Saka
Saka appears on the timeline as a people or culture of Kazakh steppe and Semirechye (Central and North Asia) from c. 800 BCE to 100 CE, a span of 899 years. Its people spoke Iranian languages (Median, Persian, Parthian, Scythian, Sogdian, Pashto, Kurdish).
Scythian horse nomads of the eastern steppe, called Saka by the Persians. The Issyk kurgan near Almaty held the Golden Man, a warrior buried in armor of over 4,000 gold plates.
See Saka on the interactive timeline
Facts
- Dates
- c. 800 BCE to 100 CE
- Duration
- 899 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
- Kushan Empire
- Bactria (Achaemenid satrapy)
- Xianbei state
- Greco-Bactrian Kingdom
- Kingdom of Kucha
- Ancient Chorasmia
- Kangju
Elsewhere in the world at the same time
- Kingdom of Aksum
- Moche (Mochica)
- Carthage
- Teotihuacan
- Roman Republic
- Parthian Empire
- Greek city-states
- Roman Empire
- Kushan Empire
- Neo-Assyrian Empire
Questions
When did Saka exist?
c. 800 BCE to 100 CE, about 899 years. These dates are approximate, because the evidence for its beginning or end is uncertain.
Where was Saka?
Kazakh steppe and Semirechye, in Central and North Asia.
What language did Saka speak?
Iranian. This family includes Median, Persian, Parthian, Scythian, Sogdian, Pashto, Kurdish.