Scythians

Scythians appears on the timeline as a people or culture of Russia and the Steppe (Europe) from c. 700 to 250 BCE, a span of 450 years. Its people spoke Iranian languages (Median, Persian, Parthian, Scythian, Sogdian, Pashto, Kurdish).

Iranian-speaking horse archers who held the steppe from the Danube to the Don, buried their kings in golden kurgans such as Solokha, and drove off Darius I around 513 BCE.

See Scythians on the interactive timeline

Facts

Dates

c. 700 to 250 BCE

Duration

450 years

Type

People or culture

Region

Russia and the Steppe, Europe

Language family

Iranian

Came from

• Cimmerians c. 900 to 650 BCE

Became

• Sarmatians c. 300 BCE to 375 CE

Events in Europe during its time

• 508 BCE Athenian democracy
• 480 BCE Battle of Salamis
• 334 BCE Alexander invades Persia

Neighbours in Europe

• Roman Republic 509 to 27 BCE
• Greek city-states c. 800 to 338 BCE
• Athens 508 to 322 BCE
• Empire of Alexander the Great 336 to 323 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
• Bosporan Kingdom c. 480 BCE to 370 CE

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
• Ptolemaic Kingdom 305 to 30 BCE, North and West Africa
• Achaemenid Empire 550 to 330 BCE, Middle East
• Maurya Empire 322 to 185 BCE, South Asia
• Empire of Alexander the Great 334 to 312 BCE, Middle East

Questions