Following the Royal Scythians, the Sarmatians became the dominant force on the Western Steppe, while the Saka emerged from the Scythians who had not migrated west to rule east of the Caspian.
Netchev, S. (2021, June 30). Scythian Territorial Expanse, c. 700-300 BCE. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/image/14359/scythian-territorial-expanse-c-700-300-bce/
The Sarmatians had their own contribution to make to military history, introducing Europe to heavy cavalry led by lancers armed with the kontus, a long lance wielded with both hands, as seen in this depiction from the Don.
Sarmatian lancer from Tanais, now in the Hermitage.
They combined the lance with armored riders and horses for an irresistable heavy cavalry charge, although they lost some of the speed and maneuverability that lighter armed steppe warriors used to their advantage so well.
Sarmatians on Trajan's column, an attempt to represent scale armor. The column was erected following Trajan's victory in the Dacian wars, where the Sarmatians were one of the main forces opposing the Romans.
Anna Minkkenen, a competitive traditional horseback archer from Finland shows off her skills in practice and competition. Popular legend has it that the Sarmatians were the source of the Amazon myth. The truth is somewhat different, but Anna and other horseback archers show how capable steppe women could have been.
In the east, the Saka came up agains the Persian Empire.
The Behistun inscription memorializes the victories of Darius. At the right you can see Skunkha, vanquished king of the Sakha, held in bonds before the Emperor.
Saka Tigrakhauda, the pointy hat wearing Saka, became vassals of Persia. Here their emissaries are depicted bringing tribute on a wall in Persepolis.
Listen to Episode 1.11 - Sarmatians and Saka now.
This episode contains an ad for the excellent History of Persia Podcast, which I highly recommend to anyone interested in learning more about how the other Iranic peoples developed.