The Scythians 700–300 BC by E. V. Cernenko

Author:E. V. Cernenko [Cernenko, E. V.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781780967738
Google: ByzDCwAAQBAJ
Goodreads: 13641803
Publisher: Osprey Publishing
Published: 1983-03-24T04:00:00+00:00

A gold decorative plaque showing Scythian archers, from the 4th century Kul Oba burial. Note fur-trimmed jackets, decorated trousers, and short boots. The top-knot hairstyle (cf Plate B) is unusual in Scythian pictorial work. The short, sharply recurved bows are accentuated here.

Bronze Scythian arrowheads from a 4th century burial near Kiev. Note the long single barb on three of these pieces.

The Persian Invasion

More than a hundred years had passed since the Scythians returned to the steppes north of the Black Sea and the Caucasus from their conquests in the Middle East. All veterans of those campaigns were long dead of their wounds or old age, and laid to rest under their grassy barrows; but in the fortresses and towns of Armenia, Syria, Palestine, and even Babylon, the terrible memories of their war-cries and their whistling arrows were still green. In Scythia, old warriors recounted their grandfathers’ glorious feats of arms in faraway lands to the young bloods gathered round them. In an oral society the names of kings and the exact order of events would fade gently into legend; but the legend would live on.

But now the half-forgotten past threatened to strike back, and dark clouds gathered over the broad plains of Scythia. In more than one hundred years of her vigour she had invaded many neighbouring lands; now, it seemed, Scythia would pay in her turn. A formidable enemy was preparing to invade the Pontic steppes, claiming justification in the wars of long ago. The enemy was none other than the Great King of Persia, Darius I Hystaspes of the Achaemenid dynasty.

Towards the end of the 6th century BC Darius I had managed to create a mighty state, the most powerful nation on earth at that time. His empire stretched from Egypt to India. Preparing for future conquests, he increased his power by introducing a number of reforms, and created a strong army. Since the Greek city-states stood in his path westwards, they would be conquered. But before he could move against them the empire’s northern marches must be made safe from possible new inroads by the nomads of the steppes—the Scythians, and their neighbours the Sauromatae. We owe most of what we know of the events which followed to Herodotus and to other ancient Greek and Roman authors.

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