Final answer:
Limited resources and a harsh climate due to climate change around 1500 BCE led the Indo-Europeans in the Steppes to shift from agriculture to livestock herding. As a result, they developed a nomadic lifestyle and engaged in both economic exchanges and conflicts with neighboring civilizations.
Step-by-step explanation:
The harsh climate and limited resources in the Steppes prompted the Indo-Europeans and other nomadic peoples to migrate in search of more favorable living conditions. Around 1500 BCE, due to climate change causing a colder, drier climate, these groups, who once practiced agriculture, shifted to a nomadic lifestyle of herding livestock, as it was more viable in the changing environment. Nomads were then forced to master horseback riding and pastoralism, skills essential for the mobile lifestyle required to find new pastures. However, when droughts or reduced grasslands threatened their subsistence, they sometimes resorted to raiding agricultural societies or trading animal products. These pressures, along with the ongoing search for better pasture lands, led to migrations and the formation of military confederations that were a part of the broader historical dynamics, including warfare, trade, and cultural exchanges.
The relationship between the peoples of the Steppes and nearby civilizations was characterized by both economic exchange and conflict. While they did trade goods like furs and meat with agricultural societies, periods of scarcity forced them to raid these settlements, leading to military conflicts. Even so, their expertise in horseback riding and pastoralism also led to significant cultural adaptations and interactions with other societies.