The discovery of a Scythian boot in the Altai Mountains, a region spanning parts of Russia, Mongolia, China, and Kazakhstan, is an important archaeological find that provides insight into the craftsmanship and daily life of the ancient Scythian nomads.
Currently displayed at the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, it dates back to approximately 2,300–2,500 years ago, placing it in the Scythian period (7th–3rd century BC).
The boot was remarkably well-preserved due to the permafrost in the Altai region, which helped protect organic materials from decomposition.
The red cloth-wrapped leather boot is trimmed in tin, pyrite crystals, gold foil and glass beads secured with sinew. Fanciful shapes—ducklings, decorate the seams. But the true gem is the remarkable condition of its sole.
Ancient Scythian Woman’s Boot.
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Some theorists propose the boot was made exclusively for burial, which would account for the nearly intact state of the sole. Others think it might have belonged to a high-ranking woman who wouldn’t have walked much. Or else, Scythians spent so much time on horseback, their shoe leather was spared.
According to historians, Scythians often socialized in front of a fire while sitting on their knees, so the detailing on the bottom of the shoes would be visible to others, and thus an important aspect of a person’s attire.
Who were the Scythians?
The Scythians were a group of nomads that lived from around 800 to 300 BC. They moved from place to place across regions that are today known as southern Siberia, Central Asia, and the northern Black Sea. Although they came from different backgrounds, they shared many cultural traditions.
There is little written about the Scythian warriors themselves, and much of what we know comes from outside sources. One such source is Herodotus, a Greek historian and geographer from the fifth century BC.
He described the Scythians as fierce and elusive, saying, “None who attacks them can escape, and none can catch them if they desire not to be found.”
Herodotus wrote about the Scythians and other nomadic groups in his account of the Persian Wars. He included details about their customs and way of life. Herodotus gathered some of this information firsthand during his travels to the Black Sea region, reaching places such as the city of Olbia and the Dneiper River, known to the Greeks as the Borysthenes.
However, much of what he learned likely came from the Black Sea Greeks, who traded with the Scythians. The Scythians provided goods such as fish, wheat, and even policemen to the Greeks. Some of the stories and information were likely passed along as hearsay, traveling alongside goods like silk that were traded from Eastern Asia.
Related: Ancient Greek Records Reflected in Scythian Gold Sculpture