Historians offer more than one theory and no definite conclusion as to where the Scythians originated. One idea is that they came from the north into the steppe area. Another cites evidence that they migrated from the borders of China.
Since the Scythians apparently left no written records and the writings by their neighbors about them were sketchy, it is necessary to rely on archaeological evidence to attempt to trace their source. Since the early 18th century many artifacts worthy of study have been retrieved from a number of widely scattered burial sites . They have been analyzed and much has been written about them but the field remains complicated and controversial. This is due, in part, to the fact that the Scythian areas of occupation in Southern Russia, Central Asia and Siberia were for hundreds of years a boiling pot of a multitude of tribes and subtribes - peoples that were ever on the move. At times war or drought would push groups westward toward Europe, then they would migrate back, later westward again into Europe. Confederacies were formed and broken, tribal names borrowed , changed or mutated into a different form. This fluidity in the nomadic culture made both the written and archaeological record difficult to analyze with certainty.
Evidence of one source of Scythian origin does consistently appear and reappear both in the study of linguistics and in the archaeological and written record. That source is in the present day area of Luristan, in Iran. Anciently this area was occupied by the nomadic horse riding people the Medes (who were later part of the Persian empire), and the Cimmerians, a people who appear to either have been identical with or closely related to the Scythians. Artifacts from Luristan appear to be strongly Scythian in character. Researchers have concluded that a treasure found at nearby Ziwiyeh was from the tomb of a Scythian prince. (Ziweyeh was located in an area once called the kingdom of Mannae - an area eventually overtaken by the Scythians.)(1)
Luristan also shows strong links with an area between the Black Sea and Caspian Sea known in ancient times as the kingdom of Urartu. Urartian (also known as Hurrian) art in turn shows strong links with the art of Syria and Phoenicia. (2) Its colorful style (using enamel and stone accents in their metal work) is a departure from the art of Assyria and Babylonia but more in keeping with the inlay style of the Near East and even that of Egypt. (3) One researcher, K. Jettmar, lists the different treatments of animal forms in Scythian art that come from the Near East.
It may seem strange that an art from the Near East could have traveled so far inland and appeared (as in Luristan ) with no apparent signs of early development (5) in more than one place at about the same time. But a significant point to remember is that both Urartu and Luristan (Media) were at that time within the Assyrian administration. The timing of the appearance of Scythian art coincides with the invasions of the Assyrians into Syria, Phoenicia and the northern kingdom of Israel. Not only were luxury articles carried away as a result of these invasions, craftsmen were deported and put to work in the various Assyrian areas of control. Evidence of this is seen in the flowering of what is called Neo-Assyrian art, the last phase of Assyrian art which is said to have started in the reign of Tiglathpilesar. Another term given by art historians for this new Assyrian style is "Phoenician".(6) It is worth considering that Scythian art (which by its character could carry the name "Phoenician" even more easily) may be evidence not just of the influence of deported craftsmen but of actual population groups deported from the areas of invasion (as was the Assyrian habit when conquering a territory) These groups may have been more than one people of different ethnic origins from the Near East but who had similar or at times indistinguishable art styles.
(1) The Art of Ancient Iran by R. Ghirsham p. 98
(2) Urartian Art by Van Loon pp.96, 99, 133, 169 ,174
(3) The Animal Style in South Russian and China by M. Rostovtzeff pp.38-9
(4) Art of the Steppes by K. Jettmar pp. 35, 134
(5) Art of Ancient Iran by R. Ghirsham p.81
(6) The /Animal Style in S. Russia and China by M.Rostevtzeff p.25.
