Preview - Skytho-Sauromatae

[Nelduin]

Skytho-Sauromatae

1. Introduction
The Scythians, sometimes incorrectly linked to the "Sarmatians" in the original vanilla RTW are in fact a bunch of well-differenciated peoples located between india and thracia, and from the north oriental ural and hyperborian region to the Suebi territory and baltic peoples. The Sarmatians are in fact one of these people, one of the well-known master horse-archers which lived mostly in the modern caucasus. Other well-known Scythians peoples are Alanni, Aorsi, Dahae, Saka (Often assimilate as iranian scythians), Indo-Scythians, Massagetai, Roxolani, or Yuezhi from the very far east. Herodotus was the first author to make strong differences of these persian borders neighbours. They have in common a nomadic culture, the cult of the sun and of their horses, some are rich and delicate gold jewellers (the famous "scythian's gold") and are the true masters of the giant steppe with their mounted and well-protected archers/lancers. As the persians, they wore vivid colored clothes, pants and boots, and helmets-like soft felt caps made of several layers of special layers. These proud warriors strongly influenced their neighbours, to begin with the persians who fought them, and later the biggest diadocus empire, the Seleucid one. The very late Roman bucellari found their ancestors in these cataphract archers/pikemen.

(From wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) : The Scythians or Scyths, a nation of horse-riding nomadic pastoralists who spoke an Iranian language, dominated the Pontic steppe throughout Classical Antiquity. By Late Antiquity the closely-related Sarmatians came to dominate the Scyths in this area. Much of the surviving information about the Scyths comes from the Greek historian Herodotus (c. 440 BCE) in his Histories, and archaeologically from the exquisite goldwork found in Scythian burial mounds in Ukraine and Southern Russia.

Also, since ancient times non-Scyths have used the name "Scythian" more broadly to refer to various peoples seen as similar or identical to the Scythians, or who lived anywhere in a vast area covering including present-day Ukraine, Russia and Central Asia — known until medieval times as Scythia. The name was also used among early scholars studying the Proto Indo-Europeans, and the Scythians are still considered a reasonable analogue for their Proto Indo-European ancestors.

Origins and pre-history (to 700 BCE)

Skunkha, king of the Saka tigraxauda ("wearing pointed caps Sakae", a group of Scythian tribes). Detail of Behistun Inscription.Scholars generally classify the Scythian language as a member of the Eastern Iranian languages, and the Scythians as a branch of the ancient Iranian peoples expanding into the steppe regions north of Greater Iran from around 1000 BCE.

The Histories of Herodotus provide the most important literary sources relating to ancient Scyths. According to Sulimirski , Herodotus provides a broadly correct depiction but apparently knew little of the eastern part of Scythia. According to Herodotus the ancient Persians called all the Scyths "Saca" (Herodotus .VII 64). Their principal tribe, the Royal Scyths, ruled the vast lands occupied by the nation as a whole (Herodotus .IV 20); and they called themselves Skolotoi. Oswald Szemerényi devotes a thorough discussion to the etymology of the word Scyth in his work "Four old Iranian ethnic names: Scythian - Skudra - Sogdian - Saka". [6]. The related words derive from *skuza, an ancient Indo-European word for archer, (cf. English shoot,) hence Iranian Ishkuzi = archers. The Scythians first appeared in the historical record in the beginning of the first millennium BCE. [7] . But Herodotus (IV. 11) reported a version according to which: “The nomadic tribes of Scythians who lived in Asia were hard-pressed by the Massagetae tribes, were forced across the Araxes into Cimmeria. There is also another different story, now to be related, in which I am more inclined to put faith than in any other. It is that the wandering Scythians once dwelt in Asia, and there warred with the Massagetae, but with ill success; they therefore quit their homes, crossed the Araxes, and entered the land of Cimmeria.”

Around 770 BCE, the Scythians (led by Ishpaki — Old Iranian *Spakaaya) in alliance with the Mannaens attacked Assyria. The group first appears in Assyrian annals under the name Ishkuzai. According to the brief assertion of Esarhaddon's inscription, the Assyrian empire defeated the alliance. Subsequent mention of Scythians in Babylonian and Assyrian texts occurs in connection with Media. Both Old Persian and Greek sources mention them during the period of the Achaemenid empires, with Greek sources locating them in the steppe between the Dnieper and Don rivers. Herodotus provides the first detailed description of the Scythians. He classes the Cimmerians as a distinct autochthonous tribe, expelled by the Scythians from the northern Black Sea coast (Hist. 4.11-12). Herodotus also states (4.6) that the Scythians consisted of the Auchatae, Catiaroi, Traspians and Paralatae or "Royal Scythians". Throughout his work Herodotus specifically distinguished between the nomadic Scythians in the south and the agricultural Scythians to the north.

Scythian warriors, drawn after figures on an electrum cup from the Kul-Oba kurgan burial near Kerch. The warrior on the right strings his bow, bracing it behind his knee; note the typical pointed hood, long jacket with fur or fleece trimming at the edges, decorated trousers, and short boots tied at the ankle. Scythians apparently normally wore their hair long and loose, and all adult men apparently wore beards. The gorytos appears clearly on the left hip of the bare-headed spearman; his companion has an interesting shield, perhaps representing a plain leather covering over a wooden or wicker base. (Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg)
Treasure of Kul-Oba, near Kerch.In 512 BCE, when king Darius the Great of Persia attacked the Scythians, he allegedly penetrated into their land after crossing the Danube. Herodotus relates that the nomad Scythians succeeded in frustrating the designs of the Persian army by letting it march through the entire country without an engagement. According to Herodotus, Darius in this manner came as far as the Volga river.

During the 5th to 3rd centuries BCE the Scythians evidently prospered. When Herodotus wrote his Histories in the 5th century BCE, Greeks distinguished Scythia Minor in present-day Romania and Bulgaria from a Greater Scythia that extended eastwards for a twenty-day ride from the Danube River, across the steppes of today's East Ukraine to the lower Don basin. The Don, then known as Tanaïs, has served as a major trading route ever since. The Scythians apparently obtained their wealth from their control over the slave-trade from the north to Greece through the Greek Black Sea colonial ports of Olvia, Chersonesos, Cimmerian Bosporus, and Gorgippia. They also grew grain, and shipped wheat, flocks, and cheese to Greece. Strabo (c. 63 BCE - 24 CE) reports that king Ateas united under his power the Scythian tribes living between the Maeotian marshes and the Danube. His westward expansion brought him in conflict with Philip II of Macedon (reigned 359 to 336 BCE), who took military action against the Scythians in 339 BCE. Ateas died in battle and his empire disintegrated. In the aftermath of this defeat, the Celts seem to have displaced the Scythians from the Balkans, while in south Russia a kindred tribe, the Sarmatians, gradually overwhelmed them. By the time of Strabo's account (the first decades of the first millennium CE), the Crimean Scythians had created a new kingdom extending from the lower Dnieper to the Crimea. The kings Skilurus and Palakus waged wars with Mithridates the Great (reigned 120–63 BCE) for control of the Crimean littoral, including Chersonesos and the Cimmerian Bosporus. Their capital city, Scythian Neapolis, stood on the outskirts of modern Simferopol. The Goths destroyed it much later, in the 5th century CE.

Sakas : Asians, especially Persians, knew the Scythians in Asia as Sakas. The Indo-Scythians had the name "Shaka" in South Asia, an extension on the name "Saka". Herodotus describes them as Scythians, called by a different name: "The Sacae, or Scyths, were clad in trousers, and had on their heads tall stiff caps rising to a point. They bore the bow of their country and the dagger; besides which they carried the battle-axe, or sagaris. They were in truth Amyrgian (Western) Scythians, but the Persians called them Sacae, since that is the name which they gave to all Scythians." (Herodotus VII. 64) Although the Shakas had a reputation as fierce and war-like, one of the greatest sages of peace, the Buddha, may have descended from this tribe: he had the title Shakyamuni which means "Shaka monk".

Indo-Scythians : In the 2nd century BC, a group of Scythian tribes, known as the Indo-Scythians, migrated into Bactria, Sogdiana and Arachosia. The migrations in 175-125 BCE of the Kushan (Chinese: "Yuezhi") tribes, who originally lived in eastern Tarim Basin before the Huns (Chinese: "Xiongnu") tribes dislodged them, displaced the Indo-Scythians from Central Asia. Led by their king Maues, they ultimately settled in modern-day Punjab and Kashmir from around 85 BCE, where they replaced the kingdom of the Indo-Greeks by the time of Azes II (reigned circa 35 - 12 BCE). Kushans invaded again in the 1st century, but the Indo-Scythian rule persisted in some areas of Central India until the 5th century.

Hellenic-Scythians : Contact still focused on the Hellenistic cities and settlements of the Crimea (especially in the Bosporan Kingdom). Greek craftsmen from the colonies north of the Black Sea made spectacular Scythian-style gold ornaments (see below), applying Greek realism to depict Scythian motifs of lions, antlered reindeer and gryphons.

2. Starting Position

3. Preview: The Scytho-Sarmatians in 300 B.C.

SKYTHIOI AKINAKEPHOROI:

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Light scythian and sarmatian nomadic infantrymen were rarely seen, but there could have been the last emerengy resource. Usually, scythian settlements were never attacked themselves directly, the war was occured usually far away, as cavalry was the main warfare tool. But when horsemen didn't succeed to contain the enemy, the very last line of defence were locals young (too for having their own mount) or the oldests, women, and slaves. Their training was poor, their equipement consisted of a spear and a light shield, very similar to the thracian pelte, with bones, leather and some bone or bronze scales. Some of them could wear a simple leather cuirass. The other weapons available were usual tools. The spear was always useful to deal with enemy cavalry. In the past, scythian who raided assyria, approx in 600 bc, had to fight their own slaves at returning home, as some archeological evidence (like the golden solokha comb) and herodotus attested. These last fought on foot with spears and axes. Slave and levied horseless troops were also often equipped with the most current weapon in use then in the east, the Akinakes Dagger. Sharp and long, this was almost a very short stabbing sword, used by almost all scythians.

SKYTHIOI SAGARISPHOROI:

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The Scythian battleaxe is a famous weapon, usually known as the "Sagaris". This light battleaxe was one-hand manned and primarily intended as the current secondary cavalry weapon. It was cheaper than an axe, and very effective against infantry. When the Scythian are forced to fight on foot, they use this weapon as main weapon. Assaulters on rough terrains and durong siege are usually wearing a light scale linothorax, scale shield, rather rectangular, and a sagaris. They were used as dismounted mercenaries also, and archers in general which had no akinaka (or scythe, short dagger), use a sagaris for closefight. This weapon was usually shape as modern firebrigade safety axes, with a reduced blade (often even a single iron head) and a pick. Sagaris were used also by wealthier horsemen and were usually decorated with gold delicate ornaments, unusual for this kind of rude weapon...

SKYTHOI TOXOTAI:

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Nomadic "free" scythians, semi-sedentarized or living their traditional way of life were given a bow litteraly in the cradle. When hunting a prey to feed yourself and the people behind, skills were a matter of life, no more, no less. And if they were efficient as nobody on horseback, when dismounted, their accuracy, range and speed were unmatched by far. The scythian archers were the most appreciated mercenaries throughout the black sea, in asia, and even in eastern europe. Scythian foot archers were a rare vision, most of them been used as mercenaries since the beginning of the Peloponnesian wars.

SKYTHOI EPILEKTOI TOXOTAI:

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Less common than their mounted equivalents, these heavy scythian archers as dismounted to operate in woods, and in general rough terrains. They are very well protected with a greek linothorax xompleted with bronze or bones scales, light, flexible, and efficient against various missiles, less against spear or axes blows. Swords can rip on these armors. Their helmet was a specific scythian style, inspired by the chalcidian model, bur with leather scale armor in place of removable cheeks. It was light, allowed a better vision and hearing than the old corinthian helmet, and relatively easy to produce. Greek blacksmith around the greek black sea colonies were highly priced by scythian weatlhy warriors and nobles.\nThese elite dismounted archers can fight with a battelaxe, the famous sagaris, which was largely spread, but the most wealthiest can choose to use a longword, a particular scythian mode, highly ornamented as usual. Their composite bow was powerful and allowed a greater range than most of western archers, with a greater accuracy and tactics as these archers were not only civilian hunters but professional warriors, hardened by several campaigns, skilled and trained.

SKYTHO-SAUROMATAI HIPPAKONTISTAI:

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Young scytho-Sarmatian horsemen were not all able to practice with efficiency the difficult art of mounted archery. When needed, they could be used as well as javelineers, like their neighbours. It was a common raiding cavalry, but the javelins were probably carryed with a bow aside. As experienced and skilled horsemen, their skirmishing habilities were quite good, inherited by border scythian tribes, which fought many famous skirmisher cavalrymen like the Medians, Massagetae (Alans), and Dahae, and other iranian steppe peoples. They were not intended to closefighting, having only a tunic and a soft cap or light helmet, a light wicker shield and a dagger, the scythe or akinakes, and perhaps a sagaris. They were used with efficiency for screening duties and finishing off routed infantry. Those horsemen were probably common along the black sea coast, crimea, and north of the actual Prut and Dniestr. Some were probably used for raids in getae lands, and because in such rainy countries, the composite bow was unusable. Settled scythian later absorbed by the sarmatians still used that tactic.

SKYTHOI HIPPOTOXOTAI:

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Some light horse-archers were levied, with virtually all men able to be mounted, those too aged and those too young to normally fight effectively. They could have been also servants (not slaves), following their master on horseback. These servants were not, however, warriors by social status, and not trained for war. But like scythian women, they were skilled horsemen and horse archery was used also for hunting purposes. This was the "natural training" of any nomadic youth. Poorely equipped, they counted only on their akinakes or scythe to survive in a close combat, that they avoided. Others were more seasoned and more effective, from the warrior class, and served well with many efficient close-combat weapons like the sagaris. Highly feared and reknowned in the ancient world, the scythians horse archers were used by as mercenaries the persians and the greeks, both as foot and mounted archers; They used the famous powerful composite bow, and various secondary weapons, tanged between javelins, spears, battleaxe (sagaris), swords, daggers (scythe), and even maces. The common horse archers were relatively poor scythians, wearing only a tunic and perhaps a small wicker shield strapped to the left arm. Their quiver, the Gorytos, was exceptionnaly large, affording spare parts and a spare bow, and a wide choice of specialised arrows. They were the best horsemen of their time (before the parthians), skilled archers since young, mastering the art of mounted shot, at full speed. They were seen as truly "barbaric" for the greeks, brutal, cruel, with an infamous reputation of using severed heads as cups, taking scalps, and using human skins for covering several artefacts. Sarmatian tunics were of the eastern type, but thicker and quilted with cotton or other garment. This was an all-time tunic, appropriate also for the cold nights of the steppe.

SKYTHO-SAUROMATAI HIPPOTOXOTAI:

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When the scythian progressively fell under Sarmatian influence, they adopted the weapons fo their enemies, and then conquerors. This was the Kontos (lat. Contus), the lenghtened cavalry lance that gave the sarmatian many success over their enemies from 200 bc and after. A pure product of this evolution were the "sarmatized" scythian kontos bearers, which were the first true "scytho-sarmatian" unit. They just used the kontos instead of the lancia, at least one and a half meter shorter. The Kontos was probably not used by the Sarmatians before the second century bc. as no remin of suggestive spearhead were found. This lance was better known by eastern iranians, which dealed with the macedonian phalanx, but probably adopted it from the Macedonian heavy cavalry practice. However, their skills remained unchanged. They still used close-combat weapons and their bow as main armament in any occasion. Scythian warriors almost always fought mounted. Infantry was rarely seen but on the battles which occured against the Bosporan kingdom, were cavalry and infantry were approximatively half of the total amount of soldiers. A good example was the battle of the Thates River, by 309 bc, between Eumeles's general Satyrus and Aripharnes, the Sirace king, helped by many sarmatians.

KONTOPHOROI HIPPOTOXOTAI:

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(Protected Scytho-Sarmatian horse-archers): In the wide steppes, between infinites of blue and green, normad horse archers are uncontestly the masters. They are the result of centuries of warfare, of horsemanship practice. They created the stirrups, in order to have a good sitting base when chaging with their long spear, the kontos. This weapon was probably borrowed in two parts, suspended one side to the stirrup, and when short of missiles, assembled and used with two hands. A large part of the scythian horse archers were lightly protected, using a greek-style leather armor, flexible, with iron or bronze scales, or more currently bone or horn scales, easyer to collect and shaping, hence the light, raw armors described by some authors. This armor was intended to protect their shoulders and breast. They are evidences of such armors, thanks to the famous solokha comb, where scythian wargear are depicted with high detail and are still now an unmatched testimony and one of the most impressive gold artifact ever created in history. All sorts of Helmets were widely spread northern shores of the black sea. When not at war against the scythians, the kingdom of cimmerian bosphoran (modern crimea) was a famous greek craftsmen site, as they were receive large amounts of gold to make some exquisite artifacts, highly priced by the scythian nobles. Non-nobles which were protected used, instead of an helmet, a thick leather soft cap filled with scales as protection. It was light and with long straps, well attached to the head. These protected horse archers fight with a versatile panoply, the bow, some battleaxe, and the kontos, as the scythe, a versatile dagger that was unfamously used also to scalp their victims... Their horses knownd as hongres, were fast, small, and nervous.

SKYTHOI ARISTOI HIPPOTOXOTAI:

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(Scythian noble horse-archers) : The scythian nobles were superb horsemen, with finely crafed bronze and even gold scale armors, and an equipment highly and somptuously decorated with golden animals. They wore in general, a greek-style scaled linothorax, a small shield, of crescent or rectangular shape and made with iron lamellar plates on a wood base, greaves made with such lamellar protection on leather, and even two more which protect the forelegs. The helmet was of various style, in 500 bc, the corinthian was used, but due to the redution of sight, with a prejudice for archery, chalcidian and local models were preferred. The most common was a mix with a superior part of corinthian or chalcidian style, and large leather scaled flaps covering the rear of the head and neck.\nThey had a tremendous arsenal, which mad them truly versatile on the battlefield, including the classic composite bow, one more in spare part and dozens of arrows in a large gorytos, a long sword of specific design, a battle axe or sagaris, both highly decorated, and perhaps some spears, roughly 6 feet long, used as heavy javelins, and a two parts kontos, assembled and use with both hands for the charge. That's why the shields were reduced and fixed to the upper arm. They used also the scythe, the widely used dagger, and had also a cup of gold attached to their stirrup. The wealthiest of them had their own retinue, which replace their damaged weapon, reloading them with arrows, in the pitch of battle, but this feature was rare, as the scythians were a mobile force, and their versatility was a true advantage. \nThe scythians crushed several attemps to invade their lands and submit them, one of the most famous beeing those of Darius in 512 bc. Despite the huge army of the persians, the scythian never attempted to attack them, but rather to lure and track them into the deepest of their lands, like the Volga. They constantly harrass them, with hit-and-run tactics and night and day quick raids, until the persians, tired, hungry, partially decimated, with their morale seriously lowered, were eventually driven off without any result.

SKYTHOI AMAZONOI :

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The question anybody wants to answers : Did the legenday amazons existed ? Modern historians like Vera Kovalevskaya or Jeannine Davis-Kimball agreed that the many tombs discovered (about 25% of the kurgans with female "warriors") and the genotype of these Amazons like Greeks decribed them could be linked, with all depictions of the Sarmatians, to the nomadic women, both Scythian and Sarmatians, that Herodotus stated. For him, Sarmatians women were so ruthless than they were not authorized to marry a man before having killed their first enemy. The bow was the weapon of choice, that required (at least the composite) not strenght but only accuracy. Only a dedication of years, beginning to the early childhood, and still preserved in Mongolian and Kazakh traditions, could still testifies. An explanation could be traced around the isolation of the nomadic settlements when the men were gone for wars (mostly raiding neighbour tribes, coastal cities or even massive expeditions like those form the VI-V th century bc). During these monthes, even years, the Scythian women were left to themselves and probably needed skills in horsemanship, archery and self-defence to survive and protect their families. Some began famous and took part in many wars, and as this, were buried with their full equipment for the afterlife. The Sarmatian women not differed from their Scythian counterparts, but this feature began to disappear when some fleeing, nomadic scythians began to settled permanently in the Crimean peninsula.

SKYTHOI LONCHOPHOROI :

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These protected lancers were given a "lancia", shorter than the Kontos, mainly used by the Sarmatians, and one hand manned. They had also a light thureos of wicker backed with leather, covered with painted linen, for close-combat protection, a leather and scales armor, a modified greek-style helmet (the Chalcidian was one of the most widely used) and of course a bow and several close-combat wapon : Sword, Sagaris and Akinakes. Their tactics were highly diversified : First, they came with a rain of arrows, turning around the enemy, harrassing it while running fast with their nervous horses, until the quiver was emptyed. Then, they charged at the weakest point, and fought hard in melee, with a good survivability thanks to their skills and excellent armor. The red used by the scythian nobility was a reserved color. It became the most famous color used by these nomads, but freemen warriors wore brighlty colored trousers, sleeveds and tunics.

SKYTHO-SAUROMATAI KONTOPHOROI (Lancer-axe cavalry):

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These Sarmatian-inspired cavalrymenfrom the east formed the bulk of the ancient Scythian heavy cavalry. All nobles, they were heavily protected with helmets and armors with no signs of Hellenization. They were related with the "Royal Scythian" and shows almost no weak point. These cavalrymen were highly skilled nobles, able to afford such impressive armor. They are modelled after a famous scythian armor from 400 bc, the golden age of the Scythians, still in use among the Saka. Protective panels were used also by the heavy sarmatian cavalrymen, although the late ones have a complete "leather-and-scales" protective suit which was less complicated.Such armor was probably fitted with the help of the slaves and servants of each nobleman.

SKYTHOI BASILIKON HETAIROI:

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As the scythians were master horsemen, the nobles, which can afford the best equipment, and especially the royal bodyguards, were really impressive. In few words, this was the finest cavalry in the west, talking about the western scythians, from west pontic steppe to the thracian and germanic lands. These elite nobles are depicted in catw as lancers, able to fight then in melee with a longsword, but in reality, they were more versatile warriors, using bow, kontos (spear), even javelins, sword, battleaxe (sagaris), and the famous dagger (the scythe). They held a gold cup and in general all this wargear, quiver and scabbards, were luxuriously decorated with gold appliqués, made by greek craftsmen. As the royal and noble tombs (kurgans) of the west can say, the scythian nobles were particulary "enlighted" by hellenism, and it was not rare to see greek preceptors and writers to the royal scythian court. This scythian elite philhellenism was not only cultural, but widely reflected into their wargear, particularly after 400 bc. The classic and simple "kuban" type helmet, which was largely in use, soon be replaced by various greek designs, including holes for leather straps, to accomodate scales, a reccurent feature for scythian and in general eastern armor, as it was easy to build and repair, light and flexible. Soft caps and leg protections were scale-protected, before greek bronze models greaves and helmets were adopted, especially when the scythians eventually settled or mixed with local populations. Such intriguing designs like the cotinthian model were popular, but lately, phrygian, boeotian, and particularly chalcidian and thracian models were preferred, following the hellenic tastes.

4. Preview: Sarmatian Evolution

SAUROMATAI TOXOTAI :

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Sarmatian foot archers are less renown than mounted ones. But they have the same composite bow, fast to reload, powerful and with great range, and a secondary weapon as waraxe, the famous Scythe dagger, and more rarely a sword. Dismounted archers are useful to be deployed in rough terrain, and as an infantry support. Dismounted sarmatian archers were rarely seen but only in night raids and sieges. As the slaves cannot be allowed to possess a mount, scythian can use them also as suppletives archers. But what is sure is that they always can outrange any other western archer, and decimate easily any warband with few protection.

SAUROMATAI EPILEKTOI TOXOTAI:

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Sauromatae Epilektoi Toxotai : Dismounted Sarmatian heavy archers were a provisionnal unit, dispatched with Dacian and Sarmatian allied troops and opposed to the Roman legions. The rugged lands of the carpathians were particularly not well-suited for horses depolyment. Sarmatian foot archers were another late units, mostly from Iazygai people, and were primarily foot soldiers. They only trust their skills in both archery and swordsmanship. They were no other troops to assaulting cities. Others were Siraces, settled sarmatians from the Pontic Steppe and Tanais.

SIRAKOI EPILEKTOI:

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These Siraces heavy spearmen were the true ancestors of the famous Bosporan spearmen, which were a late unit (from the second century ad). The Siracae were eastern sarmatians that made early contacts with the greek settlements and emporions of the Oriental black sea. They adopted many greek artefact, and like scythians, noblemen were fond of Greek-handcrafted, but scythian "animal-style" jewelry. The Siracae were a confederacy of kingdoms which became quickly half-nomaidc : Many Siracae settled permanently on the eastern bank of the Tanais, and some were hired as auxiliaries and mercenaries by the Bosporan kingdom. They was with no doubt an alliance with them in 300 bc, as a counterweight against Scythoo-Sarmatian ambitions (see later). Dismounted elite infantrymen from the Siracae were spearmen-swordsmen or axemen, holding a thureos and still wearing their scale armor. Their helmet is a composite but not related to the germanic Spangenhelm. It has its own, typical "Bosporan shape".

SKYTHO-SAUROMATAI PELTAST HIPPEIS:

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Although the horse archer was the backbone of any nomadic army, mounted javelineers were mostly used in close-quarters on rough terrain, in ambushes and night raids. When an arrow hit was not always lethal, a javelin one did the trick well. Scythian nomadic and sarmatian heavy mounted skirmishers were given large shields, a bunch of good tipped javelins, and some leather and scale armor. They were skilled and coiould also fight dismounted with various weapons, but the most common were the sagaris battle-axe and the akinakes.

SAUROMATAI HIPPOTOXOTAI:

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The Sarmatian horse archers were in fact not only "Sauromatae" as they were known (it as only a tribe, and assimilated as the ancient, and perhaps first ancestors of all sarmatians, during the VI-IV th centuries), but also the Siracae, Lazyges, Roxolani, Aorsi, but also the non-sarmatian Alans (former Massagetae), which were all powerful nomadic nations, the first assimilated to the "early sarmatians". So it is hard to speak about a "sarmatian empire" at the age of Christ because of the autonomy of each nomadic kingdom/people. The early sarmatian archers, as decribed pausanias, used no iron but made their armors and equipments made of cornel wood and bones. Centuries after, only the poorest would have been equipped with such armors. After assimilating the Scythians, they adopted quickly bronze and iron armors and weapons. Mounted on their cramped, nervous little steppe horses, the Sarmatian horse-archers were fast and agile as hell. They frequently raided each others, calling endless vendetta, or musted at the call of a lord for a massive raiding party, like the ancient scythian did in the middle east. Ruthless warriors, they used the very long lance or Kontos, to dismount their enemy. They also used the lasso and probably turned to slaves many scythians while capturing them like this.

SAUROMATAI EPILEKTOI HIPPOTOXOTAI:

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Sarmatian elite horse archers were seasoned horsemen, using leather and scale partial protections, leg protections, and the composite, famous conical helmet that inspired the Gothic "Spangenhelm". They were current as non-nobles, and formed the better part of the low-status warriors. The helmet was however not current before the first century ad. The very early versions were made of several bands of metal, encircling the main body of leather parts. It would have been also a simple leather hat, reinforced with metal bands. It was borrowed perhaps from the Gothic warbands. Western earlier sarmatian helmets were of modified greek model (early sarmatian noblemen bought greek helmets through the scythians from many coastal greek emporions of the black sea. These models were modified, most of the time while cutting the lower part, splitting holes in it to attach some leather straps for additional protection against arrows. The simplest and most current helmet found in sarmatian kurgans as for 300 bc were heavily modified chalcidian helmets, simplified to a semi-spherical general shape. Some "bowl-helmets" easy to produce, were common to many nomadic peoples from the east, and probably derived into more conical shapes. The dacian and western sarmatian helmets were not composite but purely built in metal, as testifies Trajan's column. Conical helmets were also influenced by Eastern Celtic designs, as those found in western sarmatian tombs. They had nothing to do with the Spangenhelm.

SAUROMATAI SPATHAROI:

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The famous Sarmatian longsword inspired the Romans to the point that they lately adopted it to replace the outdated gladius, first for the cavalry, then for their foot auxiliaries, and officers, and eventually for all their troops. As the kontos was heavy and cumbersome, horse-archers which followed the lancers would have reinforced their weight in melee combat with their heavy swords.

SAUROMATAI KATAPHRAKTOI:

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These cataphracts sarmatians were horse archers, using a kontos and a longsword for and after the charge. A classic combination, which was used with a ruthless energy to defeat and assimilate many nomadic kingdoms, including the western scythians, and amazed the Romans during the Dacian campaign...

SAUROMATAI BASILIKON KATAPHRAKTOI:

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Sarmatian late bofyguards were impressive lancers, with a heavy kontos, a heavy longsword which inspired the Spatha, and other close-combat weapons. They were a crack elite units, Royal companions and "kinghts" in the medieval sense. They surpassed all western cavalrymen and finally inspired the Clibinarii to the Romans, as well as the Partho-Sassanids. Most of these superb cavalrymen were enlisted as auxiliaries in the late empire.

IAZYGAI HIPPEIS:

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The Iazyges were one of the most famous Sarmatian tribe. The Iazyges were themselves divided into several tribes, but were the most western Sarmatian nomads, the first to invade Scythia minor and expelled or assimilate the Scythians. They were also the first, soon followed by the Roxolani, to dwell on the northern bank of the Danube. The Roxolani dwelled northwards, but majority of the Iazyges mostly settled around the rich and fertile crimean peninsula. They would have eventually their day and a Iazyge dynasty will rule the Bosporan kingdom unitil it became a Roman province. They started to be used by the romans as auxiliaries after 175 ad. More than 5500 over 8000 were stationed in Britain, probably at the origin of the Arthurian legend. The Iazyge cavalrymn depicted here are heavy horse-archers typical of the "Sarmatian style" heavy horse archers. They were not cataphracts however, although their horses were partially ptotected. Themselves were covered by scales all over a leather protectio covering nearly all their body. This was the origin of the impressive depictions the romans made of them on trajan's column. This protection, used widely on the east, was nearly impenetrable while beeing still flexible and light, and was adopted as a coslty but efficient alternative to the chainmail by the Romans, mostly by eastern legions and auxiliaries. The Iazyges goes in campaign with some war-chariots, closely related to their dwelling chariots, manned by some serfs. They could return to this camp during the battle and take arrows or a kontos for a charge.

RHOXOLANOI HIPPEIS:

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The Roxolani were aother famous western Sarmatian tribe. They followed the Iazyges and dwelled also on the bank of the Don and Danube, making several incursion on the west, addingpressure to the Dacians. The origin of their name is probably "white alan" or "western alan" as they were first described by the persians. Their relations with the Iazyges were scarce, although beeing from the same stock, they probably raided each others. The Roxolani choosed to ally with the Dacians for example, although the Iazyges were seen like enemies by Burebista. A massive invasion of Roxolani in Moesia in 85 bc led to the desctruction of a Roman legion. When the dacian wars occured, which seen a lot of them well assisting the dacian cavalry, the Roman consul in command and Trajan decided to put an end to the sarmatian threat and turned their swords against both the Roxolani and Iazyges, which briefly allied themselves for the onslaught but were eventually pushed back. After the defeat of the Iazyges and assimilation as auxiliaries, throughout the roman empire, the Roxolani ceased to be called as such but only "sarmatians".

AORSOI -SIRAKOI HIPPEIS (Aorsi, Siraces horsemen):

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These eastern sarmatians dwelled on the eastern part of the Pontic steppe, some raiding oriental greek cities of the black sea. The Siraces differed from western scythians only to be more "hellenized", as beeing the first to have contacts with these greek far eastern cities, long before Alexander the great. From Kazakhstan steppe, they dwelled in the Kuban region. Aorsi eventually settled around these greek-occupied regions and the Bosporan kingdom, and became partially sedentary, mostly for commercial reasons. The Aorsi were positioned more north-eastwards and were far more powerful, according to Strabo. Their confederacy was splitted between the upper and lower Aorsi, and they were probably able to field very large armies, up to 200 000 cavalrymen. They were spread from the Caspian sea to the western Sogdian mountains, and were known by the Chinese as Yen ts'ai. Aorsi and Siracae were also rivals, like Roxolani and Iazyges. During the Bosporan war in 49 ad, they just rallied the opposite factions.

ALANOI HIPPEIS:

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The Alans (Alanni for the Romans) were assimilated to the ancient Massagetae, atleast for Ammianus Marcelinus. They were described having "yellowish hairs and fierce eyes". These north-iranian peoples were probably partly fair-haired and have clear eyes, like Sarmatians and Scythians. The Alans were a confederation, and the Massagetae could have been just an assimilated tribe, perhaps the biggest, most ancient and prestigious one. The Alans were also a huge confederacy of several kingdoms and former Oriental steppe peoples like the Massagetae and the Sakae, melted in a single name, when they formed a new migration wave from the east, pushing the western Sarmatians westwards on the second century bc. They conquered the former "western-sarmatian" pontic steppe, which was more a "scytho-sarmatian" mix of peoples and both the Aorsi and Siraces they assimilated, but were lately chased eastwards by the Goths. Their western border was for a long time, the Tanais (The Don). When the Huns came, some authors compared the two peoples, equal in battle, but considered the Alans more "civilized" in their maneer and appearance.

SAKA HIPPOTOXOTAI:

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The eastern Saka Rauka ("Royal Scythians") were known to the persians for their distinctive high conical soft cap. They were also highly skilled horsemen, with few rivals but enemies like the Parthians, Yuezhe, and Sarmatians. But if the sarmatians would have expenaded to the east and vanquished them, no doubt that these superb horsement would have been assimilated as were the western scythians.

SAKA KATAPHRAKTOI:

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aka cataphracts were the most impressive noble cavalry of the eastern Saka or "Royal Scythians". Mounted on huge battle horses, entirely cladded, with wonderfully decorated horses and themselves lavish high caps with golden appliqués on all thier garments, they were as impressive as they were deadly, charging with their heavy kontos and finishing off disrupted enemy with a mace or a longsword.

MISTOPHOPHOROI SKYTHOI TOXOTAI :

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Lately, the "Sarmatian empire" war weatlhy enough to enlist scythian mercenaries from the Bosporan kingdom and Scythia minor.

[z3n]

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