Part 6/15:
The steppe's environment demanded traits like individualism, heroism, risk-taking, and martial valor. Herding societies promoted values akin to those seen in Protestantism and Islam, emphasizing honor, personal responsibility, and a propensity for violence and conquest. Such traits engendered a cyclical pattern: tough nomads would rise, conquer, and then, as their empire stabilizes and civilization sets in, decline into decadence—prompting new waves of conquest and chaos.