Scythian languages

Scythian
Scythian
Scythic
Geographic; distribution	Central Asia, West Asia, Eastern Europe
Ethnicity	Scythians, Sarmatians, and Alans
Linguistic classification	Indo-European Indo-Iranian Iranian Northeastern Scythian; ; ; ;
Subdivisions	Cimmerian? †; Common Scythian; • Pontic Scythian; • Eastern; • Sakan †; • Wakhi; • Western; • Alanic; • Ossetic; • Jassic †; • Ossetian;
Language codes
Glottolog	sogd1247 (Sogdic-Ossetic); saka1303 (Saka-Wakhi)
Notes	Multitree codes scyt: Scythian; xsc: Pontic Scythian;

Skythian languages is the name of a group of languages that were spoken by the Skythian people. Skythia was the name the Ancient Romans gave to a region north of the Black Sea. Most people who spoke Sythian languages were nomads herding cattle and raising livestock. This way of life is known as nomadic pastoralism today. The Skythian languaes were spoken from about the 9th or 8th century BC, to about the first or second century AD. Very broadly speaking, the Sykthian language have been divided:

Scytho-Sarmatian, or the Alanic languages, more to the west. They were spoken in the area of modern-day Kazakhstan, southern Russia and Ukraine. The Ossetian language may have developed from these. It is the only modern laguage in this branch
Scytho-Khotanese, or the Saka languages more to the east. In the 1st century AD, they were spoken in the Kingdom of Khotan. This kingdom was near Xinjiang in western China. In included Khotanese and Tumshuqese. The modern Wakhi language may have developed from this. Today, Wakhi is spoken in the Wakhan District of Afghanistan, and the parts of Tajikistan, Pakistan and China next to it.
Pontic Skythian

There are only few sources, most of them are from names and place names. From the sources that remain, it is believed that the Skythian langues were a group of Indo-European languages, beloging to the Eastern Iranian languages.

Notes

↑ Cimmerian's position within the Northeastern Iranian group is poorly understood, as is the case with many languages within the Eastern Iranian areal category itself. Although commonly believed to belong to the Scytho-Sarmatian branch of the Scythian languages, Cimmerians predate the Arzhan culture which is associated with the expansions of Common Scythians and as such, their language was likely basal to the Scythian group
↑ Associated with the spread of cultures related to or descended from the Arzhan culture
↑ Also commonly referred to as Scytho-Khotanese. This branch corresponds to the eastern varities of the Scythian phylum, which are in closer affinity with one another than they are with the western Scytho-Sarmatian varities. They would have likely been spoken by various Saka tribes ranging from the Dahae, the Massagetae, to the Uyuk culture, however the continuity of this categorization is rather dubious as these tribes existed within a vast time range spanning from the 9th century BCE to approximately 1006 CE. Perhaps better understood as an areal group with members sharing more similarities with each other than with other Scythian varities, given a matching time period
↑ Also commonly referred to as Scytho-Sarmatian. This categorization includes all other western Scythian (Sarmatian) varities that were not spoken by the Alans, including the dialects of the Iazyges
↑ Also represents all the now-extinct Alanic varieties that did not develop into Ossetic, such as those spoken in continental Europe and North Africa

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[1] Cimmerian's position within the Northeastern Iranian group is poorly understood, as is the case with many languages within the Eastern Iranian areal category itself. Although commonly believed to belong to the Scytho-Sarmatian branch of the Scythian languages, Cimmerians predate the Arzhan culture which is associated with the expansions of Common Scythians and as such, their language was likely basal to the Scythian group

[2] Associated with the spread of cultures related to or descended from the Arzhan culture

[3] Also commonly referred to as Scytho-Khotanese. This branch corresponds to the eastern varities of the Scythian phylum, which are in closer affinity with one another than they are with the western Scytho-Sarmatian varities. They would have likely been spoken by various Saka tribes ranging from the Dahae, the Massagetae, to the Uyuk culture, however the continuity of this categorization is rather dubious as these tribes existed within a vast time range spanning from the 9th century BCE to approximately 1006 CE. Perhaps better understood as an areal group with members sharing more similarities with each other than with other Scythian varities, given a matching time period

[4] Also commonly referred to as Scytho-Sarmatian. This categorization includes all other western Scythian (Sarmatian) varities that were not spoken by the Alans, including the dialects of the Iazyges

[5] Also represents all the now-extinct Alanic varieties that did not develop into Ossetic, such as those spoken in continental Europe and North Africa

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