English
Español
Français
Italiano
Deutsch
Русский
Português
Polski
Română
Svenska
Norsk bokmål
Suomi
Türkçe
العربية
简体中文
한국어
हिन्दी
ΕλληνικάINITIAL ATLAS · NODES AND ROUTES
Map of Scythians and Sakas
Atlas of Scythians and Sakas
Follow the routes, settlements and graves of the different steppe peoples.
Museum documentation · free public access, no account required.
Editorial visualisation · Contextual correspondence
Declared editorial visualisation, based on the cartography and sources of the fact sheet; it is not an exact historical frontier.
History and context
The map begins in Early Scythian Horizons and allows advancement through six phases. Documented places — Aržan, Pazyryk, Chertomlyk — appear only when they help to read the active period.
Scythians and Sakas were multiple groups; similar objects show connection, not a unique sovereignty from Ukraine to the Altai.
Evidence and interpretation
The coastline derives from Natural Earth. The layers distinguish origin, core, direct control, influence, networks, disputed territories and external domains; they are approximate curatorial envelopes, not modern borders. The faint outline preserves the previous phase to make each expansion, contraction or absorption visible. Scythians and Sakas were multiple groups; similar objects show connection, not a unique sovereignty from Ukraine to the Altai.
Catalogue facts
- Reading mode
- Nodes and contact routes
- Sequence
- 6 phases · Early Scythian Horizons (c. 900–700 BCE) → Pontic Confederations (c. 700–500 BCE) → Plural Scythians and Sakas (c. 550–330 BCE) → Regional Apogee (c. 500–300 BCE) → Sarmatian Advance in the West (c. 300 BCE–200 CE) → Eastern Transformations (c. 200 BCE–300 CE)
- Nodes
- Aržan (9th–8th centuries BCE) · Pazyryk (5th–3rd centuries BCE) · Chertomlyk (4th century BCE)
- Range
- One of several early foci.
- Caution
- Scythians and Sakas were multiple groups; similar objects show connection, not a unique sovereignty from Ukraine to the Altai.
A closer look
About 1 min to read · 1 section. Further reading and sources · free access. Editorial review recorded: .
The map also includes farmers
An isotopic study published in 2021 examined human remains from several sites in present-day Ukraine linked to the Scythian period. Its results indicate generally limited mobility around population centres and an agro-pastoral economy where millet was important. Some individuals did show interregional movements, but not all shared this behaviour. Teeth and bones therefore allow adding to the map a different scale from that of the major routes: local communities, diet and personal trajectories. This sample from the western steppe does not automatically describe Tuva or the Altai; it documents another part of their diversity.
Location and territory
REGIONAL AREA
Steppe Corridors: Mobility and Confederations, Not a Permanent FrontierSteppe corridors; mobility and confederations, not a permanent border. The marker indicates the indicative centre of the area, not a border or an exact point.TERRITORIAL ATLAS · REAL GEOGRAPHY · CHANGING EXTENT
Atlas of Scythians and Sakas
Steppe corridors, tumuli and mobile confederations
Kurgans, horses, and animal art appear in several steppe foci; a single origin and a linear migration remain debated.
WHAT CHANGES · OriginSeveral equestrian and funerary foci emerge between Tuva, Altai and the Pontic steppe, without a single territorial origin.
- 01 · Aržan9th–8th centuries BCEEarly large tumulus in Tuva.
Scythians and Sakas were multiple groups; similar objects show connection, not a unique sovereignty from Ukraine to the Altai.
Documentation for every period
The map is interactive. The full chronology is also available below without using any controls.
c. 900–700 BCE · Early Scythian horizons
Kurgans, horses, and animal art appear in several steppe foci; a single origin and a linear migration remain debated.
Origin · Several equestrian and funerary foci emerge between Tuva, Altai and the Pontic steppe, without a single territorial origin.
- Tuva and Altai · c. 900–700 BCE
One of several early foci.
Debated - Pontic steppe · c. 800–700 BCE
Another early focus; the exact relationships remain debated.
Debated
c. 700–500 BCE · Pontic confederations
Groups called Scythians dominate corridors north of the Black Sea and contact the Caucasus and the Near East; mobility does not produce a fixed border.
Expansion · The Pontic confederations expand seasonal corridors towards the Caucasus and western Asia, without fixed limits.
- Pontic corridor · c. 700–500 BCE
Approximate seasonal and political area.
Probable
c. 550–330 BCE · Plural Scythians and Sakas
Persian and Greek sources name different groups from the Pontus to Central Asia; sharing repertoires does not imply common sovereignty.
Fragmentation · The map opens onto Pontic, Central Asian and Altaic areas associated with distinct groups in external sources.
- Pontic Scythians · c. 550–330 BCE
Shifting western confederations.
Probable - Central Asian Saka groups · c. 550–330 BCE
Multiple groups in Achaemenid sources.
Probable - Altai and Tuva · c. 550–330 BCE
Connected regional horizons.
Probable
c. 500–300 BCE · Regional apogee
Steppe kingdoms and confederations sustain networks with Greek colonies and Persia; the total area is not a Euro-Asiatic empire.
Expansion · These areas strengthen regional connections and powers, forming a larger network but not a continuous empire.
- Scythian-Saka corridors · c. 500–300 BCE
Envelope of multiple networks and polities.
Probable
c. 300 BCE–200 CE · Sarmatian advance in the west
New Sarmatian confederations transform the Pontic steppe; this is not an instantaneous replacement of the entire population.
Contraction and absorption · In the west, Sarmatian confederations occupy part of the corridor and restrict Scythian powers to minor nuclei.
- Residual Scythian areas · c. 300 BCE–200 CE
Approximate contraction of western Scythian powers.
Probable - Sarmatian confederations · c. 300 BCE–200 CE
Mobile and changing area.
Probable
c. 200 BCE–300 CE · Eastern transformations
Yuezhi, Kushans, and other powers reorder Central Asia; Saka populations continue in diverse forms.
Fragmentation and absorption · In Central Asia, new coalitions such as the Yuezhi and Kushan redistribute space without erasing all Saka communities.
- Central Asia in transformation · c. 200 BCE–300 CE
Mosaic of successor powers, not a single Saka frontier.
Probable
Documented places
- Aržan · 9th–8th centuries BCE
Early large tumulus in Tuva.
- Pazyryk · 5th–3rd centuries BCE
Frozen tombs, textiles and tattooed bodies.
- Chertomlyk · 4th century BCE
Pontic steppe kurgan and objects from multiple workshops.
Routes and contacts
- Documented historical connection
- Documented historical connection
Scythians and Sakas were multiple groups; similar objects show connection, not a unique sovereignty from Ukraine to the Altai.
Sources and references
Did you enjoy this exhibit?
Your opinion helps us improve the museum. You can change it whenever you like.
Loading your rating…