Resources on Personal Names and Titles
There is very little evidence that the Scythians, broadly speaking, had any sort of written language. (The closest example we have is the inscription on a bowl from Issyk kurgan.)
Because of that, the vast majority of personal names that we have which are either attested to belong to Scythians or which have Iranian language roots are in documents from other cultures/civilizations and may not necessarily reflect the most accurate naming practices of Scythian groups.
However, it's the best we have to work with at the moment.
The Academy of St. Gabriel has published a few documents focused on ancient Iranian names, including a list of "Greek names with Scytho-Sarmatian Roots."
Building on and in addition to those documents are the following lists of personal names and prospective titles that may be of use to the SCAdian seeking a potentially viable Scythian-related name for their persona.
- An Expanded List of Scytho-Sarmatian Names
- This document attempts as comprehensive as possible a list of Scythian and Sarmatian names from roughly 8th c. BCE to 3rd c. CE, with a focus on “western” Scythia (the Pontic steppe) as opposed to more eastern Saka cultures.
- Scythian and Thracian Names from Scythia Magna and Scythia Minor
- This document provides a list, based on research by A. Shaposhnikov, of Scythian and Thracian names (the latter used for comparison with some Scythian name constructions/elements), found in the Pontic region and in present-day Bulgaria.
- A Brief List of Indo-Scythian Names
- This document provides a set of names of Indo-Scythian rulers and relatives.
- Personal Names Mentioned in Bailey’s Saka Documents: Text Volume
- These names, compiled from documents written in Khotanese Saka and focused on that geographical region, span anywhere from 1st c. CE to the 8th c. CE (if not even more recent, with unfortunately few clear dates for reference). A few foreigners’ names from documents in Bailey’s book are included for comprehensiveness and comparison.
- Names and Titles of Parthian and Early Sasanian Women
- Because there are so many fewer recorded instances of women’s names, this document provides a list of some Parthian and early Sasanian women’s names (queens and royal family members) that may be of interest.
- A List of Documented Scythian Tribes and Groups
- This document includes a list of group/cultural names attested to in various texts.
- Proposed Khotan Saka Titles for SCA Use
- Bailey's Dictionary of Khotan Saka includes some titles (and terms that might well be titles). This document lists what appear to be the most frequently used or most likely titles that correlate to some SCA titles.
- A List of Registered SCAdian Scythian/Saka Names
- Because the SCA’s Ordinary & Armorial is not particularly easy to search if one is looking for examples from a particular culture or time & place, this list has been compiled to present SCAdians interested in registering a Scythian name with some comparable examples of others who have successfully done so.