Moscow: IV RAS Publ., 2014, 608 p. The appearance of the book by Yu. I. Drobyshev is very gratifying in itself, because it raises a special problem of considering the interaction of society and nature within the framework of steppe nomadic culture. The book consists of two parts, which are based on the candidate's thesis TISHIN Vladimir Vladimirovich-Candidate of Historical Sciences, Researcher at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, tihij-511@mail.ru. page 227authored by [Drobyshev, 2008] and a number of later published articles. In the first part, "the general principles of nomad nature management and the ideological attitudes behind them are considered", in the second part, "the history of nature management in the steppes from the Xiongnu to the Mongols is described in sequential order" (p.16). Speaking about the ecological conditionality of the steppe nomads ' economy, Yu. I. Drobyshev cautiously mentions the tendency of some researchers to talk about a unique nomadic civilization on this basis and, apparently, does not deny this (p. 4-5), as he explicitly says in the Conclusion (p.566). The author notes the presence of a number of unique distinctive features inherent in various nomadic societies that inhabited Central Asia in various historical periods-from the third century BC, when the Xiongnu power entered the historical arena , to the XVI century AD, when the Mongols submitted to the Manchus. The search for these differences is, according to the author, the main problem of his work (p. 6-7). Indeed, why did some communities limit themselves to existing within the framework of political formations based on steppe nomadic traditions, others began to practice agriculture and build settlements, and still others rushed to China not just for raids,but for the purpose of conquest? At the same time, reflecting on the search for an answer already in the Introduction, Yu.I. Drobyshev leaves aside controversial hypotheses about climate ... Читать далее