Scythian
The Scythians were Iranian-speaking peoples whose kingdoms flourished north of the Black Sea during the first millennium BCE. Mounted herding communities lived alongside farming settlements, while rulers maintained contacts with Greek coastal cities. Their burial mounds contained weapons, horse equipment and finely worked ornaments.
This collection also follows related eastern steppe traditions, including the Pazyryk communities of the Altai Mountains, and the later Indo-Scythian kingdoms of Afghanistan and South Asia. These regional histories span different periods, from Iron Age pastoral societies to rulers of established cities.
Explore Scythian sites
Explore Scythian sites from the Black Sea to the Altai and South Asia, where burial mounds and fortified towns preserve distinct regional histories.
Daily life
Households, herding, crops, skilled work, dress and shared ceremonies shaped Scythian daily life in the Black Sea region and related eastern societies.
History and society
Pontic Scythians, eastern Saka and Indo-Scythian rulers developed distinct histories connected by horses, trade, artistic traditions and Iranian languages.