Massagetae
Massagetae appears on the timeline as a people or culture of Kazakh steppe and Semirechye (Central and North Asia) from c. 600 to 100 BCE, a span of 500 years. Its people spoke Iranian languages (Median, Persian, Parthian, Scythian, Sogdian, Pashto, Kurdish).
Iranian-speaking nomads east of the Caspian and around the Aral Sea. According to Herodotus their queen Tomyris defeated and killed Cyrus the Great in 530 BCE.
See Massagetae on the interactive timeline
Facts
- Dates
- c. 600 to 100 BCE
- Duration
- 500 years
- Type
- People or culture
- Region
- Kazakh steppe and Semirechye, Central and North Asia
- Language family
- Iranian
Events in Central and North Asia during its time
- Cyrus the Great killed by the Massagetae
- Alexander marries Roxana
- Zhang Qian travels west
Neighbours in Central and North Asia
- Xiongnu Empire
- Sogdiana
- Kingdom of Khotan
- Bactria (Achaemenid satrapy)
- Greco-Bactrian Kingdom
- Kingdom of Kucha
- Ancient Chorasmia
- Kangju
- Jushi kingdom
- Loulan (Shanshan)
Elsewhere in the world at the same time
- Carthage
- Teotihuacan
- Roman Republic
- Parthian Empire
- Greek city-states
- Ptolemaic Kingdom
- Achaemenid Empire
- Western Han
- Athens
- Maurya Empire
Questions
When did Massagetae exist?
c. 600 to 100 BCE, about 500 years. These dates are approximate, because the evidence for its beginning or end is uncertain.
Where was Massagetae?
Kazakh steppe and Semirechye, in Central and North Asia.
What language did Massagetae speak?
Iranian. This family includes Median, Persian, Parthian, Scythian, Sogdian, Pashto, Kurdish.