Before the rise of the Xiongnu, the Ordos culture(800 BC-150 BC) thrived in Inner Mongolia’s Ordos Plateau.

While the relationship between the Ordos nomads and the Scythians isn’t clear, their art style has a distinct Scythian influence, with prominent Indo-European and Siberian elements.

This gold stag with an eagle’s head, found in the Ordos Desert, is a representative of the new art form introduced by the Ordos nomads.