Barry Cunlife - The Scythians

further reading
somewhat dated, overview while the companion volume by T. Sulimirski, The Sarmatians
(London, 1970) provides a detailed account of later developments on the Pontic/
Caspian steppe. More recent works include: R. Rolle, The World of the Scythians (London,
1989), translated from the German version published in 1980; E. V. Cernenko,
The Scythians 700–300 BC (London, 1983), focusing on arms and armour; and two
comprehensive general books, H. Parzinger, Die Skythen (3rd edn., Munich, 2009) and
I. Lebedynsky, Les Scythes: les Scythes d’Europe et la période Scythe dans les steppes d’Eurasie,
VIIIe–IIIe siècles av. J.-C. (2nd edn., Paris, 2010). A far more detailed work, edited by J.
Davis-Kimball, V. A. Bashilov, and L. T. Yablonsky, is Nomads of the Eurasian Steppes in
the Early Iron Age (Berkeley, 1995). It presents a huge wealth of archaeological material
in summary form brought together by a team of experts.
While general books are few, exhibition catalogues abound, presenting not only
illustrations and descriptions of spectacular objects from Scythian burials but essays
which provide context for the material culture. One of the most comprehensive, with
an excellent introductory chapter and brilliant illustrations, is A. Alexeyev, The Gold
of the Scythian Kings in the Hermitage Collection (St Petersburg, 2012). Others include: M.
I. Artamonov, Treasures from Scythian Tombs in the Hermitage Museum, Leningrad (London,
1969); Metropolitan Museum of Art, From the Lands of the Scythians: Ancient Treasures
from the Museums of the U.S.S.R., 3000 B.C.–100 B.C. (New York, 1975); British Museum,
Frozen Tombs: The Culture and Art of the Ancient Tribes of Siberia (London, 1978); E. D.
Reeder (ed.), Scythian Gold: Treasures from Ancient Ukraine (New York, 1999); J. Aruz et al.
(eds.), The Golden Deer of Eurasia: Scythian and Sarmatian Treasures from the Russian Steppes
(New York, 2000); S. Stark et al. (eds.), Nomads and Networks: The Ancient Art and Culture
of Kazakhstan (Princeton, 2012); and St J. Simpson and S. Pankova (eds.), Scythians: Warriors
of Ancient Siberia (London, 2017).
Chapter 1 Discovering the Scythians
The towering figure of Peter the Great (1672–1725) dominates the story of the early
years of the discovery of the Scythians and their culture. The many facets of this
fascinating man, modernizer, expansionist, explorer, and collector are considered
in numerous books dedicated to his life, among the most comprehensive being P.
Bushkovitch, Peter the Great: The Struggle for Power, 1671–1725 (Cambridge, 2001) and
E. Donnert, Peter der Grosse: Der Veränderer Russlands (Göttingen, 1987). For a briefer
account, L. Hughes, Peter the Great: A Biography (New Haven and London, 2002) can
be recommended.
The story of Peter’s brief visit to Oxford is given in A. MacGregor, ‘The Tsar in
England: Peter the Great’s Visit to London in 1698’, Seventeenth Century, 19/1 (2004),
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