The Scythians

Fact-check note: “Scythians” covers multiple related peoples rather than one uniform nation, and the date range is necessarily approximate. Archaeology supports the presence of armed women in some burials, but percentages vary by cemetery and period; the art’s “20% to 30%” should not be generalized to all Scythians. Herodotus provides the earliest surviving written description of Scythian cannabis fumigation—not proof that they were the first people ever to use cannabis. Claims that women universally owned property or fought “as equals” are stronger than the evidence permits. British Museum introduction · British Museum on warrior women · Encyclopaedia Iranica