Scythians

The Scythians were ancient peoples of the Eurasian steppe, known for riding, warfare and remarkable animal-inspired art. Related eastern cultures left tattooed bodies preserved in the frozen ground of the Altai Mountains.

Herodotus described terrifying trophies: enemies' skulls became drinking cups, scalps were sewn into cloaks and skin from a hand could cover a quiver. He also wrote of attendants and a concubine killed to accompany a king into his grave. These are his accounts, not rules for every steppe community.

Jewellery, weapons and horse equipment reveal another side. Deer, predators and fantastic creatures form compact, flowing designs. Similar animal imagery appears on the preserved tattooed skin of Pazyryk people.

The woman called the Siberian Ice Maiden was found on the Ukok Plateau in 1993. Her tattoos include an extraordinary antlered creature. She belonged to Pazyryk culture, but her grave was separate from the Pazyryk valley burials, and the discovery does not establish that she was a warrior.