Barry Cunlife - The Scythians

scythians in central asia
7.8 Gold mounting from a large bowl from Filippovka. The mounted archer shown here is stalking saiga
antelope attached further around the rim of the vessel (fourth century bc).
Life on the Desert Edge
The two Central Asian rivers, the Amu Darya and Syr Darya, which flow towards the
Aral Sea, have changed their courses over the centuries. Originally the Amu Darya
flowed into Lake Sarakamysh (now dry), which was drained by another river, the
Uzboy, taking the surplus water westwards to the Caspian Sea. The Syr Darya ended
in the Aral Sea but its main channel has shifted its course many times. The changes
have created two deltaic fans crossed by old river beds that are both fertile and comparatively
well-watered. These favoured regions, settled by the Sakā, lay largely
beyond the limit of the territory conquered by the Persians in the late sixth century.
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