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Please select a historical period: 25
years ago / 50 years ago
/ 80 years ago / 125
years ago / 150 years ago
The first cowboys!? Ancient histories begin to mention a number of new tribes from central Asia: Sauromatae, Massagetae, Sarmatians, Dahae. All were members of the Scythian culture. Living on the central steppes, the Scythians are thought to have been an Indo-European speaking group of people, divided up into a number of tribes, but with a similar way of life. This was based on horse-rearing, and the Scythians were famous for their horse riding. The horse-riding Celts might be an ancient offshoot from the Scythians, as both peoples shared many cultural similarities, including head hunting! They buried their dead in huge earthen mounds called kurgans, which show some influences from the Zoroastrian religion (see West Asia). Male warriors buried with iron weapons are most common, but female warriors and priestesses have also been found in kurgans, quite possibly the Amazons of Greek legend. Some Scythian tribes lived as nomads, while others farmed growing grain, millet, lentils, onions and garlic. The Scythians, a term which includes many clans living in what is now central and eastern Russia were among one of the first cultures to use iron, around 2800 years ago. Related cultures in the Altai region spread the use of iron into north China. By 240 BC, the western half of the Seleucid empire (see West Asia) was taken over by a tribe of mounted archers from the plains east of the Caspian sea, related to the Persians, called the Parthians, who established a kingdom of their own. The eastern part of the Seleucid territory, modern Afghanistan and Pakistan, broke off and became the kingdom of Bactria. The Bactrians had a unique culture resulting from the mix of Indian, Persian and Greek influences. 25 years ago / 50 years ago / 80 years ago / 125 years ago / 150 years ago 250 years ago / 400 years ago / 700 years ago / 1,200 years ago 1,500 years ago / 2,000 years ago / 3,000 years ago / 4,000 years ago / 5,000 years ago / 10,000 years ago |
