Cimmerians

Cimmerians appears on the timeline as a people or culture of Russia and the Steppe (Europe) from c. 900 to 650 BCE, a span of 250 years. Its people spoke Iranian languages (Median, Persian, Parthian, Scythian, Sogdian, Pashto, Kurdish).

Horse nomads of the Pontic steppe known from Assyrian and Greek sources. Driven south by the Scythians, they raided Urartu, Phrygia and Lydia in the 8th and 7th centuries BCE.

See Cimmerians on the interactive timeline

Facts

Dates

c. 900 to 650 BCE

Duration

250 years

Type

People or culture

Region

Russia and the Steppe, Europe

Language family

Iranian

Came from

• Srubnaya culture c. 1800 to 1200 BCE

Became

• Scythians c. 700 to 250 BCE

Events in Europe during its time

• 776 BCE First Olympic Games
• 753 BCE Traditional founding of Rome

Neighbours in Europe

• Greek city-states c. 800 to 338 BCE
• Sparta c. 900 to 192 BCE
• Etruscan civilization c. 720 to 90 BCE
• Kingdom of Macedon c. 700 to 168 BCE
• Syracuse c. 734 to 212 BCE
• Roman Kingdom c. 753 to 509 BCE
• Phoenician colonies in Iberia c. 800 to 237 BCE
• Magna Graecia c. 750 to 272 BCE

Elsewhere in the world at the same time

• Carthage c. 814 to 146 BCE, North and West Africa
• Neo-Assyrian Empire 911 to 609 BCE, Middle East

Questions