The Scythian armour
I wrote some information about the Scythians in 5th cent. BC:
Although literary evidence is not too good, we have plenty of archaeological founds made by Soviet, Russian and Ukraine excavators giving us a precise picture of the Scythians.
The Scythians primary used armoured versions of their everyday clothing for protection in battle. In the Middle east they had learned about the scale mail and reinforced their cloths that way. Consequently the armour was very individual. Most usual was the scale mail tunic with short or long sleeves. The shield was made of wicker and leather reinforced with scale mail being round or crescent shaped. A scale enforced broad belt for the scabbard protected the hips. Even the helmets were nothing but the armored baslyk – the typical Scythian headdress, although a bronze helmet called Cuban-type existed. The material of the scales was primary iron, seldom bronze. Rich nobles covered the iron scales with gold.
During the 5th century they again reinforced their scale mail tunics with shoulder flaps similar to the Greeks’ Linothorax, but often it was simply a double layer of scales on the shoulders. At the same time, other Greek equipment came in use due to the contact with the Greek colonies. Corinthian, Illyrian and Chalcidian helmets were found as well as many shin guards. These Greek armour parts did not replace the Scythian’s scale mail protectors at all, but existed at the same time, although we have to assume that the high nobility preferred Greek weapons.
Also, a new type of shield replaced the older types this time. It is some kind of wing shaped shield, placed on the back of the rider with a hitch and strapped on the arms, so that the rider could use both hands for weapons but also control the shield. Due to the shape and position of the shield it had aerodynamical features, which made it easier to carry. The material was wicker, leather and scale mail again.
The horses were armored, too, but rather lightly with horse head protector and some chest armor.
In attack they primary used the bow. It had enormous power and range (up to 500m!, but that is not combat range), while the arrows’ tips could penetrate bronze armor easily, they were often poisoned. Thanks to Pliny and Aristotle we are quite aware of what the “Skythikon Toxikon” was made and how it worked. It enforced tetanus, dissolved blood corpuscles and could cause shock and respiratory paralysis. The Scythians used a Gorytos, which was richly decorated and
The bow was primary weapon, but lances were also important. Most had a length of 1,7-2m and were quite similar to the hoplites’ dorata. They could be thrown on short distance but they were rather used in close combat. Few longer lances being 3m long were found, too, but that probably is a later development when facing the Sarmatians.
Most important sidearm was the dagger or sword (the main difference is the length, which often varied). The most usual length of the swords were 50-60cm, longer swords were found. The scabbards were extremely rich decorated. More seldom was a battle axe, about 80 axes were found compared to 450 swords and daggers.
Using the founds of the Warrior tomb of Gladkovscina (Ukraine) as a base, Alexandr Minzulin reconstructed a 5th cent. BC Scythian warrior, which you all know…
Here the famous Solocha-Kurgan’s comb.
A Scythian axe
A Scythian horse head protector
Another graphical reconstruction by Michail Gorelik (not Osprey):
Some reads:
Cernenko, E.V.: Skifskie luciniki, Kiev 1981 [The Scythian bow]
Cernenko, E.V.: Eisengepanzerte “Ritter” der skythischen Steppe, in: Gold der Steppe, Schleswig 1991 [Iron armoured “Knights” of the Scythian Steppe]
Cernenko, E.V./Gorelik, M.V.: The Scythians 700-300BC (= Osprey Men-at-Arms 1937)
Minzulin, A.I.: Zascitnoe vooruzenie voina-lucnika V-IV vv do n.e. iz kurgana u. sel. Gladkovscina, in: Sovetskaja Archeologija 4 (1988) [Armor of a 5th-4th cent. BC Archer on the basis of the Gladkovscina kurgan]
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Originally Posted by FliegerAD
