syntaxe de la langue, telle que nous la connaissons et la pratiquons. Il est important de noter qu’il s’agit d’une langue surtout orale et qu’il n’existe pas d’étude approfondie de cette grammaire tant dans sa morphologie que dans sa syntaxe.Notre étude est donc très importante à ce titre. Nous avons pu la mener parce que pendant des années nous avons enregistré, en vivant au milieu des Bakhtiaris, dans notre famille, des conversations, des sessions avec des conteurs et des poètes, ceux qui gardent la langue vivante et nous permettent de la conserver et de l’étudier…We begin by presenting the Bakhtiari people of Iran. This study summarises the diversity ofthese people: their history, origins and ethnic formation, the places they inhabit and the cycleof their travels since they began the practice of transhumance.We studied the manner in which operations and economy are incorporated into bakhtiariculture, including the more traditional aspects of the organisation of family life. We thenundertook an in-depth study of the bakhtiari language. We have studied this language and itsevolution from its origins to what we know today. We studied it phonetically usinginformation on letters, sounds and organisation of the phonetic system of the bakhtiarilanguage. We then developed a study of grammar and syntax of the language as we knowand practice it. It is important to note that this is primarily an oral language and there is nocomprehensive study of the grammar in both its morphology and syntax. Therefore, ourstudy is very important in documenting this aspect of the bakhtiari language.We have been able to conduct this study because for years our family have lived alongsidethe Bakhtiari people and we have experienced conversations and meetings with storytellersand poets who keep the language alive and allow us to preserve and study their language…
8
Keshavarz, Homa. "Cervical pathology and infection in nomadic and non-nomadic women in southern Iran." Thesis, Open University, 2002. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.395257.
Full text
9
Lerner, Ann Marie Kroll. "Iron age nomads of the Urals interpreting Sauro-Sarmatian and Sargat identities /." Diss., Connect to online resource - MSU authorized users, 2006.
Find full text
10
Suzuki, Yuko. "Evolution structurelle d'une société tribale du sud-ouest de l'Iran en conséquence de la modernisation politique : une étude anthropologique de la communauté des Owrīzī de la tribu Došmanziyārī dans le département de Kohgiluye va Boirahmad." Paris, EHESS, 2011. http://www.theses.fr/2011EHES0436.
Full textAbstract:
Les tribus du département de Kohgiluye va Boirahmad au sud-ouest de l‘Iran ont connu une transformation sociale inédite depuis le siècle dernier. L‘introduction de l‘administration moderne à la place du régime des khāns et la mise en oeuvre des réformes fiscale et foncière depuis les années 1960 amorcèrent des changements dans les ressources économiques : la population tribale, pastorale ou/et agro-pastorale, souvent considérée comme pillarde, se mit à défricher ses propres pâturages et à abandonner le nomadisme en masse. La transformation économique s‘accéléra après la révolution islamique en 1979, à la suite de la mise en place des infrastructures et de divers projets de développement, y compris la progression de l‘Éducation nationale, pour finir par un exode rural massif vers les villes proches où les personnes scolarisées forment les nouvelles classes sociales citadines, comme fonctionnaires, entrepreneurs de société ou commerçants. En espérant contribuer au développement de la région, cette thèse examine le dynamisme des sociétés tribales en Iran, en interrogeant les relations entre leur transformation structurelle et la politique du régime actuel qui vise leur modernisation sociale. Afin de saisir cette mutation sociale de manière à la fois précise et globale, les enquêtes de terrain ont été menées dans deux orientations : d‘abord ethnographique par les enquêtes participatives sur une communauté de 737 personnes qui appartient à la tribu Došmanziyārī; ensuite sociologique, à travers les interviews d‘experts du développement régional et les recherches documentaires du département de Kohgiluye va Boirahmad. En effet, la population de ce département est en majorité tribale, qu‘elle soit composée de Lōrs ou de peuple turcophone comme les QašqāyiThe tribal people in the department of Kohgiluye va Boirahmad in the southwest of Iran have experienced a historical social transformation since the last century. As early as the modern administration substituted the khāns‘ rule in 1964, a new tax system and the land reform made some changes for the people‘s economic resources: the tribal people living by pastoral or agro-pastoral activities began to farm their grazing land, and the most of them settled down in one of their two territories, wintering area or summering one, to end the nomadic life. After the Islamic revolution in 1979, the economic transformation went further on. In the Zagros Mountains, some economic infrastructure was set up and various development programs, including popularization of the national education, were carried out. As a result, a massive demographic movement from the countryside to the urban areas was launched. Then, the persons who profited from the 1960s‘ national education spread, after having graduated from college or university, formed political elite groups in the local cities. Inthe hope of contributing to the regional development, the relations between social structure transformation and the recent political modernization in an Iranian tribe are investigated in this thesis. The field research is realized in two dimensions in order to analyze the social dynamism on the individual level, in the same time to synthesize the general movements in the department of Kohgiluye va Boirahmad, composed of several tribes of the Lōrs and of the Qašqāyi: 1- Ethnographic research with some long-term participation in a tribal community, called the Owrīzī, having 737 inhabitants 2- Sociologic research through numbers of interviews with Iranian development experts, local historians and some big men in the region, as well as documentation of the department
11
Khosronejad, Pedram. "Les lions en pierre sculptée chez les Bakhtiari : description et significations de sculptures zoomorphes dans une société tribale du Sud-Ouest de l'Iran." Paris, EHESS, 2007. http://www.theses.fr/2007EHES0277.
Full textAbstract:
"Cette thèse est une recherche interdisciplinaire basée sur des travaux sur le terrain depuis 1991 entre les différentes tribus nomades Bakhtiâri "Haftlang". Cette thèse est fondée sur les études de la structure et du corps des pierres tombales en forme de lion et les informations fournies dans ses épitaphes. Parallèlement, les études à propos des traditions de deuils, les lamentations et les traditions orales des Bakhtiâri nous ont aidés à trouver les raisons probables de la création des lions en pierres et des motifs gravés sur leur corps. Dans cette thèse, nous avons aussi parlé des tailleurs de pierre qui travaillaient les lions our les nomades Bakhtiâri, leur technique de taille de pierre, et aussi leurs outillages. "Tis PhD is the result of one interdisciplinary research based on field works between different tribes of nomads "Haftlang" Bakhtiari since 1991. This research based on the study of physical structure and corps of lion tombstones and information that we found in their epitaphs. Meanwhile, study of funeral tradition, lamentations, and oral traditions of nomads Bakhtiari helped us to find more information about creation of lion tombstones and engraved motives and images on their corps. In this research, we talk about stonemasons who sculptures lion tombstones, their technique of sculpturing and their tools too
12
Schaeler, Ray R. J. "Bandits, nomads and the formation of highland polities : hinterland activity in Palestine in the late Bronze and early Iron Age." Thesis, University of Stirling, 1998. http://hdl.handle.net/1893/1911.
Full textAbstract:
This study is an effort to view events in the Ancient Near East, especially Palestine, during the Late Bronze and Early Iron Age from a somewhat different angle. In a first instance, it will try to move away from concentrating on the movement of ethnic entities. Emphasis will be on the social groupings involved, bandits and nomads being singled out especially as they behave and evolve in a highland environment. Chapter I assesses whether or not ancient Palestine in particular offers conditions appropriate for the rise of banditry. chapter 2 will analyze behavioral patterns among bandits and stress that they can function as wielders of important political and military power. Chapter 3 introduces nomads especially as they are perceived by the sedentary and urban groups, but also as they stand in relation to bandits. Chapter 4 will use these findings to present a picture of the Palestinian highlands as an autonomous hinterland. Chapter 5 will treat the Late Bronze-Iron Age transition more directly. It will point out how these same highlands became an attractive area of refuge during the time of the late Egyptian takeover, the arrival of the Sea Peoples, and, finally, the collapse of the empire. Chapter 6 will move onto the processes of state-formation after that collapse. It will present the capacities of bandits and nomads to develop stronger polities from a sociological point of view, before the concluding chapter 7 takes a close look at first the written, then the epigraphical and archaeological material relevant to the particular Palestinian highland situation, especially treating the question of the power and size of any polity that would have arisen under the given conditions.
13
Moshtaghe, Gohari Kambiz. "Enjeux géopolitiques du développement du Baloutchistan iranien : étude de la capitale, Zâhedân." Paris 8, 2014. http://www.theses.fr/2014PA084069.
Full textAbstract:
Le Baloutchistan est une région stratégique, située au voisinage de l’Afghanistan et du Pakistan, avec un débouché sur le détroit d’Ormuz et le golfe Persique. C’est aussi une région majoritairement sunnite, sous le contrôle d’un Etat chiite. En analysant la situation géopolitique de la province du Sistan-Baloutchistan, en tenant compte des enjeux géopolitiques qui lui sont propres et de sa situation démographique, nous allons étudier les questions qui se posent tant au niveau de l’Etat qu’au sein même de la province. Le rôle que joue la capitale régionale, Zâhedân, sera également au centre de notre attention. La ville concentre en effet sur son seul territoire des problématiques géopolitiques nationales, provinciales et locales. Zâhedân, dont la population est composée de différentes ethnies et religions de l’Iran, se situe dans une région stratégique, entre le sous-continent indien et le plateau iranien, au voisinage de l’Afghanistan et du Pakistan, deux pays politiquement et socialement instables, pris dans une situation conflictuelle aux enjeux multiples. Dans cette thèse nous allons poser les questions suivantes : Quel est le rapport de force entre les différents acteurs ethniques et religieux ? Quelle est la nature des rivalités de pouvoir entre ces acteurs ? Quels sont les termes du débat politique dans la société ? Quel rôle le gouvernement joue-t-il dans les rivalités de pouvoir sur le plan régional et au cœur de la ville ? Quelle est l’origine des violents affrontements ? Les conflits ethniques et religieux vont-ils perdurer et sous quelle forme ? Pourquoi les programmes de développement et les plans d’aménagement du territoire mis en œuvre depuis les années 1970 n’ont-ils pas amélioré la situation socio-économique de la région ? Pourquoi Zâhedân comme la province régionale souffre-t-elle d’une sorte d’anarchie spatiale ? Et enfin, comment ces différents éléments interagissent-ils et avec quel résultat ?
14
Sanadjian, Manuchehr. "The articulation of Luri society and economy with the outside world : a growing paradox in a south-western province of Iran." Thesis, University of Oxford, 1987. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.385637.
Full text
15
Preston, Gareth William. "From nomadic herder-hunters to sedentary farmers : the relationship between climate, environment and human societies in the United Arab Emirates from the Neolithic to the Iron Age." Thesis, Oxford Brookes University, 2011. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.543803.
Full text
16
Toth, Anthony B. "The transformation of a pastoral economy : Bedouin and states in Northern Arabia, 1850-1950." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2000. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.365651.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis analyses economic change among the bedouin of northern Arabia by examining four factors: the trade in camels; intertribal raiding; large-scale attacks by the Akhwan (Ikhwan); and trade and smuggling. Many writers have assumed that the sale or hiring out of camels for transport by camel-herding tribes was their main source of income, and that the spread of modern transportation caused a decline in the demand for camels, resulting in lower prices for the animals and an economic crisis for the bedouin. The well-documented case-studies in this thesis demonstrate that this assumption is flawed. The bedouin economy was more complex than the portrayals in many sources, and the reasons for economic hardship and political decline among the camel-herding tribes are more varied. In the story of how the wheel overcame the camel, it is clear that while transportation technology had some effect, even more important were such factors as drought, the rise of new states, colonial policies, intertribal politics and the varied factors pulling nomadic peoples to become sedentary.
17
Arikanli, Zeynep. "La politique mandataire britannique en Irak : à la recherche d'un « principe d'accord » : le traitement du mouvement nationalitaire kurde dans la wilaya de Mossoul, 1918-1926." Thesis, Aix-Marseille, 2016. http://www.theses.fr/2016AIXM1018.
Full textAbstract:
Ce travail se concentre sur comment un acteur justifierait ses actions dans des 'environnements hétérogènes et fragmentés. Le but est de démontrer qu’en l’absence d’un principe d’accord contraignant les actions des acteurs, les relations entre les partenaires d’action égaux basculeraient dans la polyarchie et celles entre les partenaires d’action inégaux basculeraient respectivement dans l’arrangement, la discorde et finalement, la violence. A cette fin, cette recherche se concentre sur les politiques mandataires britanniques en Irak à travers une étude de traitement du mouvement nationalitaire kurde dans la wilaya de Mossoul dans une période s’étendant du 30 octobre 1918 au 5 juin 1926. Le 30 octobre 1918 est la date à laquelle l’Armistice de Moudros a été signée entre les Alliés et l’Empire ottoman (à la fin de la Première Guerre mondiale) suite à laquelle les Britanniques occupèrent Mossoul. Le 5 juin 1926 correspond à la date de la signature du Traité d’Angora qui devait régler la question de la frontière turco-irakienne, connue aussi comme la Question de MossoulThis study focuses on how an actor justifies its actions in heterogenous and fragmented environments. It aims at proving that in the absence of a principle of agreement constraning the actors’ actions, the relations between equal partners of action turn into polyarchy whilst those between inequal ones end in arrangement, contention and finally, violence. To this end, this research concentrates on the British mandatory policies in Iraq through the management of Kurdish nationalist movement in the wilaya of Mosul from 30rd October 1918 to 5th 1926. The 30rd October 1918 is the date of the signature of Armistice of Mudros between the Allies and the Ottoman Empire at the end of the First World War. It is in the aftermath of this armistice that the British occupied Mosul. In 5th 1926, Turkey and Great Britain signed the Treaty of Angora which settled the question of frontier between Turkey and Irak, a question which is also known as Question of Mosul
18
Hedman, Sven-Donald. "Boplatser och offerplatser : ekonomisk strategi och boplatsmönster bland skogssamer 700-1600 AD." Doctoral thesis, Umeå universitet, Arkeologi och samiska studier, 2003. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-56803.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis primarily discusses the development of late Iron Age Saami settlement patterns in greater Norrland's forest area, from the establishment of the Settlements through to historical times. The Settlements are chiefly characterised by hearths, but it is also important to study Saami sacrificial sites when trying to understand the significance of the settlement patterns. Central to the thesis is how the archaeological material can be applied to questions concerning the introduction of reindeer herding. During the early Viking period a significant change in the settlement pattern of greater Norrland's inland occurs. New niches start to be exploited, moving away from the earlier shore-bound model. The Settlements are relocated to areas with good reindeer grazing land, by small streams, bogs and small lakes. The principal features are concentrations of hearths, which arise in large numbers, most often in groups of three to ten. A number of the artefacts found at the settlement sites are also found at Saami sacrificial sites from between 800 to 1350 AD, suggesting that the hearths should be studied in the context of Saami culture. A wide range of artefacts have been discovered during excavation of the Settlements, which suggests extensive contacts, mainly to the east and the Ladoga area, but also with Norway to the west. The artefacts display a continuity from the Viking period into the 1700's, and the dating of the hearths show a similar chronological spread. The study area has supported a reindeer herding forest Saami society during historical times, the settlement pattern of which has close similarities to that found under the Viking period. This implies that the settlement pattern that emerged during the Viking period can probably be related to an emergent reindeer herding system. Reindeer herding was undertaken in combination with hunting and fishing - so called semi-nomadism. It is suggested that the forest land Saami society become so dependent on reindeer herding during the Viking period, that it controlled the settlement pattern.digitalisering@umu
19
Joseph, Veronica Adelle. "A bioarchaeological analysis of the effects of the Xiongnu empire on the physical health of nomadic groups in Iron Age Mongolia." Thesis, 2016. https://hdl.handle.net/2144/14543.
Full textAbstract:
The Xiongnu Empire (c. 200 BC – AD 100) was the first instance of imperial level organization by nomadic groups of the Mongolian steppe. Over a century of historical and archaeological research has produced a large body of scholarship on the political, military, and sociocultural structures of Xiongnu society. This study adds to the growing body of recent bioarchaeological research by using multiple lines of evidence to address the impacts of empire formation on the physical health of those who lived under the influence of Xiongnu rule.
Models of Xiongnu empire formation posit stable access to Chinese agricultural goods and reduction in violent conflict as major motivating factors in establishing imperial-level organization among Mongolian nomadic groups. By gathering data from the skeletal remains of 349 individuals from 27 archaeological sites and analyzing the frequency of 10 dietary and health indicators, this study addresses these claims. The Xiongnu imperial expansion and administration resulted in the movement and/or displacement of nomadic groups, consequences that are documented in Chinese historical texts, but its impact on population structure is poorly understood. Craniometric data collected from this skeletal sample were used to conduct a model-bound biological distance analysis and fit to an unbiased relationship matrix to determine the amount of intra- and inter-group variation, and estimate the biological distance between different geographic and temporal groups.
This skeletal sample includes individuals from 19 Xiongnu-period sites located across the region under Xiongnu imperial control. Individuals from eight Bronze Age sites in Mongolia were included to establish pre-Xiongnu health status. One agricultural site within the Han empire, contemporaneous with the Xiongnu, was included for comparison.
The results of this study indicate that Xiongnu motivations for creating a nomadic empire were considerably more complex than current models suggest. Although historical texts document that the Xiongnu received agricultural products as tribute from China, dietary markers indicate the Xiongnu diet was more similar to that of their Bronze Age predecessors than to their agricultural Han neighbors. The movement of people across the Mongolian steppe during the Xiongnu period created a more phenotypically homogeneous population structure than that of previous Bronze Age groups.