The Chronological Setting of the so-called Cimmerian and Early Scythian Material from Anatolia

In the eighth and seventh century BC the first items of the so-called Cimmerian and early Scythian material assemblage appeared in the modern territory of Turkey. The two- and three-winged bronze arrowheads, in particular, has enabled researchers to reconstruct a historical picture of the invasion of early horse riding nomads from the Eurasian steppes into Europe and the Near East. Other weapons and horse harnesses of these early nomads ('Cimmerians' and 'Scythian) have been found in Turkey. The best parallels come from Siberia and are dated to the late ninth century BC. Accordingly, placing the material from Anatolia in the early eighth or maybe late ninth century BC, before the appearance of the first written sources about the Cimmerians and Scythians, is not unreasonable.