Iranian-speaking clans from north of the Caucasus are on the move, due to unknown reasons. The Scythians around the Black Sea moved west, while the Cimmerians moved south through the Caucasus mountains, and the Hittites form a kingdom in Turkey.

Another of the Iranian peoples, the Hurrians, the ancient ancestors of the Armenian people, settle around Lake Van. From here, they raided into the Middle East, even ruling Egypt for two or three generations.

All of these people were ruled by an upper class of warrior knights, who used composite bows and chariots. These military innovations gave the Iranian-speaking peoples an advantage in battle which allowed them to defeat the armies of the organized kingdoms of Egypt and Babylon.