Barry Cunlife - The Scythians

bending the bow
bare-headed foot soldier—an undistinguished participant—could be the armourbearer
of the mounted warrior.
It is a strong possibility that this scene represents a crucial moment in an actual
conflict, the specifically drawn clothing of the two adversaries providing the observer
with clues to their identity. The fact that the mounted warrior is shown wearing
armour very similar to that of the warrior king with whom the comb was buried in
the Solokha kurgan raises the tempting possibility that the comb records a memorÂ
able triumph in the dead man’s life.
The Solokha kurgan produced a second battle scene, this time on the gilded silver
plate covering the gorytos (Gallery, no. 7). It shows a battle in action between young,
unbearded warriors and older, bearded men. The engagement on the left is between a
young man on foot, wearing a gorytos and wielding a long-handled battleaxe against
a bearded horseman about to counter with a spear thrust as his horse rears up. In the
group on the right a bearded warrior has just dismounted from his wounded horse
and has been grabbed by the hair by a young man fighting on foot who is about to
slash with his long sword. The older man is trying to free his hair with one hand while
drawing his sword with the other. Meanwhile another young man approaches from
behind holding a round shield for protection with spear raised ready to strike. It is
a dramatic piece which vividly brings out the brutality of close combat. The question
again is: is this brief moment intended to represent a real engagement? The clear
distinction between the young and the old suggests that it is. One possibility is that
it depicts the battle between the Scythians returning from their long campaign in
Asia Minor and the sons of the wives they had left behind, the story so vividly told
by Herodotus. A very similar battle scene is depicted on a gold helmet from Perederiyeva
mogila (Gallery, no. 6).
The three vignettes described here have much to offer to our understanding of
Scythian conflict but above all they give a stark vision of the destructive brutality of
war. Few would have escaped such engagements unscathed.
Strategy and Tactics
While the scenes of engagement so brilliantly depicted by the goldsmiths provide an
insight into individuals in action, evidence of the Scythian army in the field and the
conduct of war are more difficult to gather. We know of many engagements recorded
by various Greek writers. In the seventh century bands of Scythians were active in
Asia Minor and the Near East, fighting either for themselves or with the armies of
Near Eastern states. Later, in 529 a force of Massagetae led by Queen Tomyris suc-
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