The Mongols were a nomadic pastoralist people from the Eurasian steppes, mainly the region of modern-day Mongolia in Eastern Asia. They originally lived as herders of sheep, goats, horses, camels, and yaks, and were organized into clans, tribes, and later tribal alliances led by chiefs or Khans. Their society was highly mobile, based on horseback riding, hunting, and archery skills, and they lived in portable round tents called yurts or gers. The Mongols became famous under the leadership of Genghis Khan (born Temüjin), who united the various Mongol tribes in the early 13th century and began a vast series of military campaigns. These conquests led to the formation of the largest contiguous land empire in history, stretching from East Asia across much of Asia into Eastern Europe. Their empire allowed significant cultural and technological exchanges across Eurasia during the so-called Pax Mongolica. Despite their reputation for ferocity in battle, the Mongols also fostered an era of productive peace and cross-cultural interaction. Ethnically, the Mongols belong to the larger family of Mongolic peoples, with origins believed to trace back to ancient Northeast Asian groups like the Donghu. They were bound by linguistic and cultural ties and shared a pastoral nomadic lifestyle throughout their history. The Mongol Empire's key figures included Genghis Khan and his descendants, such as Ögedei Khan and Kublai Khan, who expanded and ruled different parts of their vast empire.