What has been the role in world history of pastoral peoples in general and the mongols in particular?

- Produced agriculture where no one had thought possible.

- Played roles as traders and bandits on long distance trade routes.

- Played roles in the the collapses of the 2nd wave civilizations and their rebuilds.

- Supported Buddhism in China

- Nomadic Bedouin Arabs aided in expansion of Islam.

- Turks carried Islam to new lands.

- Mongols made largest empire of the time. - Facilitated closer connections across Eurasia.

- Increased the rate of technology & crop exchange, mixing of peoples, spread of epidemic disease.

- Mongol tolerance of other religions facilitated spread of religion.