Apparently they were not as nomadic as historians believed.
Surprising Truths about the Legendary Scythians Revealed
New research into the lifestyle of the Scythians, the nomadic culture that reigned supreme on the steppes of Central Asia in the first millennium BC, is questioning the long-held historic narratives about these ancient peoples. Rather than the traditional image of Scythians as terrifyingly fierce nomadic warriors, this research of burial remains in multiple locations is painting a picture of a cooperative people with a far more settled agricultural lifestyle than previously believed.
Panting a New Picture of the Scythians
Two recent studies have shed new light on the history and lifestyles of the Scythians, who during their heyday, from approximately 700 BC to 200 BC, were unquestionably the dominant people in the region. Most of their population lived on the 384,000 square-mile (994,000 square-kilometer) Pontic-Caspian steppe, which covered an area that ran from the Black Sea to the Caspian Sea.
Stories passed down through history portrayed the Scythians as fierce warriors who terrorized and intimidated their neighbors while sweeping across the landscape on horseback, wielding superior weapons and leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. But the latest research suggests the truth was far more complex. It seems that the relationships between the Scythians and other cultures in the region were far more interactive and cooperative than previously believed. Furthermore, the Scythians’ reputation as a strictly nomadic people is only partially accurate, and hides a more complicated reality that saw some Scythian groups adopting a settled agricultural lifestyle.