In the old world nomadic groups had a dynamic impact on sedentary (settled) societies. The nomads set in motion changes which in turn effected their lives and the lives of the sedentary societies. .
The first of these changes effected trade. The sedentary agricultural societies were simple and yet self-sufficient. The nomads by definition were members of a society that had no fixed residence but rather wandered from place to place for the purpose of securing their supply of food either by gathering of plants or by the hunting of animals. In traveling, the nomads were exposed to different peoples, cultures, natural resources, and goods. The nomads took these goods with them and these goods often peeked the interest of sedentary peoples. An example of this is when the Xiongnu, a Turkish-speaking people from the Mongolian confederacy received silk and other fine goods from their trade and tributary dealings with the Han dynasty. They then redistributed these products throughout their realm which then in turn helped to create a demand for Chinese goods in central Asia. The constant trading of goods helped establish a reliable network for the exchange of trade goods. Thus the nomads became middlemen in trade between different groups of sedentary people. This trading was mutually beneficial to all three peoples which consisted of the producers, the consumers, and the middlemen. As the volume of trade increased more complex trade routes were established Ex. Silk road.
There were also political implications to the contacts between the nomadic peoples and the sedentary. For you see Chinese states experienced tense relations with the nomadic peoples. Chinese wealth, agricultural surpluses and finely produced goods such as silk all attracted the nomads interest. So when they could not acquire the products peacefully they mounted their horses and organized raids into Chinese territories. Those who controlled trade became politically powerful.