It has been speculated that the Scythians adopted the practice of wearing metal plates from peoples who they raided in the Near East and then later expanded upon to form a unique Scythian style. In his writings on the Scythian people, Herodotus noted that the Scythians were fond of decorating themselves with metal plates. Scythian copperwork was particularly renowned for its quality. These pieces of metalwork were made from gold, copper, and were worn on belts, on headwear, and on shoes. A people who placed great importance in metallurgy, Scythian metalsmiths became known for their forging of metal plates, buckles, and jewelry. One notable aspect of Scythian clothing was the usage of metal plates as a form of adornment. Some aspects of Scythian clothing were heavily influenced by the culture of the peoples they bordered, traded with, or raided. Most depictions of Scythian clothing depict male clothing examples of Scythian female clothing include veiled headdresses, long dresses, and cloaks. Art produced by peoples bordering the Black Sea, who often traded and warred with the Scythians, depicts some Scythian clothing as being designed with loose flaps able to move during horseback riding. Embroidery is speculated to have been used to decorate robes and kaftans, as was fur trim. Though the remains of looms have been found, it is debated how much of the cloth used by Scythians was produced domestically or imported. Remnants of cloth found in Scythian burial sites shows that Scythian tailors worked with wool, hemp, ramie, and various other fibers. Depictions of later Scythian clothing show people wearing fur-lined jackets, simpler articles of clothing (consisting of a single cloth piece draped and pinned over the body), long robes, and a type of tunic with sewed sleeves. This adoption of a more sedentary lifestyle allowed for advanced trade skills to form within Scythian society, such as tailoring. The "Armor of the Golden Man", a reconstructed suit of Scythian armor dating to the 3rd-4th Century BCEĪs the Scythians grew in power and became better established in the 5th Century BC, they began to increasingly establish permanent communities in their territory. Some art depicts Scythians as wearing narrow-laced boots around their ankles and feet. Stone sculptures attributed to the Scythians depict Scythians wearing armor of various quality, bracelets, tunics and kaftans. The Scythians themselves created art depicting their culture's clothing Scythian self depiction focused heavily on clothing used by Scythian warriors, such as armor. Other Greek art depicts Scythians wearing the generic clothing Greek artists used symbolizes most peoples of the Near East. An account by the Greek historian Herodotus noted that Scythian warriors who fought for the Persian Empire in the 5th Century BC noted that they wore tall pointed hats (Persian art depicting Scythians also included pointed hats), while Greek pottery depicts Scythian warriors wearing trousers and long-sleeved jackets fastened with strips of cloth or leather. Ī primarily nomadic people who based their lifestyle around trade, herding, and horsemanship, clothing attributed to the early Scythian era is speculated to have primarily been both utilitarian and decorative. Most of what is known about the clothing of the Scythians is gleaned from objects recovered from Scythian burial sites and as such this information almost always relates to the attire of wealthier Scythians. Over time, the Scythians developed a generalized style of clothing, while specific branches of the people developed more specialized costumes as they interacted with neighboring peoples. ( Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg).Įmerging as a people in the early centuries of the first millennium BC, the Scythian civilization consisted of a varied group of nomadic peoples in the Pontic Steppes, the Northern Caucasus, and the plains of Central Asia. The shield of the central figure may be made of plain leather over a wooden or wicker base. The gorytos appears clearly on the left hip of the bare-headed spearman. Scythians apparently wore their hair long and loose, and all adult men apparently bearded. The warrior on the right strings his bow, bracing it behind his knee note the typical pointed hood, long jacket with fur or fleece trimming at the edges, decorated trousers, and short boots tied at the ankle. Scythian warriors, drawn after figures on an electrum cup from the Kul-Oba kurgan burial near Kerch, Crimea.
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