Nomads

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One of the features of the Neolithic Age was the domestication of plants and animals. Two main economic styles resulted: farming and herding. Because of agriculture leads to a greater population of sedentary farmers it led to the creation of cities and much larger political units. We live in a civilization birthed by farming.

Herding leads to a different outcome. Herders need to follow their animals and so their range is much more transitory. It gives birth to a more nomadic lifestyle. 

The areas outside of the river valley and coastal civilizations was the home of the herders: Mongolia, the Maghreb, south central Africa and the American great plains. The two economic systems have long been in conflict, with nomads raiding villages while farms pushed into the grazing areas. Today, although some still exist, nomads have largely lost the battle for ground and they've been pushed to the fringes. 

With memories of barbarian raiding parties long past, nomads tend to be romanticized today. These are paintings and drawings of nomads. They are from various places and times.