Author Talk | The Scythians | Barry Cunliffe [39:29]

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Brilliant horsemen and great fighters, the Scythians were nomadic horsemen who ranged wide across the grasslands of the Asian steppe from the Altai mountains in the east to the Great Hungarian Plain in the first millennium BC. Their steppe homeland bordered on a number of sedentary states to the south -- the Chinese, the Persians and the Greeks -- and there were, inevitably, numerous interactions between the nomads and their neighbours. The Scythians fought the Persians on a number of occasions, in one battle killing their king and on another occasion driving the invading army of Darius the Great from the steppe.

Relations with the Greeks around the shores of the Black Sea were rather different -- both communities benefiting from trading with each other. This led to the development of a brilliant art style, often depicting scenes from Scythian mythology and everyday life. It is from the writings of Greeks like the historian Herodotus that we learn of Scythian life: their beliefs, their burial practices, their love of fighting, and their ambivalent attitudes to gender. It is a world that is also brilliantly illuminated by the rich material culture recovered from Scythian burials, from the graves of kings on the Pontic steppe, with their elaborate gold work and vividly coloured fabrics, to the frozen tombs of the Altai mountains, where all the organic material -- wooden carvings, carpets, saddles and even tattooed human bodies -- is amazingly well preserved.
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British Museum Scientist Aude Mongiatti shares some of her research on the Oxus treasure, a selection of beautiful gold and silver objects from the 5th and 4th centuries BC.

Some of the objects from the Oxus treasure are on display in the current exhibition on the Scythians. The analysis of manufacturing techniques has informed the interpretation in the exhibition.

The Department of Scientific Research wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the British Museum Friends and donors for the purchase of the scanning electron microscope shown in this video.

British Museum scientist Dr. Aude Mongiatti utilizes a variable pressure scanning electron microscope to examine the manufacturing techniques and alloy compositions of ancient gold items from the Oxus treasure. This non-destructive analysis reveals intricate tool marks and varied chemical compositions used by ancient craftspeople.
Scythians: scientific analysis of the Oxus treasure | 7:19
The British Museum | 789K subscribers | 140,522 views | November 16, 2017
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Sir Barry Cunliffe has been Professor of European Archaeology at the University of Oxford for 35 years and is Fellow of the British Academy. In this talk, he discusses his new book "The Scythians: Nomad Warriors of the Steppe", a masterful reconstruction of the lost world of The Scythians, who were brilliant horsemen and great fighters ranging wide across the Asian steppe during the first millennium BC.
The Scythians: Nomad Warriors of the Steppe
Barry Cunliffe | Talks at Google | 52:51
Talks at Google | 2.4M subscribers | 203,964 views | December 3, 2019
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