Camels, horses, reindeers - these herd animals are an essential element within the reality of nomadic life and also represent meaning-giving symbols of nomadism. In two colloquia of the Collaborative Research Center “Difference and Integration. The interaction between nomadic and settled forms of life in the civilizations of the Old World” based in Halle and Leipzig, these symbols, seen as an integral part of the interaction between nomads and settled peoples, have been examined in relation to various aspects and in a wide temporal and geographic context. The essay collection offers a view into the work of a large, international and unique research alliance dealing with the relationship between nomadic and settled peoples. It discusses the results of research regarding the meaning of symbols for nomadic identity, as well as the very real function of herd animals in nomadic life. It also emphasizes that the “decoding” of the symbols of nomadic life depend on the respective cultural, social and religious context.

About the Contributions
Ute Pietruschka engages with Syrian and Greek texts that deal with the symbolism of the desert. Bertram Schmitz discusses the symbol of the tent in Israeli religion. Ines Stolpe elucidates in her contribution the importing of the Soviet star in Mongolia. Elif Daðyeli examines the visualizing of symbols upon felt carpets in Kyrgyzstan. Renate Heckendorf shows in her essay the difficulties that Archeology is confronted with when attempting to examine the symbolic content of pre-historical cave drawings. Uta Schilling enquires about the linguistic norms marking the term “nomad” in Kazakh (köšpendí) within the Kazakh-speaking community of Mongolia. Judith Rosenhouse deals with Bedouin dialects in Israel. Michael Herles examines the camel in archeological sources from the years 300 to 100 B.C. in ancient Mesopotamia. Herbert Eisenstein’s contribution engages with the cultural significance of the camel in the classical Arabic-Islamic period. Anna Akasoy’s essay is dedicated to the description of camels in old Arabic poetry in Ka‘b ibn Zuhayr’s work. The collection is directed towards Orientalists, Ethnologists, Historians and Archeologists who deal with the topic of Nomadism.