Sarmatians

Lore & Background

The earliest known reference to the Sarmatians comes from the Avesta, where they are mentioned as Sairima-, which in later Iranian sources became Sarm and Salm. Their ethnogenesis occurred during the 6th to 4th centuries BC when nomads from Central Asia migrated into the territory of the Sauromatians in the southern Ural Mountains, conquering them and resulting in increased eastern Asiatic features similar to those of the Sakas. The name 'Sarmatians' eventually came to be applied to the whole new people, whose constituent tribes included the Aorsi, Roxolani, Alans, and Iazyges. Despite the similarity between the names Sarmatian and Sauromatian, modern authors distinguish between the two, as Sarmatian culture did not directly develop from Sauromatian culture. During the 4th and 3rd centuries BC, the center of Sarmatian power remained north of the Caucasus. Taking advantage of the decline of Scythian power after defeats by Macedonian kings and others, the Sarmatians began crossing the Don river and invaded Scythia. The first westward migration occurred in the 2nd century BC, involving the Royal Sarmatians and the Iazyges. The Roxolani followed, occupying the Black Sea steppes. By the 1st century BC, the Sarmatians were allied with the Scythians against a general of Mithradates VI Eupator before allying with Mithradates against the Romans, demonstrating their complete involvement in Pontic and Danubian affairs. In the 1st century AD, the Sarmatians began encroaching upon the Roman Empire in alliance with Germanic tribes. In the 3rd century AD, the Germanic Goths broke Sarmatian dominance of the Pontic Steppe, and with the Hunnic invasions of the 4th century, many Sarmatians joined the Goths and other Germanic tribes such as the Vandals and settled in the Western Roman Empire. The Sarmatians in the Bosporan Kingdom assimilated into Greek civilization, while others were absorbed by the proto-Circassian Maeotian people, the Alans, and by the Goths. Other Sarmatians were assimilated by the Early Slavs. The Alans survived in the North Caucasus into the Early Middle Ages, ultimately giving rise to the modern Ossetic ethnic group.

Reader's Guide

The Sarmatians hold significance as a major Iranian nomadic confederation that dominated the Pontic steppe for nearly a millennium, from the 5th century BC to the 4th century AD. Their westward migration and conquest of the Scythians reshaped the political and ethnic landscape of Eastern Europe and the Caucasus. They interacted extensively with classical powers: they fought alongside and against the Pontic kingdom, allied with Germanic tribes against the Roman Empire, and later joined Gothic and Vandal migrations into the Western Roman Empire. Their legacy is complex: in the Bosporan Kingdom they assimilated into Greek civilization; others were absorbed by proto-Circassian Maeotians, Alans, Goths, and Early Slavs. The Alans, a Sarmatian tribe, survived in the North Caucasus and gave rise to the modern Ossetes. Notably, the early-modern Polish nobility claimed descent from the Sarmatians, a tradition that influenced Polish culture and identity. Genomic studies suggest the Sarmatians may have been genetically similar to the eastern Yamnaya Bronze Age group, linking them to earlier steppe populations. Their name, derived from an Old Iranic endonym meaning 'armed with throwing darts and arrows,' reflects their martial equestrian culture.

Did You Know?

• The earliest known reference to the Sarmatians comes from the Avesta, where they are mentioned as Sairima-.
• The name 'Sarmatians' is derived from an Old Iranic endonym meaning 'armed with throwing darts and arrows,' cognate with the Sanskrit term śárumant.
• The early-modern Polish nobility claimed descent from the Sarmatians.
• Genomic studies suggest the Sarmatians may have been genetically similar to the eastern Yamnaya Bronze Age group.