Scythians: Nomad Warriors of the Steppe

The Scythians were nomadic horsemen who inhabited the Asian steppe from the first millennium BC to the Altai mountains in the east. They interacted with sedentary states to the south, fought the Persians, and developed a rich art style depicting scenes from mythology and everyday life. Barry Cunliffe's book provides a masterful reconstruction of their lost world, allowing them to emerge in all their vigor and splendor for the first time in over two millennia.

Format: Hardback
Length: 408 pages
Publication date: 26 September 2019
Publisher: Oxford University Press

The Scythians were a group of nomadic horsemen who roamed across the vast grasslands of the Asian steppe during the first millennium BC. They hailed from the Altai mountains in the east to the Great Hungarian Plain in the west. Their homeland, known as the steppe, bordered several sedentary states to the south, including the Chinese, Persians, and Greeks. These interactions led to numerous conflicts between the nomads and their neighbors.

The Scythians engaged in several battles with the Persians, notably killing their king in one encounter and driving Darius the Great's invading army from the steppe in another. Their relations with the Greeks around the Black Sea were different, characterized by trading and cultural exchange. This led to the development of a unique art style that often depicted scenes from Scythian mythology and daily life.

The writings of Greek historians such as Herodotus provide valuable insights into the Scythian way of life. They reveal their beliefs, burial practices, love of fighting, and complex attitudes towards gender. The rich material culture recovered from Scythian burials, including elaborate goldwork and vividly colored fabrics, as well as frozen tombs in the Altai mountains, offers a glimpse into their world.

Barry Cunliffe, in his masterful reconstruction of the Scythian world, brings together a vast array of archaeological and textual evidence. Through his work, the Scythians emerge with renewed vigor and splendor, shedding light on a civilization that has been lost to history for over two millennia.

Weight: 1074g
Dimension: 198 x 252 x 24 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780198820123