Barry Cunlife - The Scythians

landscapes with people
tory, resulting in conflict and possibly outright warfare. These processes, developing
at different rates in different regions, led to an increase in transhumant pastoralism
across much of the steppe region.
At its extreme eastern limit the Andronovo culture reached the Minusinsk Basin,
an area of elevated steppe surrounded by mountains, the eastern Sayan to the north,
the western Sayan to the south, and the Kuznetskiy Alatau and Abakan ranges to
the west. The basin was formed by the upper reaches of the Yenisei River but also
includes the Chulym River, a tributary of the Ob. It was a favoured environment—
fertile and protected by mountains.
The settlement history of the region was continuous from the Andronovo period
to the succeeding Karasuk period that began in the fourteenth century bc and lasted
to the middle of the ninth century. The change between the Andronovo and Karasuk
cultures was gradual, with many of the Andronovo traditions continuing into the
later period. The transition coincided with the onset of a more humid and cooler climate
which led to a much lusher vegetation cover that improved and extended areas
of grazing. This had two effects: flocks and herds increased in size and more complex
patterns of seasonal transhumance developed with flocks of sheep and goats being
taken away from the lowland steppe to fatten on the mountain pastures. Horses also
increased in number, in part to manage the more extensive systems of husbandry.
That horse riding was widely practised is reflected in the number of distinctive threeholed
sidepieces from the bridle now appearing in the archaeological record.
0 2 cm
3.8 Bone cheek pieces from bridles of the Karasuk period found in the Minusinsk Basin.
3.8
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