Ecosystems

Steppe

Man and steppe

The Scythians

Eurasian steppes and north-American prairies were inhabited by fascinating and legendary people and were the scene of important historical events. In the 8th century b.C., a group of Indo-Iranian nomadic tribes got into eastern Europe and settled between the mountain range of the Carpathians and the river Dnepr. Herodotus, the historian, described them as skilful horsemen, fierce warriors and rich shepherds. The Greeks called them Scythians, and Scythia was the region between the Danube and the Don that these tribes militarily controlled. They traded with Greece, to which they sold salted fish, honey and furs.