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The Scythians: Nomad Warriors of the Steppe

The Scythians: Nomad Warriors of the Steppe

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  • Create Date：2021-08-25 12:15:57
  • Update Date：2025-09-24
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  • Author：Barry Cunliffe
  • ISBN：0198820135
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Summary

Brilliant horsemen and great fighters， the Scythians were nomadic horsemen who ranged wide across the grasslands of the Asian steppe from the Altai mountains in the east to the Great Hungarian Plain in the first millennium BC。 Their steppe homeland bordered on a number of sedentary states to
the south - the Chinese， the Persians and the Greeks - and there were， inevitably， numerous interactions between the nomads and their neighbours。 The Scythians fought the Persians on a number of occasions， in one battle killing their king and on another occasion driving the invading army of Darius
the Great from the steppe。

Relations with the Greeks around the shores of the Black Sea were rather different - both communities benefiting from trading with each other。 This led to the development of a brilliant art style， often depicting scenes from Scythian mythology and everyday life。 It is from the writings of Greeks
like the historian Herodotus that we learn of Scythian life: their beliefs， their burial practices， their love of fighting， and their ambivalent attitudes to gender。 It is a world that is also brilliantly illuminated by the rich material culture recovered from Scythian burials， from the graves of
kings on the Pontic steppe， with their elaborate gold work and vividly coloured fabrics， to the frozen tombs of the Altai mountains， where all the organic material - wooden carvings， carpets， saddles and even tattooed human bodies - is amazingly well preserved。

Barry Cunliffe here marshals this vast array of evidence - both archaeological and textual - in a masterful reconstruction of the lost world of the Scythians， allowing them to emerge in all their considerable vigour and splendour for the first time in over two millennia。

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Reviews

A。 Sacit ，

This was a great read。 The only reason that I gave it 4-star rating instead of five was because I read it on a B&W Kindle which did not do justice to the maps and photos。 So， one should get the printed book for a thoroughly satisfying read。This is a well researched， authoritative work on enigmatic， fascinating nomadic peoples of the steppe， Scythians， who roamed a huge area from the Central-Asian Altai’s to the Eurasian steppes in the 9th to 2nd centuries BC but left no written records except th This was a great read。 The only reason that I gave it 4-star rating instead of five was because I read it on a B&W Kindle which did not do justice to the maps and photos。 So， one should get the printed book for a thoroughly satisfying read。This is a well researched， authoritative work on enigmatic， fascinating nomadic peoples of the steppe， Scythians， who roamed a huge area from the Central-Asian Altai’s to the Eurasian steppes in the 9th to 2nd centuries BC but left no written records except the burial sites （Kurgans） and archeological artifacts。 The author makes frequent references to the writings of the Greek historians （mainly Herodotus） who have been in contact with the Scythians （referred to as “Barbarians”）。 The horse-mounted cavalry of Scythian archers was a force to be reckoned with， and greatly influenced and often dominated the political landscape of the areas where they migrated。 The author touches briefly on the equine dominated， bow and arrow wielding nomadically similar cultures preceding the Scythians and what followed in the subsequent centuries （Huns， etc。）。 。。。more

Jesse Kaukonen ，

The book summarizes most of what is known about the Scythians。 Occasionally it spends perhaps too much time discussing the layout and contents of each kurga （"burial site"）， but I suppose that's all the historians / archaeologists have to work with。 The bigger issue is that the maps tend to have poor color selections which can be hard to see against the background colors， and sometimes the colors are too close to each to tell them apart。 The book summarizes most of what is known about the Scythians。 Occasionally it spends perhaps too much time discussing the layout and contents of each kurga （"burial site"）， but I suppose that's all the historians / archaeologists have to work with。 The bigger issue is that the maps tend to have poor color selections which can be hard to see against the background colors， and sometimes the colors are too close to each to tell them apart。 。。。more

Zac Curtis ，

Barry Cunliffe did great with the source material that he had。 Considering that the Scythians were always a 'side character' in ancient histories with no written history， it is hard to piece together a linear history。 Instead Cunliffe gives a wonderful summary of everything we do know， leaning on archaeological findings and Herodotus heavily。 A great book if you are interested in steppe culture and archaeological findings， not so much if you are looking for a complete narrative history。 Barry Cunliffe did great with the source material that he had。 Considering that the Scythians were always a 'side character' in ancient histories with no written history， it is hard to piece together a linear history。 Instead Cunliffe gives a wonderful summary of everything we do know， leaning on archaeological findings and Herodotus heavily。 A great book if you are interested in steppe culture and archaeological findings， not so much if you are looking for a complete narrative history。 。。。more

Einzige ，

Pre-Review Warning If you haven't read history books on the more ancient peoples before its worth knowing that archaeological discussions are central to them。 Accordingly depending on how much that does/doesnt interest you will really be the difference between this being a 5/5 vs a 2/5。 Review Though its hard to imagine it today given the poor state they find themselves in， for a large part of history nomadic peoples weren't just not marginalised they were very powerful and influential forces Pre-Review Warning If you haven't read history books on the more ancient peoples before its worth knowing that archaeological discussions are central to them。 Accordingly depending on how much that does/doesnt interest you will really be the difference between this being a 5/5 vs a 2/5。 Review Though its hard to imagine it today given the poor state they find themselves in， for a large part of history nomadic peoples weren't just not marginalised they were very powerful and influential forces on the world scale。 Indeed it was a regular feature of European and Middle Eastern history for over well over 1000 years whereby one steppe nomadic group moving eastward would force other groups to move west all of which would occasionally snowball into massive empire shattering invasions。 The Scythian's are interesting not just for their impressive gold art and tattoos – and really look up some high resolution images its very impressive- but because it breaths life into a people who played such an interesting role in early European and Middle Eastern History。 Its one one thing to read about their place in Athens or their role in shattering the Assyrian Empire or slaying Cyrus the Great and something else to read about these events where they aren't just vague horse riding “other”。 Likewise through them you learn about the dynamic and complicated world they inhabited。 As for the book its very comprehensive， so while you will get a lot of fascinating information at times it is comprehensive to the point where focus is lost。 For instance rather than just discuss their likely origins and their end as a distinctive people you get a history of all the groups which could be considered proto or post Scythian which end ups with the author essentially listing of Russian & Ukrainian towns/regions。 Finally it also does another great job: Proving that Herodotus actually did get a surprising amount of things correct。 。。。more

عبد الله القصير ，

الكتاب جيد لكنه ليس لي。

Bob ，

Like walking through a museum exhibit with an expert who is really strapped for time- there is a ton of understandable， well depicted information presented by someone who clearly loves the topic， but it feels rushed。 Any time Sir Barrington wants to walk around with a museum with me， I'm down。 Like walking through a museum exhibit with an expert who is really strapped for time- there is a ton of understandable， well depicted information presented by someone who clearly loves the topic， but it feels rushed。 Any time Sir Barrington wants to walk around with a museum with me， I'm down。 。。。more

Keith Daniels ，

This book currently seems like the definitive general audience work on the subject; I can't imagine a non-historian ever needing to read another book on the Scythians specifically unless significant new evidence comes to light。 This book currently seems like the definitive general audience work on the subject; I can't imagine a non-historian ever needing to read another book on the Scythians specifically unless significant new evidence comes to light。 。。。more

Krysia Meráki Stories ，

Spanish Review 🇪🇸Me gustaría escribir esta reseña en castellano pues muchos de mis seguidores que les encanta la historia estaban esperando una valoración de este magnífico trabajo。Cunliffe describe todos los aspectos de una forma clara y sencilla del mundo escita。Nos invita a viajar desde Asia， Medio Oriente， El Ponto， los Cárpatos y la Gran Llanura Húngara。Es de los pocos libros disponibles que presentan trazos de otras grandes obras e investigaciones de universidades de multitud de países。Por Spanish Review 🇪🇸Me gustaría escribir esta reseña en castellano pues muchos de mis seguidores que les encanta la historia estaban esperando una valoración de este magnífico trabajo。Cunliffe describe todos los aspectos de una forma clara y sencilla del mundo escita。Nos invita a viajar desde Asia， Medio Oriente， El Ponto， los Cárpatos y la Gran Llanura Húngara。Es de los pocos libros disponibles que presentan trazos de otras grandes obras e investigaciones de universidades de multitud de países。Por otra parte si te gusta el arte， ha recopilado las famosas muestras de arte escita de los museos ucranianosy rusos。Si quieres entender la historia poco conocida de un imperio a caballo que se convirtió en aliado/enemigo de Persia y la Antigua Grecia， te encantará。 。。。more

Shortsman ，

A great read， however Cunliffe devotes an entire chapter to the burial methods of the Scythians， after having spent a large part of the book already describing them to explain how we know what we know in the other chapters。 My only other complaint is that there is an overabundance of pictures。 Some of them were interesting， but a lot of them simply didn't contribute much of anything to the book。 A great read， however Cunliffe devotes an entire chapter to the burial methods of the Scythians， after having spent a large part of the book already describing them to explain how we know what we know in the other chapters。 My only other complaint is that there is an overabundance of pictures。 Some of them were interesting， but a lot of them simply didn't contribute much of anything to the book。 。。。more

Gali ，

It's a history book， it's a bit dry。 At times all the information went over my head but that's normal。 It's a history book， it's a bit dry。 At times all the information went over my head but that's normal。 。。。more

Patricia ，

From the moment I opened The Scythians: Nomad Warriors of the Steppe and felt the paper--thick and luxurious--I knew I had found a book I would love， and I was right。 The paper it is printed on was evidence of the richness within。 At last， a book discussing a historical period of time with an abundance of maps and beautiful coloured illustrations and detailed drawings exactly where they should be， and a story captivatingly and intelligently told。 I had read Frozen Tombs Of Siberia:The Pazyryk Bu From the moment I opened The Scythians: Nomad Warriors of the Steppe and felt the paper--thick and luxurious--I knew I had found a book I would love， and I was right。 The paper it is printed on was evidence of the richness within。 At last， a book discussing a historical period of time with an abundance of maps and beautiful coloured illustrations and detailed drawings exactly where they should be， and a story captivatingly and intelligently told。 I had read Frozen Tombs Of Siberia:The Pazyryk Burials Of Iron Age Horsemen and D。 W。 Anthony's The Horse， The Wheel and Language and wanted to learn more about the Scythians， but this was the first book I'd found since then that looked like it would also just be a good read。 It was worth waiting for。 The twelve chapters cover who the Scythians were and how they were known to their neighbours; the lands they traversed， the clothes they wore， the weapons they fought with， how they decorated their bodies and status symbols and buried their dead。 All beautifully written and captivatingly told by one of Britain's most distinguished archaeologists。 For me， it is pure joy to have history 'read' through a culture's artefacts and Professor Cunliffe's detailed descriptions and interpretation of some of the greatest Scythian finds （animal figurines， a golden helmet， bowl， a diadem， cups， beakers and gorytos）， makes the Scythian world come alive。 Anyone interested in ancient history will find this book fascinating and a 'keeper' to pass on to future generations of readers。 I can't imagine how any other volume on the subject could surpass this one。 。。。more

Mac ，

Buy。There is no more comprehensive work out there on the Scythians and it is difficult to imagine this being surpassed。 This book has everything you need to know。

Alana ，

This is the most comprehensive book about Scythians so far， lots of details and illustrations。 One best thing I like about this book is that it gives background knowledge of the land that the Scythians lived， the Eurasian Steppe。 It does not relate to the Scythians directly but it helps the readers a lot to understand the lives and history of the Scythians。

John Mace ，

Clearly well researched but after having read it I don’t feel like I have any idea who the Scythians were and what they were about。

Chris ，

Quite dry， but with the occasional bit of excitement。 Very much an archaeological book supported by extracts of written history （out of necessity）。

Bobby ，

Great survey of Scythian history and culture。 Thorough and well organized。 Cunliffe does a great job comparing the written record with the archeological。 There isn't any sort of narrative or drama here， which may cause it to bore some people， but for me this is right in the sweet spot of a book that gives an academically serious overview of the subject for a non-scholarly reader。 Great survey of Scythian history and culture。 Thorough and well organized。 Cunliffe does a great job comparing the written record with the archeological。 There isn't any sort of narrative or drama here， which may cause it to bore some people， but for me this is right in the sweet spot of a book that gives an academically serious overview of the subject for a non-scholarly reader。 。。。more

Ameya Warde ，

I knew absolutely nothing about the Scythians except having heard the name， so all of this was very new and interesting！

Nic ，

Another beautiful Cunliffe book about middle Asia。

Jake Veigel ，

Here Cunliffe thoroughly covers in great detail the evidence of archeological graves and kurgans of the Scythian nomads of 700-300 bc。 I found it quite fascinating。 I enjoyed the secone half of the book more than the first as he deeply goes into the way of life and presumed cultures and religions etc。 He is very careful not to speculate and admits when the evidence is scant and the ideas are conjecture。 I would recommend。

Mark Schumann ，

Fascinating read about a nomadic steppe culture about which little is known beyond what can be gleaned from archaeology and ancient writings。 The Persians traded with them， as did the Greeks。 The elite were buried in tombs under great earthen mounds with all their worldly treasures， including horses， and the remains were well-preserved due to the freezing temperatures in most of them。 Known for beautiful gold ornaments and tattoos depicting actual and mythical beasts， they were also fairly egali Fascinating read about a nomadic steppe culture about which little is known beyond what can be gleaned from archaeology and ancient writings。 The Persians traded with them， as did the Greeks。 The elite were buried in tombs under great earthen mounds with all their worldly treasures， including horses， and the remains were well-preserved due to the freezing temperatures in most of them。 Known for beautiful gold ornaments and tattoos depicting actual and mythical beasts， they were also fairly egalitarian; Scythian warrior women are the source of Greek stories about Amazons。 Well-illustrated in color with plenty of maps。 。。。more

Robert Kenny ，

There was some fascinating information in this book， but the writing could be a little dry at times。 The pictures of all the artifacts were gorgeous， however。

Iset ，

An extremely thorough overview of the peoples known as the Scythians to the ancient Greeks， and similar neighbouring cultures。 Cunliffe is well known in the archaeological community for his thorough research and interest in the so-called ‘barbaric’ peoples that thrived on the fringe of better-known classical societies， and The Scythians is just as much of a tour-de-force as his previous work on the Celts。 Everything from climate conditions to clothing worn to evidence of migration to burial prac An extremely thorough overview of the peoples known as the Scythians to the ancient Greeks， and similar neighbouring cultures。 Cunliffe is well known in the archaeological community for his thorough research and interest in the so-called ‘barbaric’ peoples that thrived on the fringe of better-known classical societies， and The Scythians is just as much of a tour-de-force as his previous work on the Celts。 Everything from climate conditions to clothing worn to evidence of migration to burial practises comes up， with intensive examination of archaeological sites – naturally， as aside from what was written about them by outsiders， artefacts in the ground are one step closer to these fascinating people who appear to have left no writing of their own。 The casual reader should beware that this is a fairly weighty tome that can get dry at times， but other than that I have no hesitation about recommending it。 。。。more

James Larsen ，

Good read！ Drawing upon archaeological evidence and historical sources （Herodotus， Pseudo-Hippocrates， etc。）， Cunliffe provides an interesting account of this ancient nomadic people。 The book contains lots of pictures of artifacts， drawings， maps， and other visual aids to assist the reader's understanding of the Scythians and related people groups。 Good read！ Drawing upon archaeological evidence and historical sources （Herodotus， Pseudo-Hippocrates， etc。）， Cunliffe provides an interesting account of this ancient nomadic people。 The book contains lots of pictures of artifacts， drawings， maps， and other visual aids to assist the reader's understanding of the Scythians and related people groups。 。。。more

Mike ，

My near ancestors hail from the region south of the Dnieper River in the Ukraine。 As such my mind always drifts to those bands of grassland as I wonder how on earth the people survived there？ When I first read about the Scythians， it was as a child researching the Greeks。 The Scythians， in their view， were transient occupiers of the grasslands and worth as much as any traveling peddler or sellsword would be to 'the pinnacle of civilization'。 Thus exposed to the caricatures portrayed in Greek dra My near ancestors hail from the region south of the Dnieper River in the Ukraine。 As such my mind always drifts to those bands of grassland as I wonder how on earth the people survived there？ When I first read about the Scythians， it was as a child researching the Greeks。 The Scythians， in their view， were transient occupiers of the grasslands and worth as much as any traveling peddler or sellsword would be to 'the pinnacle of civilization'。 Thus exposed to the caricatures portrayed in Greek drama and literature， I developed a biased opinion about the nature of who the Scythians were - outliers on the fringes of the civilized world。 And so I thought， even up to a few years ago when I began to research nomadic societies， such as the Indo-European Saka Buddhists， as a sort of personal mythmaking。How wrong could I have been？ How wrong are we to determine the value of a society by the things it leaves behind？ For the Scythians， all we have to determine what they were like is archaeological or historiographical accounts - and any nomadic culture is vulnerable to this。 Thankfully， there is so much evidence， it is actually startling。If anything， this book brilliantly lays out the shifting steppe cultures as part of a continuum of migrations and exchanges。 The nature of the Silk Road， the Transoxianan kingdoms， the periodic migrations of nomads， the history of Greece， Persia and even the Halstatt and La Tène cultures - all of them are known by physical evidence to have contact with Scythians on a regular basis。 If it were not for the Scythians， the histories of these civilizations may be indeed complerely different。 All of this is backed up by solid， if not indisputible archaeological evidence。 I was actually astounded at how technology has let us peer back into past interfaces with such clarity。But I think what this book gives me the most， is a decent enough picture to answer a 'how' that had been on my mind for a long time。 How were these societies able to keep even a loose semblance of confederations？ How is it even possible to live in those harsh conditions？ I think， the chief takeaway from this book， is that the kurgans， the massive earthworks left behind by the Scythians， played more of a role than just an embellishment of wealth。 They were the nexuses of a culture and civilization that was very well tied to the land。 Visual reminders to us， and the people living in those times， of thwir interconnectedness， from Altay to Crimeia to the Carpathians。 The sheer distribution of known Scythian burials is astounding， and I encourage anyone to look at a map of Kurgans to see just have wide reaching the continuity is。I will say that this content may be dry at some points， or lacking in detail in the actual historical recollections。 Where the author uses historigraphical data （much from Herodotus， which seems to put people on edge） he always backed it up with actual concrete data。 The result of the extensive archaeological corroboration is an actual picture of how the people might have actually survived - including brilliany pieces of artwork， some of Greek or Persian origin， that were commissioned by wealthy Scythians。 The book does a solid introduction into interpretations of these artifacts， and certainly whetted my imagination。Oh， it also inspired me to reconnect with archery， as I imagine what it was like to wander into others like mixing gasses in a bottle - connected by a tenuous， but very apparent cultural tradition。 Now hold your horses while I go take a Scythian funeral。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Scythians: Nomad Warriors of the Steppe

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Scythians: Nomad Warriors of the Steppe&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Scythians: Nomad Warriors of the Steppe&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0