Thread by @iran_antigua

Some lesser known Pazyryk Scythian finds

1) Some of the clothing: this style with a tail is fairly unique to Pazyryk culture & this era. But also something you will likely see in the next decade at a fashion show...

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Belts

Belt buckles and decorations, whether among Parthians or other Iranian groups, were similarly placed on the belts

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2) Pointed caps, headwear & hair

The Massagetae, likely the same as the Sakā tigraxaudā (Old Persian: 𐎿𐎣𐎠 𐏐 𐎫𐎡𐎥𐎼𐎧𐎢𐎭𐎠 Sakā tigraxaudā, "wearer of pointed caps") were an ancient Eastern Iranian Saka people who inhabited the steppes of Central Asia

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Not every Scythian tribe & group had these massive caps & hair decorations

But the Pazyryk group seems to have had long hair decorations, at least for women

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We can also see the long caps & headwear among some other Scythian groups,

4: Issyk kurgan, Kazakhstan

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We can for example compare the long headwear from Issyk kurgan, ~ 4th or 3rd century BCE

to photo 4: reconstruction from Arzhan, site of early #Scythian kurgan burials in the Tuva Republic, Russia: ~ 8th–7th C BCE

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To some other examples of headwear among Scythian groups

3-4: Bosporan

Some of these are shorter caps that many Iranian groups wore, and which included extra fabric that at least the Achaemenids used to cover their face & mouth

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Some other examples of Scythian headwear

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And surviving examples from Pazyryk

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And finally to Achaemenid depiction of Scythians with pointed caps

4: the different Saka groups

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Behistun, Darius Inscription & Relief

Possible depiction of Skunkha, king of the Sakā tigraxaudā ("Saka who wear pointed caps")

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The Sarmatians generally didn't wear pointed caps from surviving depictions.

The Achaemenids also did not generally wear pointed caps, though there are a couple of examples of longer caps & hats from Central Asia

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From Seleucid & Parthian eras, there are some depictions of more pointed caps (nowhere as long as Pazyryk & other Scythian examples), though their origin is likely different

4: Priest from Hatra

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Also see these Parthian-era examples, all from Syrian cities

We see women wearing a headwear called tantour, though with similarities to other groups in the region

2-4: Edessa

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Even among the Kushan, another group in Central Asia who had connections with & influences on various Iranian groups, we see depictions of pointed caps at times

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1: Kushan
2: Indo-Scythian or Kushan
3: Khwarezmian, another Iranian group
4: Khwarezmian

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The Sasanians also didn't generally wear pointed caps, though in some depictions we see longer caps (Kolah), with various shapes

1: @ Miho Museum

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More Sasanian examples of bigger headwear

1: al Sabah Collection
2: Hajiabad
3: Wyvern Collection, helmet or cap

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Finally, in some depictions we do see Sogdians or other groups depicted by Sogdian artists with pointed caps (1-2: not the best examples here)

3-4: Alanic Sarmatian Iranians: generally did not wear pointed caps (many other pieces of headwear survive from ~ 7-10 C CE)