Scythian" redirects here.

For members of the wider cultures of which the Scythians

were part, see Scythian cultures. For other uses, see Scythian (disambiguation).
"Scyth" redirects here. For the tool, see Scythe. For other uses, see Scythe
(disambiguation).

Scythian comb from Solokha, early 4th century BC

The approximate extent of Eastern Iranian languages circa 170 BC.

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The Scythians or Scyths,[note 1] (from Ancient Greek: Σκύθης Skúthēs, Σκύθοι
Skúthoi), and Ishkuzai (Akkadian: Assyrian cuneiform U12156 MesZL 357.svgAssyrian
cuneiform U1228D MesZL 297.svgAssyrian cuneiform U120A0 or U12365 MesZL 810 or
U121AA or U12089 MesZL 808 or U12306 or U12247 MesZL 809 and MesZL 811.svgAssyrian
cuneiform U1235D MesZL 851 or U12409 MesZL 852 or MesZL 853.svgAssyrian cuneiform
U12000 MesZL 839.svgAssyrian cuneiform U12000 MesZL 839.svg Iškuzaya[1][2]) or
Askuzai (Akkadian: Assyrian cuneiform U12337 MesZL 71.svgAssyrian cuneiform U1228D
MesZL 297.svgAssyrian cuneiform U12116 MesZL 891.svgAssyrian cuneiform U1235D MesZL
851 or U12409 MesZL 852 or MesZL 853.svgAssyrian cuneiform U12000 MesZL
839.svgAssyrian cuneiform U12000 MesZL 839.svg Asguzaya, Assyrian cuneiform U121B3
MesZL 578.svgAssyrian cuneiform U1228D MesZL 297.svgAssyrian cuneiform U120A0 or
U12365 MesZL 810 or U121AA or U12089 MesZL 808 or U12306 or U12247 MesZL 809 and
MesZL 811.svgAssyrian cuneiform U1235D MesZL 851 or U12409 MesZL 852 or MesZL
853.svgAssyrian cuneiform U12000 MesZL 839.svgAssyrian cuneiform U12000 MesZL
839.svg mat Askuzaya, Assyrian cuneiform U121B3 MesZL 578.svgAssyrian cuneiform
U1203E or U12369 MesZL 548 or U12451 MesZL 549.svgAssyrian cuneiform U12116 MesZL
891.svgAssyrian cuneiform U1235D MesZL 851 or U12409 MesZL 852 or MesZL
853.svgAssyrian cuneiform U12000 MesZL 839.svgAssyrian cuneiform U12000 MesZL
839.svg mat Ášguzaya[1][3]), also known as Saka and Sakae (Old Persian: 𐎿𐎣𐎠 𐏐
𐎫𐎹𐎡𐎹 𐏐 𐎱𐎼𐎭𐎼𐎹 Sakā tayaiy paradraya "the Sakā who live beyond the Sea"; Ancient
Egyptian: 𓋴𓎝𓎡𓈉 sk, 𓐠𓎼𓈉 sꜣg; Ancient Greek: Σάκαι Sákai; Latin: Sacae)[5] were an
ancient nomadic people living primarily in the region known as Scythia, in what is
modern-day Ukraine and Southern Russia. Classical Scythians, also known as Pontic
Scythians,[6][7] dominated the Pontic steppe from approximately the 7th century BC
until the 3rd century BC,[8] and were led by a nomadic warrior aristocracy known as
the Royal Scythians.

The Scythians are generally believed to have been of Iranian origin;[9] the
language the Scythians spoke belonged to the eastern branch of the Iranian
languages,[10] and they practiced a variant of ancient Iranian religion.[11] The
Scythians were part of the wider Scythian cultures, stretching across the Eurasian
Steppes[12][13] of Kazakhstan, the Russian steppes of the Siberian, Ural, Volga and
Southern regions, and eastern Ukraine.[14] In a broader sense, Scythians has also
been used to designate all early Eurasian nomads,[13] although the validity of such
terminology is controversial,[12] and other terms such as "Early nomadic" have been
deemed preferable.[15] Although both were closely related nomadic Iranian peoples,
although the ancient Persians, ancient Greeks, and ancient Babylonians respectively
used the names "Saka," "Scythian," and "Cimmerian" for all the steppe nomads, the
Saka who inhabited the northern and eastern Eurasian Steppe and the Tarim Basin are
to be distinguished from the European Scythians, and the name "Scythian" is used
specifically for western members of the Scythian cultures while the name "Saka" is
used specifically for their eastern members;[4][16][better source needed][17][18]
and while the Cimmerians were often described by contemporaries as culturally
Scythian, they may have differed ethnically from the Scythians proper, to whom the
Cimmerians were related, and who also displaced and replaced the Cimmerians.[19]

Among the earliest peoples to master mounted warfare,[20] the Scythians replaced
the Cimmerians as the dominant power on the Pontic steppe in the 8th century BC.
[21] During this time they and related peoples came to dominate the entire Eurasian
Steppe from the Carpathian Mountains in the west to Ordos Plateau in the east,[22]
[23] creating what has been called the first Central Asian nomadic empire.[21][24]
In the 7th century BC, the Scythians crossed the Caucasus and frequently raided
West Asia along with the Cimmerians, playing an important role in the political
developments of the region.[21][24] Around 650–630 BC, Scythians briefly dominated
the Medes of the western Iranian Plateau,[25][26] and stretched their power to the
borders of Egypt.[20] After losing control over Media, they continued intervening
in Middle Eastern affairs, playing a leading role in the destruction of the
Assyrian Empire in the Sack of Nineveh in 612 BC. After being expelled from West
Asia by the Medes, the Scythians subsequently engaged in frequent conflicts with
the Achaemenid Empire, and suffered a major defeat against Macedonia in the 4th
century BC[20] and were subsequently gradually conquered by the Sarmatians, a
related Iranian people living to their west.[27] In the late 2nd century BC, their
capital at Scythian Neapolis in the Crimea was captured by Mithridates VI and their
territories incorporated into the Bosporan Kingdom.[11] By this time they had been
largely Hellenized. By the 3rd century AD, the Sarmatians and last remnants of the
Scythians were dominated by the Alans, and were being overwhelmed by the Goths. By
the early Middle Ages, the Scythians and the Sarmatians had been largely
assimilated and absorbed by early Slavs.[28][29] The Scythians were instrumental in
the ethnogenesis of the Ossetians, who are believed to be descended from the Alans.
[30]

The Scythians played an important part in the Silk Road, a vast trade network
connecting Greece, Persia, India and China, perhaps contributing to the prosperity
of those civilisations.[31] Settled metalworkers made portable decorative objects
for the Scythians, forming a history of Scythian metalworking. These objects
survive mainly in metal, forming a distinctive Scythian art.[32]

The name of the Scythians survived in the region of Scythia. Early authors
continued to use the term "Scythian," applying it to many groups unrelated to the
original Scythians, such as Huns, Goths, Turkic peoples, Avars, Bulgars, Khazars,
and other unnamed nomads.[11][33] The scientific study of the Scythians is called
Scythology.