The Sarmatians are nomadic pastoral tribes who created a strong state in Eastern Europe in the third century BC, which lasted until the fourth century AD.
Story
The Sarmatians were first mentioned in famous work Herodotus "History". Historians report that the Sarmatians came from Media; Herodotus says that they were descendants of the Amazons.At first, the Sarmatian tribes were neighbors of the Scythian state. There was peace between the two peoples, sometimes they united in a common struggle against the Persians. Sarmatian wars even served in the service of the Scythian kings.
In the third century the situation changes radically. The Sarmatians begin an attack on Scythia. It was during this period Scythian kingdom was experiencing its decline, so the Sarmatians chose the right moment to attack. Massive raids on the Scythian lands gave way to the colonization of these lands by Sarmatian tribes.
After the founding of their state, the Sarmatians became one of the most powerful peoples in Europe of that period. They established dominance in the European steppes, and then began to establish relations with neighboring states.
Already at the beginning of our era, the Great Migration of Peoples began, associated with the movement of the Huns. Their tribes forced many Sarmatians to leave their lands and attack the Roman Empire. The Huns are gradually ousting the Sarmatians from their lands.
Dwellings of the Sarmatians
As many historians report, the Sarmatians led a nomadic lifestyle. Consequently, their dwellings were tents. They never lived incities and did not stop anywhere for a long time. Their tents were lightweight and could be easily assembled and disassembled.
Cloth
The Sarmatians wore long, loose trousers made of thin fabric; they may remind many of them of trousers. They wore leather jackets over their torsos. They wore boots on their feet; they were also made of leather. Many historians believe that Sarmatian women wore the same clothes as men. This is explained by the fact that the Sarmatians were warlike people, and women participated in battles along with men.The role of women in society
In addition, Sarmatian women occupied high position in society. At first, Sarmatian society was matriarchal, but then it was supplanted by patriarchy. However, the role of women remained, as before, high and honorable.Culture
All Sarmatian tribes worshiped animals, central place Their beliefs included the image of a ram. The image of a ram is often found on weapons and on household items, mainly dishes. In addition to animal worship, they believed in the cult of ancestors. There is evidence that Sarmatian warriors worshiped the sword.The most famous monuments left by the Sarmatians are mounds, some of them reach a height of 8 meters. Weapons most often found in such mounds are swords, bows and arrows, and daggers. In addition to weapons, ceramics, bronze items (mainly jewelry) and bone items are found.
Warfare
As many sources say, the Sarmatians were considered excellent warriors. They fought mainly on horseback. The basis of the army was heavy cavalry; many believe that it was the Sarmatians who created such a branch of troops as heavy cavalry.The Sarmatian warriors were armed with so-called Sarmatian swords, which they used in mounted combat quite effectively due to their length. Basically, they had a length of 70 to 110 cm. In addition to the sword, they also used a spear in battle, which helped them deliver powerful, swift blows to the ranks of their opponents, literally blowing them out of the way with a blow from the spear. In addition to edged weapons, warriors also fought with bows, from which they could fire while in the saddle on a horse.
They used leather armor as armor.
The Sarmatian battle tactics were quite advanced for their time, and even the Roman Empire used similar maneuvers and tactics. In addition to tactics, they also used Sarmatian weapons, mainly a sword.
Historians emphasize the endurance of the Sarmatian cavalry, some saying that they could cover a distance of 150 miles in just one day.
To summarize, it should be said that the Sarmatians managed to create one of the strongest states, the heyday of which fell at the end of the third century BC. and until the beginning of the third century AD. Then decline sets in, and it finally collapsed due to the intensive migration of the Huns.
The Sarmatians were excellent mounted warriors and all neighboring states reckoned with him.
Sarmatian tribes dominated the current territory from the 3rd century BC to the 3rd century AD.
Arriving from the South Ural steppes, they settled northeast of the Scythians' habitat. Germanic tribes swept away the Sarmatians in the middle of the 3rd century AD, as a result of which the latter partly found themselves part of the Gothic power of Germanaric, the other part was accepted by the Proto-Slavs and became part of the Chernyakhov culture.
The remnants of the Sarmatian tribe went beyond the Don. The Sarmatians were finally eliminated by the Huns: some were exterminated, others were assimilated.
Over the course of 600 years, Sarmatian tribes had a significant influence on the worldview of the peoples who lived in their habitats.
Let us consider the following aspects of the life of the Sarmatians:
- Sarmatians are similar in nationality to the Sarmatians, as they have an identical anthropological type;
- Sarmatian tribes spoke a distorted Scythian language; The Sarmatians were a kind of people-army, where all men were liable for military service. They were extremely aggressive and warlike. The main branch of the army of the Sarmatian tribes was cavalry, and their horses were not very fast, but extremely hardy. In battle, the Sarmatians used swords whose length was in the range of 70-110 cm;
- the basis of the social structure of the Sarmatians was tribal community, which included a group of related families. They lived in a camp in tents that resembled the yurts of the Mongols.The Sarmatians were a nomadic people, with each tribe owning its own territory, the intersection of which led to inter-tribal wars. They ate meat, cheese and milk. Sarmatian tribes were engaged in breeding horses and sheep;
- At the heart of the Sarmatian “economy” was war and robbery. By carrying out attacks, the nomads took possession of provisions and took men into slavery. The Sarmatians processed skins from which they made clothes, and also mined metals. Foundry workers cast cauldrons and mirrors from metal, made metal parts of horse harnesses, and blacksmiths forged iron swords and daggers. In addition, jewelers made jewelry from gold and silver. The Sarmatians actively traded in skins and handicrafts. Their main export item was slaves;
- special place in the religious views of the Sarmatians, the cults of fire and the sun were occupied. They also revered analogues;
- the Sarmatians used beautiful Greek-made pottery, since their own ceramic crafts were primitive;
- A feature of the Sarmatian system was the high position in society of women, who were housewives and educators of children, and also occupied a high place in the hierarchy of the tribe.
During the period of the establishment of the Sarmatians in the territory of the Volga-Ural region, there were important events in the Northern Black Sea region. Great Scythia ceased to exist. Archaeologists have recorded that in the last third of the 4th century. BC e. In the northern Black Sea steppes, the construction of royal Scythian burial mounds was stopped. No later than the beginning of the 3rd century. BC e. The burial mounds of the ordinary population ceased to function (Polin S.V., Simonenko A.V., 1997, p. 94). The Scythian steppes are deserted. Perhaps the attempt of King Atey in the second half of the 4th century is connected with the crisis situation in Scythia. BC e. advance beyond the Danube. The conflict between the Scythians and Philip II of Macedon ended in the defeat of the Scythians, which aggravated the crisis situation and sealed the fate of the Scythian tribes (Vingradov Yu. A., Marchenko K. K., Rogov E. Ya., 1997, pp. 11-13). In the 3rd century. BC e in the Northern Black Sea region many people died rural settlements Hellenes and Scythians (Vinogradov Yu. A., Marchenko K. K., Rogov E. Ya., 1997, pp. 7-8).
Such large-scale changes in the ethno-political situation in the Northern Black Sea region must have been due to very serious reasons.
The campaigns of Celtic or Germanic military detachments from the regions of the Carpathian-Danube basin, the possibility of which cannot be excluded, could hardly have had such a scale (Vinogradov Yu. A., Marchenko K. K., Rogov E. Ya., 1997, pp. 6-7 ). The most common version of the explanation for the events that took place is that they are the result of constant raids by Sarmatian tribes due to Tanais, and their subsequent capture Scythian territory(Smirnov K.F., 1984, pp. 66–69, 118-123). This point view was formed on the basis of interpretation of messages from ancient authors and analysis of archaeological sources. So, for example, the message of Diodorus Siculus that the Sauromatians “... many years later, having become stronger, devastated a significant part of Scythia and, completely exterminating the vanquished, turned most of the country into a desert” (Caucasus and Don in the works of ancient authors, 1990 , p. 145) can be considered as a description of the conquest of Scythia by the Sarmatians (with the possible identification of Sauromatians and Sarmatians by ancient authors). Possible evidence of Sarmatian raids is the Olbian Decree of the second half of the 3rd - beginning of the 2nd century. BC e. in honor of Protogen. At this time, Olbia was under constant threat of attack by barbarian tribes, among which were the Saiyans. But the city did not have the strength to repel them. They had to pay off with gold, but with an empty treasury, only donations from the rich could save the city. One of them was the Olbian citizen Protogenes. The Sayi mentioned in the decree, led by King Saitafarn, could have been Sarmatians (Smirnov K.F., 1984, p. 67). Thus, the mentioned decree, if the identification of the Sarmatians and Saiyans is correct, may indicate the appearance of eastern nomads near Olbia already somewhere in the second half of the 3rd century. BC e. or the beginning of the 2nd century. BC e.
However, recent research has shown that this version has vulnerabilities. Judging by the number of funerary monuments, in the 3rd century. BC e. the Sarmatians east of Tanais were relatively few in number. In this case, were they capable of delivering any significant blows to Scythia? What were the reasons for the raids and subsequent advance to the west? The reason for such actions was either overpopulation of the steppes or the invasion of hostile tribes. Talk about an excess of population in the Volga region in the 3rd century. BC e. not yet. There is no data on the appearance of tribes hostile to the Sarmatians in this region. It should be added that a chronological gap has been identified between the Scythian and Sarmatian antiquities. Judging by the dates of archaeological materials, the Sarmatians appeared in the area between the Don and Dnieper rivers no earlier than the 2nd century. BC e., and the latest Scythian monuments in the steppes of the Northern Black Sea region date back, as noted above, to the first third of the 3rd century. BC e. Of course, it is quite possible that the Sarmatians made campaigns from beyond Tanais, without stopping in the northern Black Sea steppes. To what extent these invasions could undermine the foundations of Scythia's existence remains unclear.
Some researchers believe that it is not at all Sarmatian conquest caused the fall of Scythia, and factors of a different order - climate change towards aridity, an economic crisis associated with the depletion of pastures and caused changes in the direction of economic activity, as well as the geography of the Scythians' settlement. The chronological gap between the Scythian and Sarmatian monuments suggests that the Sarmatians had already come to the deserted steppes (Polin S.V., Simonenko A.V., 1997, pp. 87, 94-96)
It is preferable to consider the fall Great Scythia as a result of a complex of causal factors of different orders (Smirnov K.F., 1984, p. 66; Maksimenko V.E., 1997, p. 43).
The Sarmatians were not united people, but rather by several groups of nomadic peoples who had common origin. The Sarmatians roamed the Eurasian steppes - a huge corridor stretching from China to Hungary, gradually moving west. They spoke Iranian dialects, close to the dialects of the Scythians and related to the Persian language.
Sarmatians appeared on historical scene in the 7th century BC. in the steppe region located east of the Don and south of the Urals. For centuries, the Sarmatians lived in relative peace with their western relatives and neighbors, the Scythians. In the 3rd century. BC. or a little earlier, the Sarmatians crossed the Don and attacked the Scythians who inhabited the northern coast of the Black Sea (Pontus Euxine). Soon " most of this country has turned into desert"(Diodorus, 2.43). The surviving Scythians went to Crimea and Bessarabia, leaving their pastures to the newcomers. The Sarmatians dominated their new lands for the next five centuries.
The most famous Sarmatian tribes are the Sauromatians, Aorsi, Siracians, Iazigs and Roxolani. The Alans who appeared later were relatives of the Sarmatians, but they are usually considered as an independent group of tribes. The fact that the Alans were not one people, but were a confederation of different tribes, is evidenced by Ammianus Macellius (31.2.13 17) and some medieval Arab sources.
Northern Black Sea region in the 2nd century. BC. - III century AD
Most Sarmatian tribes were engaged in cattle breeding. This occupation provided them with food and clothing. They spent the winter on the southern edge of the steppes, not far from the Black and Caspian Seas, in the area of the mouths of the Don, Dnieper and Volga. In the spring, the Sarmatians migrated to the north. Carts served as transport and housing for the Sarmatians. Ammianus Marcellinus writes (3S.2.18): “ Husbands sleep in them with their wives, children are born and raised in them«.
The early Sarmatians became the source of the famous myth of the Amazons. According to Herodotus (4.116), Sauromatian women hunt, shoot with bows and throw darts, riding on horses. They don’t go to war with men and even dress the same. The myth of the Amazons is confirmed archaeologically. In early Sarmatian women's burials, bronze arrowheads are found, and sometimes even swords, daggers and spearheads. Skeletons of girls aged 13-14 years show crooked legs - evidence that they learned to ride a horse before walking. The status of women among the Sarmatians was unexpectedly high. Some ancient authors (Pseudosillax, 70) even believed that Sarmatian society was ruled by women.
In the 1st century from the birth of Christ, the Sarmatians and Alans left a particularly noticeable mark on history, having carried out several successful raids on their sedentary neighbors. Invading Asia Minor, nomads devastated the lands inhabited by Parthians, Indians and Armenians. At the same time, other Sarmatian tribes plundered the Danube provinces of the Roman Empire: Pannonia and Moesia. Then the Sarmatians moved further along the lower reaches of the Danube and gained a foothold on the Hungarian Plain. Some entered military service into the Roman army, but for several centuries the Sarmagi remained unpredictable neighbors, starting a war on the slightest provocation. Tensions on the border were so high that the Roman authorities began to allow Sarmatians to settle on the territory of the Empire. As a result of the wars with the Sarmatians, the Roman army underwent a radical degeneration. The legionary infantry, which had previously been the main fighting force of the army, began to fade into the background, but the previously minor cavalry became unusually stronger. The Roman cavalry now took the spear-armed Sarmatian cavalry as a model.
Throughout their history, the Sarmatians maintained close ties with Greek colonies on the northern coast of the Black Sea, as well as with the Cimmerian Bosporan Kingdom, lying in the east of Crimea and the west Taman Peninsula up to the mouth of the Don. In the middle of the 1st century. from AD In the Bosporan kingdom, the Sarmatian dynasty came to power, as a result of which the army of the kingdom was largely “Sarmatized.” Externally, the heavy Bosporan cavalry practically ceased to differ from the heavy cavalry of the Sarmatians. Bosnor art saved for us best images Sarmatian weapons.
The appearance of the Goths disrupted the previous ties between the Sarmatians and the Bosporan kingdom. Goths - German people- about 200 AD began moving south from Scandinavia through Poland and the Dnieper region. By 250, the Goths captured Olbia and continued their movement east, occupying the Crimea. As a result, the Goths completely ousted the Sarmatians and Alans from this region.
Somewhere a century later, no less dramatic was the appearance of the Huns in the Black Sea region. Successive waves of Goths and Huns caused great disturbance to the western frontier of the Roman Empire. The Alans had no choice but to join the Huns. Waves of invasion reached Gaul, Spain and even North Africa. Small groups of Sarmatians and Alans served in the Roman army. By the middle of the 5th century, the Sarmatians no longer represented a noticeable force, and by the 6th century. it is possible to trace only traces of their presence in western Europe. Apparently, the Sarmatians did not disappear, but organically merged into the motley tapestry of peoples that represented medieval Europe.
COMMENTS
SAUROMATES(lat. Sauromatae) - nomadic Iranian tribes who lived in the 7th-4th centuries. BC. in the steppes of the Volga and Urals regions. The first Sarmatian people noted in written history.
In the 5th century BC Herodotus (4.21) wrote that the Sauromatians live east of the Don on a treeless plain that extends 15 days' journey north of Lake Msoti ( Sea of Azov). Herodotus' Sauromatians apparently correspond to a culture discovered between the Don and Volga by archaeologists and dating back to the 7th-4th centuries. BC. In the east, this culture reaches the territory of modern Kazakhstan, stretching from the northern coast of the Caspian Sea to the southern Urals.
In origin, culture and language, the Sauromatians are related to the Scythians. Ancient Greek writers (Herodotus and others) emphasized the special role that women played among the Sauromatians. Most of The facts known to us relating to the Sauromatians are semi-mythical in nature. Herodotus (4.110-116) claims that the Sauromatians were the children of the Scythians and Amazons who lived north of the Caucasus. Their language is a corruption of Scythian, since the Amazon mothers never knew it perfectly.
Reflected in written sources The history of the Sauromatians begins with the following event. In 507 BC. (dating uncertain) the Sauromatians became allies of the Scythians, who were attacked by the Persian king Darim I. A detachment of the Sauromatians advanced far to the west, reaching the Danube, trying to interfere with the actions of the Persian army.
Archaeologists have found burials of rich women with weapons and horse equipment. Some Sauromatian women were priestesses - stone altars were found in their graves next to them. In con. V-IV centuries BC. The Sauromatian tribes pushed back the Scythians and crossed the Don. In the IV-III centuries. BC. they have developed strong alliances tribes The descendants of the Sauromatians are the Sarmatians (III century BC - IV century AD).
Nowadays, the Sauromatian period is understood as the most early period history of the Sarmatians (VII-IV centuries BC). The Sauromatians formed the core of the Sarmatian group of tribes, which gradually moved westward.
AORSY(Greek "Aorsoi") - one of the most powerful confederations of Sarmatian tribes, apparently migrated here from the east.
Strabo (11.5.8) distinguishes two groups of Aorsi: some lived closer to the Black Sea and could assemble an army of 200,000 cavalry warriors, others were even more powerful and lived closer to the Caspian Sea. Modern scientists believe that the lands of the Aors extended all the way to the Aral Sea.
Some scientists believe that the Aors and the Yen-Tsai (An-Tsai) people mentioned in Chinese chronicles are one and the same. The chronicle of the early Han dynasty ("Han-shu"), compiled around 90 AD, states that " they have 100,000 phenated archers"They live 2000 li (1200 km) northwest of Khan-chu (Sogdiana) - a state that lay in the fertile interfluve of the Amu Darya and Syr Darya (Transoxania) southeast of the Aral. Later, Chinese texts describe clothing and customs the people of Yen-Tsai, who were close to those in Kahan-Chu.
During the Bosporan War in 49 AD. The Aorsi supported the pro-Roman faction, while the Siracians chose the opposite side.
Meanwhile, the Aorsi were conquered and absorbed by a new confederation of Sarmatian tribes - the Alans, who, like their predecessors, arrived in the Black Sea region from Central Asia. Some of the Aors retreated to the west, to the north of Crimea, where they remained independent for some time. Ptolemy mentions the "alanors", probably a mixed union. In Chinese chronicles, the people of "Alan-Liao" replaced the Yen-Tsai people.
SHIRAKI(Greek "Sirakoi", lat. "Siraces" or "Siraci") - part of the Sarmatian horde, a nomadic tribe that led major union tribes migrated at the end of the 5th century. BC. from Kazakhstan to the Black Sea region. By the end of the 4th century. BC. they occupied lands from the Caucasus to the Don, gradually becoming the sole masters of the region known today as Kuban. The Siracians became the first of the Sarmatians to establish contacts with the Greek colonies on the Black Sea coast. In 310-309 BC. The king of the Siracs, Aripharnes, intervened in the war for the throne of the Bosporan kingdom, but soon his army was defeated in the battle of Fates, as one of the tributaries of the Kuban was called in those days.
The Siracians were a relatively small people, but Strabo (11.5.8) states that King Abeac could muster up to 20,000 horsemen during the reign of the Bosporan ruler Pharnaces (63-47 BC). The Sirak aristocracy led a semi-nomadic life, but the lower social strata were sedentary. The Siracians Hellenized in to a greater extent than other Sarmatians, they also maintained close contacts with the Bosporan kingdom.
During the Bosporan War in 49 AD. The Aorsi supported the pro-Roman faction, while the Siracians chose the opposite side. During the war, the Romans besieged the fortified Syraci city of Uspa. The city's fortifications, consisting of wicker fences coated with clay, turned out to be too weak to withstand the assault (Tacitus, Annals, 12.16-17). " The night did not stop the besiegers. The siege was completed within 24 hours". Uspa was quickly taken by storm, the entire population of the city was killed. The Siracians had to swear allegiance to Rome. The war of 49 seriously weakened the Siracians, they almost disappeared from history until another Bosporan conflict, in 193, after which their traces were completely lost.
YAZIGI- part of the Sarmatian horde, a nomadic tribe that led a large union of tribes roaming the Northern Black Sea region and the Azov region.
The meaning of the word "Iazyges" (Greek and Latin "Iazyges") remains unclear. However, the word "Iazyges" in classical texts is invariably used as part of the phrase "Iazyges Sarmaiae", which indicates that they represented some part of the Sarmatian horde.
The Yazigs and Roxolans were among the first to cross the Don. The Yazigs chose the area immediately north of Crimea as their new place of residence.
In 16 BC. The Iazyges came into first armed contact with Rome. The proconsul of Macedonia drove back the nomads who had invaded the territory of Rome across the Danube. Over the next three centuries, the Sarmatians constantly harassed eastern borders Rome. The poet Ovid witnessed several such raids that occurred in 8-17 AD. from AD, when he was in exile in the Black Sea colony of Tomi (modern Constanta). Ovid describes Sarmatian horsemen and their carts crossing the frozen Danube.
The Yazigs moved northwest along the lower reaches of the Danube. By the middle of the 1st century. AD they reached the Hungarian plain between the Danube and Tisza rivers. In 50, they assisted Vannius, the king of the Sueves, dependent on Rome, in his war with his neighbors. The Iazygians provided Vannius with cavalry, but when the Suebi king took refuge in the fortress, the Iazygians " could not withstand the siege and scattered throughout the area", after which Vannius was quickly defeated (Tacitus, Annals 12.29-31).
Throughout this period, the Yazigs generally maintained friendly relations with Rome and even sometimes acted as direct allies, participating in the military operations of the Empire. The creation of the province of Dacia by Trajan in 106 drove a wedge between the Roxolani and Iazyges, leading to enmity with both peoples. Peace was restored only during the reign of Andrian, when the Sarmatians were allowed to move around Dacia, and the Roxolan king Rasparagnus received Roman citizenship.
Major unrest arose again during the war with the Marcomanni (167-180), when the Iazigs, along with some Germanic tribes invaded Dacia and Pannonia. Heavy losses The Iazyges suffered in battle with the Romans on the ice of the frozen Danube in the winter of 173-174.
Two years later, peace was concluded. Marcus Aurelius received the title “Sarmatian” (Sarmalieus), and the king of the Iazigs, Zantik, handed over a detachment of 8,000 horse soldiers as hostages to Rome. Most of this detachment was later transferred to Britain. For some time, a plan was hatched to transform the lands of the Iazyges into a new province, which was supposed to be called Sarmatia.
Peace reigned for half a century, but the appearance of the Goths on the Ukrainian steppes caused a chain reaction of conflicts. Having spent in 236-238. During the campaign against the Iazyges, Emperor Maximin I (nicknamed the Thracian, his mother was a Sarmatian) received the title “The Greatest Sarmatian” (Sarmalicus Maximus). In 248-250 The Iazigs invaded Dacia, and in 254 Pannonia, but in 282 they were defeated in Pannonia by the army of Emperor Kara (282-283). Battles with the Iazyges continued throughout the reign of Diocletian (284-305).
During the III-IV centuries. Rome allowed some Sarmatian tribes to move to the territory of the Empire, where they were assigned the role of human shields designed to protect the Empire from Gothic raids. In addition, the Sarmatians were more willing to serve in the army than the degenerate indigenous population of the Empire. The Notitia Dignitatum lists 18 centers of Sarmatian settlements in Gaul and Italy. To this day, traces of these settlements are preserved in toponymy. So, near Reims there are the cities of Serme and Sermier, which were formerly Sarmatian settlements. Many representatives of the Sarmatian nobility managed to obtain Roman citizenship, and some were able to achieve power, for example, Victor, master of the horse of Emperor Jovian (c. 363).
ROXOLANS(Latin Roxolani; Iran - “light Alans”) - a Sarmatian-Alan nomadic tribe that led a large union of tribes roaming the Northern Black Sea region and the Azov region.
Among the many attempts to explain the meaning of the word “roksolana” (Greek “Rlioxolanoi”), the most plausible seems to be linking the first part of the word with the Iranian adjective raokhshna - “white”, “light”. Thus, Roxolans are “White Alans”.
The ancestors of the Roksolans are the Sarmatians of the Volga and Urals regions. In the II-I centuries. BC. The Roxolani conquered the steppes between the Don and Dnieper from the Scythians. As the ancient geographer Strabo reports, " Roxolani follow their herds, always choosing areas with good pastures, in winter - in the swamps near Meotida(Azov Sea) , and in summer - on the plains".
The Roksolans and Iazigs were among the first to cross the Don. If the Yazygs chose the area immediately north of Crimea as their new place of residence, the Roxolani moved further north, settling in the territory of what is now southern Ukraine. In 107 BC. The Roxolans, led by Tasius, intervened in the conflict in the Crimea, where they clashed with the army of the Pontic king Mithridates VI Eupator. Strabo reports (7.3.17) that a mixed Roxolanian-Scythian army of 50,000 men could not withstand a detachment of 6,000 men led by the general Diophantus. After this defeat, many Sarmatians went over to the side of Mithridates and participated in the war with the Bosporan kingdom and Rome (Ashshan, "Mithridates", 15, 19.69; Justin 38.3, 38.7).
In the 1st century AD warlike Roxolans occupied the steppes west of the Dnieper. During the Great Migration of Peoples in the IV-V centuries. Some of these tribes migrated along with the Huns.
Sarmatians - steppe warriors
For eight hundred years, this legendary nomadic people dominated the vast Eurasian steppes. From 4th century BC to 4th century AD Historians find evidence of the enormous influence of the Sarmatians on Europe. Sarmatian warriors were part of the Roman army with the rights foreign legion. Sarmatian women - "Amazons" - fought no worse than men.
Sergey Lukyashko (Southern science Center RAS) says: “The Sarmatians actively participated in political life on the borders of the Roman Empire, their campaigns reached the Apennine Peninsula and Iberia. The Sarmatians even organized their own kingdom in the center of France.”
This nomadic people still remains a mystery. Archaeologists have discovered in the mounds, including Southern Urals many masterpieces of ancient art created by the Sarmatians thousands of years ago. Lots of gold items. The mystical beauty of Sarmatian products captures the imagination. People have always been fascinated by the qualities of this metal. For centuries, gold was considered a gift from the gods, sanctified by the sun. Gold is amazingly capable of taking on bizarre shapes during forging and casting, taking on embossed reliefs, and twisting into threads of bizarre patterns. The shine of gold jewelry fascinates and captivates with the complexity of the skillful design. Priceless treasures reveal the secret of the great nomadic people.
The Great Eurasian Steppe stretches for thousands of kilometers from the borders of China in the east to the Danube in the west, from the Siberian taiga in the north to the mountain ranges in the south. For many centuries, the Great Steppe was the only land route connecting Europe with the East. The steppe became the cradle of a whole chain of nomadic cultures born in the vastness of Asia.
Some replaced others. Younger aggressive peoples won from their neighbors the right to be first and dominate the endless steppes. The Sarmatians are a mysterious people less known to us than their predecessors - the Scythians. Now, thanks to archaeological excavations, the Sarmatian culture is beginning to take on real shape. Around the 4th century BC. the Sarmatians pushed the previously dominant Scythians into the Crimea and gained fame as one of the most powerful nomadic peoples ancient world. Several waves of invasions of nomads from Central Asia to the south of Europe.
They went different ways. Through the steppes of the Southern Urals and Northern Kazakhstan - the 1st wave. Through the oases of Central Asia, the Southern Caspian region, Transcaucasia - 2nd. Once in Eastern Europe, the Sarmatians came to the attention of ancient authors. On ancient maps the usual name Scythia is replaced by Sarmatia.
The first mention of the Sauromatians, in whom many are inclined to see the ancestors of the Sarmatians, can be found in the Greek traveler and historian Herodotus. He reports: "Beyond the Tanais River ( ancient name Don River) are no longer Scythian lands, but the lands there belong to the Sauromatians."
According to S. Lukyashko: “This culture was formed mainly in the Southern Urals and from there it comes to the territory of Eastern Europe" Let's take away the "Sarmatians" - a historical generalization. They were not a single people and represented a group of related tribes: Aorsi, Alans, Siraks, Hezyks, Salans. These tribes were not always friendly with each other and adhered to an independent policy. The Sarmatians, like the Scythians, were Iranian-speaking.
It is extremely difficult to recreate the history of a people who did not have cities or writing. Sarmatians all over Great Steppe left evidence of their presence. These are mounds - earthen mounds above the burial site. Mounds are found everywhere integral part modern steppe landscape. Just like thousands of years ago, they impress with their grandeur and dominate the surrounding space. Topographic survey allows us to conclude that the mounds are not located chaotically. They arose along the routes of nomadic tribes. This is confirmed by photographs from space. Russian satellites constantly monitor the entire territory of the steppe, helping to protect the mounds as national historical monuments.
The mounds are of great interest for reconstructing the spiritual life of nomads. According to the beliefs of the Sarmatians, things that the deceased would need in the afterlife were placed in the burial: weapons, horse harness, dishes and jewelry. Archaeologists are gradually recreating the past from found objects and human remains, fragments of ceramics and jewelry. The burials reveal a world of complex images and a unique culture that was not even hinted at in the ancient texts that have reached us. 
The treasures of the golden collection from the Sarmatian mounds tell about the power, beauty and strength of this amazing people. S. Lukyashko: "Archaeological discoveries recent years in the field of Scythian-Sarmatian archeology showed the whole world the extraordinary greatness of this ancient culture. Magnificent examples of artistic bronze, gold, and silver showed that the world still did not know this part of its own culture. AND World culture discovers this great page ancient history and of course the interest in this page is enormous."
It is important to understand how the life of the Sarmatians was organized. The world of life and the world of death in the minds of the nomads were clearly separated. Many items were made specifically for burial and were not used in everyday life. Boris Raev (Southern Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences): “The living culture in which we live and the dead culture that archaeologists encounter are absolutely different. Any thing passing from a living culture to a dead one changes its internal content, becomes different. It’s good for us all to understand their culture -we can’t also because the culture of the sedentary population is more informative for science than burials. 
Burials are a very specific complex, it is associated with beliefs... Let's say they put one thing in the grave and never put another. But this does not mean that the Sarmatians did not have this thing, they did have it. And we can find such a thing in settlements. But the nomads had no settlements. Turns out vicious circle problems. Some we will solve, some we will never solve."
One of the ancient sources reports that, like the Persians, the Sarmatians worship the sword. The Roman historian Amianus Marcelinus wrote about the veneration of the sword by the Alans: “They have no temples or sanctuaries to be seen, not even thatched huts can be seen anywhere, and they, according to barbaric custom, stick a naked sword into the ground and reverently worship it as Mars, the patron. countries through which they roam."
B. Raev: “A nomadic society, due to its specificity, cannot be closed, can never exist without the products of an agricultural society, in contrast to a sedentary society, which can exist without the products of a nomadic civilization for the simple reason that the settled population has its own livestock products " Sarmatians are in constant contact with sedentary peoples. The closest neighbors of the Sarmatians living in the Azov region are Greek colony settlements along the shores of the Black Sea and in the Don River delta. 
As well as the agricultural tribes of the Kuban region. The Sarmatians carried out a wide trade exchange, selling animal skins, slaves, weapons and livestock. In ancient Greek cities they bought agricultural products: jewelry, fabrics, clothing, ceramics, mirrors, olive oil, wine. In the mounds, archaeologists find glass, ceramics and gold items from Central Asia, Iran, the Middle East, and Egypt. There are connections with China and India. Relations between the Sarmatians and sedentary peoples were not always peaceful. Military superiority and the need for agricultural and craft products led to predatory attacks. The Sarmatians established tributary relations with some sedentary peoples.
Many artifacts are found in ancient settlements. For example, a settlement of the Meotian culture, which was in direct contact with the Sarmatian tribes. The Meotians are the ancient tribes of the Sindras, Dandarias, Seracs, Doskhs and others who lived on the southeastern coast of the Sea of Azov in the 1st millennium BC. The Sea of Azov, by the way, was called the Meotian Sea. B. Raev - head of the excavations: "The settlement is one of the largest Meotian settlements in the Kuban, perhaps this is the city of Serac, mentioned by Ptolemy. This place is possibly the capital of the country of the Seracs." Much evidence of relations with the Sarmatians has been found. Ceramics carries a lot of information. For example, a mark on an extracted object allows us to establish the place of its manufacture as well as the time of manufacture of the mound. 
Many gold objects from Sarmatian burial mounds are not solid, but are made of thin foil applied to a wooden base. Over the centuries organic base decays and the decoration is destroyed under the weight of the soil. A restorer jeweler must recreate a work of ancient art from a handful of gold plates, restoring its appearance to its original integrity. This requires not only painstaking work but also the artist’s intuition.
The Sarmatians willingly used imported things, which did not exclude the presence of their own crafts.
The successes of Sarmatian craftsmen in pottery, weapons, and jewelry are worthy of the most highly appreciated. They skillfully used gold casting, embossing, and gold foil stamping. Sarmatian art is characterized by an animal style (zoomorphic). The image is full of dynamics. Figures of predators with flexible bodies, horses, eagles and vultures are presented with amazing expressiveness of detail. Often masters filled their works with images mystical creatures. An important feature of the Sarmatian style is multicolor, which was achieved thanks to widespread use precious and semi-precious stones, glass and colored enamel. 
The master's plan admires the boldness of its execution. Figures of deer frozen in a rapid jump. Here artistic expression, stylization of images, expressiveness makes you forget about the age of the bracelet.
Of great interest is the discovery of a ritual silver jug with a handle in the form of a figurine of a predator engraved with plot scenes. The plots clearly depict scenes from the Avesta - an ancient Aryan teaching.
Horse breeding and cattle breeding were the basis of the Sarmatian economy. The transition from pasture to pasture determined the rhythm nomadic life. Everything needed was transported in carts. The horse is the constant companion of the nomad. The very life of the Sarmatian and his community depended on the horse and its endurance. B. Raev: “The horse was everything. It was food, it was a means of transportation, in general it was life. These are people so merged with horses, like all other nomads. A person got on a horse at the age of 2 or more. didn’t get off. At 52, he was taken on a horse under a mound to be buried. But the horse was not a cult animal at all, like, for example, cows in India or cats in Egypt. That is, it was a means of life." 
Restorers are working with priceless gold elements of the harness. The Sarmatians left this sacred symbol of human life in the steppe next to the deceased. Sarmatians traditionally decorated their horses. The burial structures brought to us the appearance of Sarmatian horse equipment. Falars are round plates of gold or silver decorated with relief ornaments or drawings - elements of ceremonial horse harness. They were placed at the crosshairs of the harness belts. A large phalar was placed on the chest of the horse.
An amazingly complex sculptural phalar with voluminous relief. In the center is a patterned agate. It is surrounded by a golden relief consisting of figures of lions lying one after another. The composition includes inserts of almantine, turquoise and glass. Special attention What stands out is the massive phalar - a hemispherical breastplate. Its top is decorated with a medallion consisting of an insert of a large almandine gemstone, which has been attributed magical properties at all times. 
Ornamental stripes are inlaid with turquoise and pink coral. The abundance of decorative elements on the harness confirms the assumption that special treatment Sarmatians to the horse. We can only imagine how majestic and monumental the noble Sarmatian horseman looked when his horse was decorated with luxurious gold and silver.
A saddle cape is a horse cape decorated with gold plaques and stripes. The fabric base has been lost, but all the decorations have been preserved in their original form. All plaques are made using embossing technique. 
It took restorers 15 years to find the most reliable version of the location of the gold parts. Scientists suggest that this golden cape was used to cover a sacrificial animal, thus turning it into a divine heavenly horse - a mediator between two worlds or a companion of the deceased.
What was the appearance of the Sarmatian? What was the color and shape of his eyes? Hair color? The remains of nomads are the object of meticulous study by anthropologists. Studies of the skeleton, the proportions of the bones and skull allow us to assert the Caucasoid race of the Sarmatians. Ancient authors talk about the tall stature of the Sarmatians, about their slender and strong physique. The eye color was light, the hair was long and brown. Men wore beards. The Sarmatian costume was formed as the clothing of a horseman. Unlike the Greeks, they wore tight trousers tucked into soft leather boots.
The Sarmatians went down in history as a people of exceptional military courage. With the death of Great Scythia, they became the only powerful force on the territory of the steppes of Eastern Europe. In essence, they were a well-trained, well-armed, battle-hardened army. Their independence from other nations was guaranteed military force. S. Lukyashko: “Sarmatian nomads take an active part in all military and political conflicts of that time. They take an active part in military events in Central Europe, the Middle East, serve for a certain fee either the Parthian kings or the Armenian kings, actively participating in struggle of Armenia and Parthia, they sell their military valor and prowess to the one who pays the most. "
By the 1st century AD The Sarmatians are already neighbors of the Roman Empire. On the Danube border they increasingly clash with Roman troops. Their strength and military prowess Rome appreciated it immediately. This led to the conclusion of a peace treaty, which brought the title of Sarmatian to Emperor Marcus Aurelius. Since that time, the Sarmatians have taken part in the wars of the Roman Empire as a foreign legion. Under the terms of the treaty, the Sarmatian Iazyge tribes sent 8 thousand horsemen to Rome, of which more than 5 thousand were transferred to Britain to guard fortresses under the control of Roman military commanders. In the well known legends of King Arthur and the knights Round table many researchers see features characteristic of the squad of the Sarmatian army. This may be due to the Sarmatian presence on British Isles.
S. Lukyashko: “There is a deep conviction among British historians that this group of Sarmatians had a serious influence on the formation of Scottish culture. The Scots and the genealogical legends of large Scottish families trace their origins to a group of Sarmatians who found themselves in the British Isles. So seemingly distant and not interconnected peoples turn out to be connected by the ties of a very ancient history. In fact, in Scotland the root stem "don", meaning "water" in the Iranian language, is known and often used. Previously, the Scots were also warlike pastoral tribes and led at least as far back as the Middle Ages century way of life close to that way of life that was characteristic of the Sarmatians."
A unique example of a Sarmatian weapon is a dagger with a gold hilt and a gold sheath lining, made in an animal style. The relief clearly illustrates the fatalism of psychology, the fighting spirit, inflexibility, and self-confidence of the Sarmatian warrior. The golden pattern reflects dramatic scenes of the struggle between an eagle, a symbol of courage, and a camel, a symbol of farmers. An eagle attacks a camel and torments it...
Life of a Sarmatian - constant struggle, there is no peace and quiet in it. This is a confrontation that can end in victory or death.
The strength of the Sarmatians was also manifested in the fact that their nomadic way of life had an amazing feature. Women had equal rights with men of their kind. S. Lukyashko: “This extraordinary position of women in Sarmatian society made the history of the Sarmatians quite noticeable against the background of the nomadic history of antiquity.” Beautiful, graceful horsewomen who freely handled weapons radically changed ancient ideas about the place of women in society. 
S. Lukyashko: “After all, for the Greeks, for whom a woman could not even go to the market unaccompanied, to suddenly see a woman galloping on a horse, wielding a bow and arrow, throwing a spear and darts, was unacceptable for their culture. Since the Sarmatians are not very sometimes they resembled the Amazons about whom the ancient Greeks composed myths, then the Greeks came up with the version that the Sarmatians and Sauromatians are the closest relatives of the Amazons. They say they descended from the Amazons." Perhaps the warlike image of the Amazons is due to the fact that women themselves guarded the herds and farms when the men went on long military campaigns. In many Sarmatian burial mounds, the central burial is for women. 
There, along with horse harnesses and weapons, all sorts of women's things were found: necklaces, jars for some kind of cosmetics, possibly incense or perfume. The careful processing of miniature products is amazing. Scientists believe that some Sarmatian tribes were led by women.
S. Lukyashko: “But in the 4th century AD, as a result of the invasion from the east of a new powerful nomadic wave - the Hunnic, the Sarmatians were unable to resist it. And around 375 they suffered crushing defeat from the Huns. Part of the Sarmatian population of the steppe was destroyed, part of the Sarmatian tribes entered the Hunnic union. 
It has always been this way. The arrival of new nomads, new nobility led to the disappearance of the former nobility, and the rank and file merged with the newcomers, losing their self-name, some elements of their culture, but still preserving their language. The Sarmatians were known for a long time in the vastness of Eastern Europe under the name Assy or Ossy. Later they settled in the central Ciscaucasia. From them came modern Ossetians. Genetic and cultural background preserved right here on the territory of Ossetia. "
Ancients nomadic peoples disappeared into the mists of time. At the same time, many of their skills and abilities were passed on to other peoples, becoming an integral part of their everyday life. Archeology is watching general phenomena like a relay race, when the best crafts and achievements become the global experience of humanity.
B. Raev: “Our work lies in the fact that we restore the past, which would seem so far away, so unnecessary now for people who fly on some space stations and use the Internet. In fact, this is completely wrong. Modern people could not now enjoy the benefits of civilization if it were not for those people who made ceramics, ground grain, etc. So we just have to study this culture, we have to know them and it enriches us enormously. "Now the treasures of the Sarmatians are kept in the museum of Azov. This is the richest collection of world significance. This is the memory of a people who for 8 centuries was an active participant in European history.