Description
The Saka, as they were called by the Persians, were a steppe people who lived and died by their horsemanship. As in all warrior societies, the heaviest armour was reserved for use by the nobility of the tribes, and Saka nobility could be deadly indeed. As a people, they showed little inclination to bow to any outsider. In 512BC, King Darius the Great attempted to subdue the Saka, and marched into their steppe lands. It did him little good. The tribes avoided open battle, and raided whenever and wherever they pleased. Alexander the Great, almost two centuries later, eventually lured the Saka into battle at Jaxartes in 329BC. Even though Alexander won, he recognised that he could not tame them and released all his Saka prisoners in exchange for an oath to end their depredations. The Saka kept their word.
