Although cultivation of crops has continued since the Neolithic, it always remained small in scale compared to pastoral nomadism, which may have first been introduced from the west or arose independently in the region.
Kmečke neolitske naselbine (okoli 5500 - 3500 pred našim štetjem), kot so v Norovlin, Tamsagbulag, Bayanzag in Rashaan Khad so obstajale že pred uvedbo nomadstva in uporabo konja, kar je osrednji dogodek v zgodovini Mongolije.