So you probably have a picture of the Mongols in your head. Yes, that's the picture. Brutal, bloodthirsty, swarthy, humorously mustachioed warriors riding the plains, wearing fur, eating meat directly off the bones, saying, bar bar bar bar bar bar bar. In short, we imagine the Mongol Empire as stereotypically barbarian. And that's not entirely wrong. But if you've been reading recent world history textbooks, like we here at Crash Course have, you might have a different view of the Mongols, one that emphasizes the amazing speed and success of their conquests. How they conquered more land in 25 years than the Romans did in 400.