Economical Life
Horse and Sheep The Steppe Turkish economy was not based on the forests and deserts. As required by the climate conditions of the steppe geography that was composed of high plateaux and summer nomad camping grounds, the Turkish economy was based on shepherding and stockbreeding. The principal animal among the animals that were bred was sheep- apart from the horse that we have stated above with great emphasis with its importance in the Turkish social and cultural life.
The Kelteminar culture (3000 BC) in Harezm that identified the culture of the steppe environs of the Lake Aral in the west of the Aral Mountains was initiated in the year of 2500 BC. In this culture, the bones of wild pigs, deer and turtles were found. However, there is a parallelism between the periods when the horse and the sheep were used in the service of human being. It was alleged that cultural unions had developed in the Middle East, Egypt and the Eastern Mediterranean regions due to the agriculture, stockbreeding and the utilisation of minerals since the beginning of 3000 BC. Additionally, it has been alleged that the economical system based on stockbreeding had been initiated in the steppe lands with fisher and hunter people under the influence coming from the south in the further periods (in the years of 2500s).
However, a mass migration was not observed from the south regions that were stated above towards the north. Therefore, the opinion about the possible existence of a deep cultural influence in the steppe lands is not adopted. Furthermore, it is not appropriate to consider the sheep and cattle and pigs all together among the domestic animals. It is required to distinguish the domestication places and periods of these animals although their fossils had been found together in a cultural layer. For example, ox is not a steppe animal. It was an important animal for the people that lived in watery, fertile and arable fields suitable for cultivation. However, this animal was of no use for the steppe people. Therefore, the ox is not considered as a factor in the steppe economy (the word of "öküz" (ox) is borrowed from the Indo-Germanic language). All the animals with heavy movement that pertained to the class of cattle could be considered in the same way. Pigs did not have any relations with the steppe lands in the beginning.
Turks have never bred pigs in the course of their history and they disliked the pork meat.
In the first stages of domestic stockbreeding, it seems that pigs belonged to the Tungusic and Mongolian people, the cattle like ox, cows, water buffalos belonged to the Indo-Germanic people, the camels belonged to the desert tribes and the horse and sheep belonged to the Turks. Therefore, it is much more meaningful in relation with the excavation of horse and sheep bones pertaining to the Afanasyevo culture. Therefore, the economic structure of the steppe culture that came into existence has been revealed. Naturally, there were some herds of cattle, mules, camels, etc. besides the horse and sheep herds in the Turkish steppe lands in the later periods -pursuant to the years of 1500 BC.