Little is known about the customs and daily liveliness of the ancient Scythians , yet their repute as horrendous warriors has endured for over 2,000 years . Confirming the nomadic culture ’s plaza among the most terrifyinghistorical badasses , researchers have now discover that Scythian warrior carried their arrow around in leather shakiness made from the skin of their defeated foe .
Occupying the Pontic - Caspian steppe between roughly 700 and 300 BCE , theScythianswere a mysterious itinerant citizenry who were renowned for their equestrian capabilities and military artistry . Though very few first - script historical account survive from this period , the piece of writing of the fabled ancient Greek historianHerodotusprovide some gruesome brainstorm into the Scythians ’ field of battle antics .
For instance , Herodotus reported that the nomadicwarriorsregularly drink the origin of their enemies and used their scalp as hand towels . “ Many too take off the skin , nails and all , from their dead enemies ’ right hands , and make coverings for their quivers , ” he wrote .
Until now , we had no option but to take Herodotus ’ word for it , although the authors of a new written report have finally bring home the bacon scientific establishment for these grey-headed claim . Using a serial of proficiency to analyse the proteins in 45 leather samples recovered from 14 unlike Scythian sites in southern Ukraine , the investigator were able to identify the specie from which each piece of peel was assume .
The vast legal age of sample were found to have been made from sheep , stooge , Bos taurus , or horse skin , believably because these animate being were all herd by the Scythians and therefore promptly abundant . All four of these specie also possess long-wearing skin that is particularly desirable for the production of leather items .
However , two of the quivers analyzed by the researchers were see to moderate pieces of leather derived from human skin .
“ The surprisal discovery is the presence of two human skin samples , which for the first time cater direct grounds of the ancient Greek historian Herodotus ’ claim that Scythians used the tegument of their dead enemies to manufacture leather trophy particular , such as quiver covers , ” indite the study authors . These scraps of human leather were incorporated into tingle that also comprise the skin of other animals , like a multi - species hodgepodge quilt .
“ The more unusual , human and carnivore , leather appears to have been used in the top part of the quivers , ” excuse the research worker .
“ This may indicate that each Sagittarius the Archer made their own quivering using the cloth available at the moment . ”
The study has been write in the journalPLOS ONE .
