SCYTHIAN CAVALRY (VII-II C. BC)

The Scythians are a nomadic people of Iranian origin, whose original seats were probably between the Lower Volga and the Altai Mountains. From the 8th or 7th century BC, the Scythians lived on the northern coast of the Black Sea. They are first attested in Greek sources in the 7th century BC. Later in their history, they created their own state on the Black Sea, which at the beginning of the 6th century BC resisted the army of Darius the Great, and in the 4th century BC it came into conflict with the Macedonian monarchy, which was lost to this conflict. The Scythians were famous in antiquity as great horsemen, and the backbone of their troops was cavalry in almost every campaign. It was said that the Scythians hardly dismounted, which was a characteristic remark for many peoples of the Great Steppes - including the Huns and Mongols. The basic weapon of the Scythian cavalryman was a recurrent bow with a huge, for those times, penetrating power. It is also assumed that the Scythians were the "inventors" of this type of bow. The bow was always in a special case (often richly decorated) called gorytos. A short sword or a long knife served as a sidearm. Often the Scythian rider had a scale armor (less often a lamellar one) and a helmet. The Scythian tactics consisted primarily of maneuvering on the battlefield and covering the enemy with arrows. In the course of the battles with Persia at the end of the 6th century BC, the Scythians used a scorched earth strategy and a guerrilla warfare that brought them victory in the fight against Darius the Great.