Scythian Armor
While there are examples of armor in Scythian burials (especially in the Pontic Steppe region), it is important to note that the majority of relevant burials have little to no protective armor elements, even when there are weapons such as swords, spears, or bows. This could be due to the degradation of organic armor (e.g., leather or textile), but it is just as likely, if not more so, that most Scythians did not possess armor.
To be discussed:
Materials
- bronze
- iron
- leather
Many of the various types of helmets found in burials cover the head to about the ear, with a number having holes drilled along their lower edge for the addition of metal or leather extensions to cover the cheeks and/or the base of the skull and back of the neck.
Herodotus (Histories 1.215) notes that the Massagetae “always use gold and bronze; all their spear-points and arrow-heads and battle-axes are bronze and the adornment of their headgear and belts and girdles is gold. They equip their horses similarly, protecting their chests with bronze breastplates and putting gold on reins, bits, and cheekplates. But they never use iron and silver, for there is none at all in their country, but gold and bronze abound.”
Helmets
“Kuban” helmet
One relatively common bronze helmet style, especially for earlier Pontic-region Scythian burials, is the “Kuban” type, named for its prevalence in burials around the Kuban river northeast of the Black Sea. These helmets often, but not always, have holes drilled likely for defensive extensions, such as scales or leather flaps, for protection of the lower head and neck.
Some bronze helmets reflect not only a Kuban style but also a more pointed conical style in some eastern Saka territories. Skoryi (2024) indicates the examples below come from burials in: “1 – Afrasiab, Uzbekistan; 2 – Kysmychi, Kazakhstan; 3 – Toguz-Torouskiy district, Kyrgyzstan; 4 – Upper Irtysh river, Western Siberia; 5 – Zhambyl region, Kazakhstan; 6 – mountain Hitruun, Mongolia” (p. 39).
Bronze cast helmets of epoch of archaic from Asia, Fig. 9 from Skoryi, 2024 (CC BY-NC 4.0 by Skoryi)
Greek Styles
Cernenko, McBride, & Gorelik (1983) provided a helpful set of illustrations of bronze helmets from Scythian burials that are Greek in nature: the “Corinthian, Chalcidian, or Attic” types were among the most common (p. 7).
Scale helmets
Several helmets from burials in the Pontic Steppe were constructed from overlapping iron scales to create a dome-like shape over the skull and with scale-covered flaps to cover the ears/cheeks and the base of the skull.
External pages with info on specific burials (in Ukrainian):
Body Armor
- breastplate
- bronze breastplate featuring a Gorgon face from a 4th c. BCE Kuban burial
- linothorax
- scale
The Solokha comb shows several types of armor: a horseman with a Corinthian helmet and scale armor; an infantryman with a linothorax; and an infantryman whose only armor is a shield.
Limb Armor
- greaves
- some greaves with human face decorations (Thracian?)
- splints?
Some greaves have been found demonstrating some post-construction modifications, likely to facilitate wearing the armor while on horseback. At least one pair displays a hole cut out on the inner calf, while others have an entire side cut down or a cut kneecap.
Shields
Materials
- metal-faced
- wicker
Shapes and Sizes
Extant shields and depictions of them suggest several shapes and sizes.
One rectangular Pazyryk shield made of wicker rods threaded through leather measures 40.5cmx30cm (~16“x11.8”), according to Simpson & Pankova (2017).
A tombstone-shaped (rectangular with a rounded top) shield from Pazyrk measures 68cmx50cm (~26.75“x20”), according to Simpson & Pankova (2017).
Greek influences/elements
TBA
Persian influences/elements
TBA
References
see also: weaponry