History glossary
Steppe
a wide grassland region across Eurasia that supported mobile pastoral peoples and long-distance movement.
- Category
- Geographic region
- Region
- Eurasia
What it means
The Eurasian steppe stretches from eastern Europe across Central Asia toward Mongolia. Its grasslands supported horse-riding pastoral societies, trade routes, migrations, and empires, including the Mongols.
Related terms
Stories using this term
The Celtic World Before Rome
Celtic tribes spanned Europe, shaping culture, conflict, and a lasting legacy.
Kievan Rus
The founding of the Rus’ state in the north.
The Fall of Rome to Early Medieval Europe
From the arrival of Gothic peoples at the Danube to the crowning of Charlemagne, this story traces how the Western Roman Empire fragmented into successor kingdoms and how a new medieval world took shape.
The Mongol Empire
From scattered steppe tribes to the largest contiguous empire in history, the Mongols reshaped Eurasia through conquest, terror, and trade.
The Qing Dynasty
From Manchu conquest to republican revolution, the Qing dynasty built China's largest empire, oversaw centuries of prosperity, and then struggled to survive foreign intervention, rebellion, and the collapse of imperial legitimacy.
