The Scythians

Lore & Background

The Scythians originated in Central Asia or the Altai-Sayan region, part of a larger movement of Iranic nomads westward. They were already acquainted with quality goldsmithing and sophisticated bronze-casting, as attested by gold pieces found in the 8th century BC Aržan-1 kurgan. Their migration into the Caucasian Steppe began in the 9th century BC, possibly after being expelled from Central Asia by the Massagetae or the Issedones, and they reached Ciscaucasia between c. In the 7th century BC, the Scythians crossed the Caucasus Mountains and raided West Asia along with the Cimmerians. In the 6th century BC, they were expelled from West Asia by the Medes and retreated back into the Pontic Steppe. They were later conquered by the Sarmatians in the 3rd to 2nd centuries BC. By the 3rd century AD, the remnants of the Scythians were overwhelmed by the Goths, and by the early Middle Ages the last Scythians were assimilated and absorbed by successive populations during the Migration Period.

Reader's Guide

The Scythians are significant as a key example of early Iron Age equestrian nomadic culture on the Eurasian Steppe. Their name, derived from an endonym meaning 'archers,' was later used by ancient, medieval, and early modern authors to refer to various unrelated steppe populations. In modern scholarship, the term 'Scythians' is used narrowly for the Iranic people of the Pontic and Crimean Steppes (7th–3rd centuries BC), though Hellenistic and early modern authors extended it broadly to all steppe nomads. The discovery of the 'Scythian triad'—distinctive weapons, horse harnesses, and Animal Style art—led to a broader archaeological grouping called 'Scytho-Siberians,' though this term has been criticized for lumping together heterogeneous cultures. The Scythians' legacy includes their influence on later nomadic groups and their role in the historical record through Akkadian cuneiform texts and Graeco-Roman sources, notably Herodotus, whose accounts mix fact with folklore.

Did You Know?

• The name 'Scythian' derives from the Scythian endonym *Skuδa, meaning 'archers,' from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'shooter, archer.'
• The Scythians were expelled from West Asia by the Medes in the 6th century BC.
• The Scythian triad consists of distinctive weapons, horse harnesses, and objects decorated in 'Animal Style' art.
• The Urartian name for the Scythians may have been Išqigulu.

A Place Among Lost Civilizations

The Scythians hold a position within the Lost Civilizations series, a body of books issued by Reaktion Books that has been in circulation since 2015. In the series' internal organization, the Scythians are slotted under the Asian continent, sharing that grouping with civilizations such as the Indus, Persia, Sumer, Phoenicia, the Hittites, Korea, and Assyria. This placement positions the Scythians alongside a remarkably diverse array of ancient peoples whose narratives stretch across a vast geographic and temporal span. The series as a whole has now reached eighteen published volumes, with a nineteenth expected to arrive in 2026, signalling a continuing commitment to mapping the full breadth of humanity's ancient past. The Scythians' inclusion in this particular continental grouping reflects the series' broader ambition to represent civilizations from every major landmass, ensuring that readers encounter a genuinely global portrait of ancient human achievement and eventual transformation.

Scope of Inquiry

The Lost Civilizations series, within which the Scythians are featured, commits to tracing the full arc of each civilization it addresses. For the Scythians and their fellow entries, the books examine origins, development, and eventual decline, treating each people not as a frozen snapshot but as a living entity that rose, flourished, and ultimately transformed or faded. Beyond simple chronology, the series considers the history, art, culture, and legacy of these ancient peoples, suggesting that the Scythians' story is told not only through political or material events but also through their creative expressions and the lasting imprint they left on later cultures. This multi-dimensional approach means a reader encountering the Scythians in this series would find an account weaving together material culture, artistic production, and the long shadow these peoples cast on the modern world, rather than a narrow focus confined to any single facet of their existence.

Publication and Access

The Scythians' entry in the Lost Civilizations series benefits from the publication practices of Reaktion Books, which has issued the collection since 2015. Like every other title in the line, the Scythians volume is available in both hardback and electronic formats, making it reachable to readers who prefer a physical book as well as those who consume text digitally. Since 2021, the series has shifted toward releasing electronic editions simultaneously with their hardback counterparts, though earlier volumes saw the digital version follow the print edition by some interval. While six titles across the series have additionally been issued in paperback, the Scythians volume follows the standard model of hardback and e-book availability. This multi-format strategy ensures that the narrative of the Scythians can reach a broad audience, from academic and public libraries to individual readers exploring ancient civilizations for the very first time, without being constrained to a single physical medium.

A Global Canvas

The Scythians are one thread in a far larger tapestry of ancient civilizations that the Lost Civilizations series seeks to illuminate. The collection spans four continents, with entries covering Asia (where the Scythians are situated), Africa (including Egypt, Nubia, and Ethiopia), Europe (featuring the Barbarians, Etruscans, Goths, Greece, and the Minoans), and the Americas (with the Aztecs, Inca, and Maya). This worldwide scope means the Scythians' story is read against the backdrop of a truly international survey of human civilization. With eighteen volumes already in print and a nineteenth on the horizon for 2026, the series represents a sustained, multi-year scholarly undertaking. The Scythians' position within this constellation of ancient peoples—from the Indus to the Maya, from Sumer to the Goths—underscores the series' commitment to treating every civilization, regardless of its geographic location, with equal depth and scholarly seriousness.