Scientific Analysis Shows Ancient Scythians Made Leather From Human Skin
Herodotus’ brutal descriptions of complex nomadic neighbors may have been true
When it comes to history, we have a biased idea of what a civilization consists of. And it’s only logical we do. “Great civilizations” of the past left lots to study: from ruins of settlements to written languages that give much depth to the people themselves.
Moreover, they lived like us. They settled in one place and had their equivalents of cities, markets, agriculture, and land which they occupied. But civilizations are complex beasts, and the Scythians are a good example.
Not far from the Classic Greeks, this confederation of nomadic people from the Steppes did things differently. In certain ways, they resembled the Mongols. They were excellent horse riders, archers, and had a different idea about an empire.
According to Jack Weatherford in Genghis Kahn and the Quest for God, Steppe nomads didn’t conquer “land” because that seemed infinite. They conquered water instead. He says these tribes and confederations often “called one another by the name of the body of water near where they lived.”
A settled city wasn’t necessary either. They could bring the things required to maintain their…
