Unearth the roots of modern nomadism, tracing back to ancient civilizations. Discover how the past has shaped the present, influencing the lifestyle of the new nomads. Embark on a journey through time, exploring the evolution of nomadic culture.
Itinerant lifestyles may feel new but the ideas behind globe-trotting ways of living go back millennia
The nomadic way of life has increased in popularity due largely to the rise of the digital nomad movement driven by remote workers who are unbound by traditional office jobs
- Interest in mobility has reached a peak in popular culture in the wake of the pandemic, a global health crisis that subjected us to long-term confinement, massive unemployment, and the loss of loved ones.
If you would like to comment on this story or anything else you have seen on BBC Culture, head over to our Facebook page or message us on Twitter.
And if you liked this story, sign up for the weekly bbc.com features newsletter, called The Essential List, delivered to your inbox every Friday.
Ideas Behind Nomadic Philosophy Are Ancient
The urge to migrate, to quest, to go on a journey is deep-seated – ancestral, essential, and instinctive.
- Ninety-eight per cent of our time on Earth as anatomically modern humans has been spent as nomads. Living your whole life in the village, town, or city of your birth is a relatively recent, anomalous development.
Certain populations maintained their nomadic lifestyles throughout history, and in some cases, to their tremendous benefit.
The nomadic Scythians, documented by Herodotus in the 5th Century BC, were some of the most advanced equestrian warriors of classical antiquity
- In the 12th Century, the Mongols gave rise to the largest land empire in history, with their conquered lands stretching from southern Russia and Ukraine to southern China and the borderlands in Mongolia, at its peak
- There have long been romanticized narratives in literature and art, in which nomadic figures are often the protagonists
- Protagonists in film and fiction have frequently been portrayed as journeying in pursuit of “manifest destiny”, a phrase coined in 18 18 to describe the notion that the nomadic person is destined to conquer the world and expand its dominion
- Many of our most influential narratives are stories of transience and travel, and the lessons reaped along the way
