Barry Cunlife - The Scythians

scythians in central asia
Ancient river courses
Kurgans
Desert
0 200 miles
0 200km
Aral
Sea
Chirik-Rabat
Syr Darya
Lake
Sarykamysh
KYZYL KUM DESERT
Urgench
Caspian
Sea
Amu Darya
Bukhara
KARA KUM DESERT
N
7.9 The northern edge of the Kyzylkum and Karakum deserts. The settlements of the Sakā favoured the
deltaic regions.
In both deltaic regions the population depended on raising domestic animals and
lived a semi-sedentary life. Several cemeteries have been excavated producing grave
goods including swords, arrows, and horse gear of classic nomad type, together with
gold buckles, bosses, and other attachments decorated in animal style, the most distinctive
creatures being coiled felines, stags standing with hoofs together, and couchant
saiga (steppe antelope). Most of the burials were modestly equipped and no
examples that can be regarded as princely have yet been found.
In the Sarykamysh delta to the west of the Amu Darya the method of burial and
certain characteristics of the skeletons suggest that the population was made up of
two culturally distinct groups of people. One group were inhumed in shallow graves
of restricted width; they were laid on their backs with their limbs extended. These
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