The Sarmatian Empire during the1. century A.D.
The third century A.D. witnessed the beginning of the great migrations of the Eurasian Steppes that lasted for almost a thousand years. People from the Far East moved to the west, pushing those living there and were in their way further to the west. The Sarmatians, or as they were known by the Greeks, the Sauromatae, left their homeland between the Aral Sea and the Volga river arund the third century, as other nomadic tribes, such as the Huns pushed them from the east. They came onto the land of the Scythians, who, weakened and less organized, succumbed to their fierce attacks and gave up their land. The occupation of the Pontic region marks the beginning of a relatively short, but nevertheless very significant era on the steppes, the ruling of the Sarmatians.
The Sarmatian Empire during the1. century A.D.
Sarmatians gave rise to various tribes, among them were the Alans, Roxolans, Aorsi, and Iazyges, who all shared the same or very similar cultural traditions. These traditions grew out from the same roots as those of the Scythians, namely from the Persian-Sassanid style and most importantly their own local traditions that were shaped by their lifestyle. Thus, it is not surprising that many features, such as the animal style in their decorative art, and their close relationship with their natural environment are shared with those of the Scythians.
The Sarmatian Empire lasted not long, as the Ostrogoths, themselves being forced to move by the advancing Huns, further from the East invaded their land around the third century A.D. Part of the Sarmatian tribes, such as the Yazigs and Roxolans moved to the lower Danube and then to the Tisza Valley, whereas the Alans migrated to the southeast to the foothills of the Caucasus, where they became settled. Soon after they reached the Hungarian Plains, the Iazyges and their relatives were swamped by several smaller Germanic tribes, and dissolved by the newly coming Huns at the end of the fourth century A.D.
Sarmatian art
| Basilov, V. (ed.) 1989. | Nomads of Eurasia. Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and University of Washington Press, Seattle |
| László, Gy. 1974. | The Art of the Migration Period. University of Florida Press, Coral Gables |