The Scythian Empire. Central Eurasia and the Birth of the Classical Era from Persia to China

In the late 8th and early 7th centuries BC, Scythian warriors conquered and united much of the Eurasian continent, creating an innovative empire that laid the foundation for the classical era throughout the ancient world – in the West, the Middle East, India, and China. As nomadic herders, the Scythians made an astonishing contribution to world civilization – they built new-type capitals, introduced a new style of clothing, changed the type of political organization, and implemented the ideas of Buddha, Zoroaster, and Laozi.
In the book ‘The Scythian Empire’, Christopher Beckwith offers a new history of this powerful but forgotten empire that changed the course of history.
At the height of its power, the Scythian Empire stretched from Mongolia and the northeast of ancient China to Northwestern Iran and the Danube River, reaching as far south in Central Asia as the Arabian Sea. The Scythians also ruled Media and Zhao – important border states of ancient Iran and China. By governing local peoples and establishing marriages with them, the Scythians created new cultures that were linguistically, in clothing, weaponry, and socio-political structure, creole Scythian cultures. By spreading their language, ideas, and culture throughout the ancient world, the Scythians laid the foundations for the first empires of Persia, India, and China.
Christopher I. Beckwith is an emeritus professor at Indiana University, with research focused on Central Eurasia. Among his numerous books are ‘Empires of the Silk Road’, ‘The Tibetan Empire in Central Asia’, ‘The Greek Buddha’, and ‘Warriors of the Monasteries’.