Proto-Mongol

The Proto-Mongols were nomadic peoples whose origins are traced to the northeastern corner of present-day Mongolia. Their history is intertwined with the Xiongnu, whom they are thought to be descended from, and later Turkic-speaking peoples. The name "Mongol" first appears in Chinese records during the Tang dynasty, vanishing and reappearing in the 11th century under the Khitan rulers.12

Traditional Mongol society was organized around clans based on male lineage, with a strong emphasis on livestock and seasonal movement for pastures. Every man was both a herdsman and a soldier, with a decimal military organization in place by the time of Genghis Khan. Their language, Mongolian, has distinct historical periods: Old, Middle, and New Mongolian, with the earliest written texts dating to around 1225 CE.123