Life on the steppes was never an easy, but the Scythians had developed a very organised and effective set of tools for survival and conquest. In their heyday they were the epitome of everything that made steppe nomads into effective fighting men and superb cavalrymen. No one was their equal in the saddle. Civilised Greek writers such as Herodotus criticised them for being “barbarous and cruel", but civilised men were perfectly willing to hire them as mercenaries for their barbarous skills. The Scythians survived and thrived because they had mobility which they used with razor-sharp strategic precision to cut enemy lines of communications, harass and raid, forage for supplies in enemy lands, and retreat deep into the steppes when pursued.
