Eurasian Steppe

Question 1

Scythian Religion

Answer 1

• Worshipped the sun
• Buried with grave goods for the afterlife
• Domesticated and revered horses. These horses were buried with leaders when they died
• Gold was important to the religion because it may have had ties to the sun
• This is why the Altai Mountains or “Golden Mountains” were significant
• Depictions of deities that guided souls to the afterlife were present in graves. These were originally multiple different types of animals, but eventually became mostly horses. They were depicted with two horns on their heads to symbolize perfection
• Tombs were covered in rocks mimicking the shape of the sun and were arranged in order of family lineage

Question 2

Scythian Social Organization

Answer 2

• Several different groups within the culture
• First generation was Caucasian, then they interbred with Mongolian populations
• Cultural links with the Greek have been found in Scythian art
• Petroglyphs are present from the bronze age depicting animals and people on horseback, and communicating concepts, ideas, and myths
• Women could hold high status and important political roles, and were also warriors
• Human sacrifices were sometimes included with burials

Question 3

Scythian Politics

Answer 3

• Interacted with other cultures around them such as Greece
• Frequent warring between subgroups within the culture, but they would unite against outside threats
• When a leader died they would be scalped and have their horses buried with them
• Hierarchical society grouped into clans

Question 4

How the Scythians were seen by outside cultures

Answer 4

• Greeks wrote that Scythians sacrificed children when a leader died
• Scythian warrior women became the basis of the Greek myths about the Amazons

Question 5

Material Culture and its Interpretations

Answer 5

• Preserved pieces of leather were found, suggesting that they cared for objects like this
• A bit was found with one of the horse remains, suggesting that it was taken alive
• Two griffins made of wood that would have adorned the horse
• A large wooden ray with removable feet was perfectly adapted for a nomadic lifestyle
• Artefacts were often gold plated suggesting that gold had a significance
• Greek style arrow quiver suggesting extensive contact between these two cultures along with a recurve bow. Scythians were mounted archers and this is how they hunted and fought their battles
• Vertebrae of a child along with a head that appeared to have been scalped. The head had injuries that never healed, so they probably contributed to or were the cause of death
• Tall hat that would have only been used for ceremonial purposes because it would have fallen off in day to day activity
• Women’s earring made of gold on the body of someone who was just as prominently buried as a man. This shows that men and women were equal

Question 6

Surviving Beliefs in Modern Day Cultures

Answer 6

• The Kazakh culture is what descended from the Scythians
• They remain nomadic, living in Yurts
• They still live in Western Mongolia high up in the mountains and live a mostly traditional lifestyle
• Horses are still just as integral to the culture
• Still maintain the same practices for processing leather and making yogurt
• Sheep are still similar in wool type to those used by the Scythians