Introduction
The Sarmatians were one of the most significant nomadic peoples of antiquity, a confederation that emerged on the Pontic-Caspian steppe in the 3rd century BC. For centuries, they dominated the vast grasslands stretching from the Don River to the Danube, displacing the Scythians and leaving a permanent mark on European history. Yet what makes the Sarmatians particularly important is not only their position on the steppe, but also their long and complex relationship with the Roman Empire.
Roman authors described the Sarmatians with a mix of fear and respect. To Roman eyes, they were quintessential barbarians: restless, unpredictable, and always ready for war. At the same time, they were admired for their skill in cavalry warfare. Unlike many other peoples pressing against Rome’s frontiers, the Sarmatians were not merely raiders. They could be Rome’s allies, mercenaries, and even settlers within imperial borders. Their heavy cavalry, clad in scale armor, influenced Roman military practice and foreshadowed the rise of armored knights in medieval Europe.
For the Romans, the Sarmatians were both danger and utility. They could devastate provinces in sudden raids, but they could also be recruited to fight against other enemies, from Dacians to Goths. This duality defined their presence in European history: they were outsiders, yet they became part of the Roman world.
Society, Culture, and Military Power
The Sarmatians shared much with their steppe predecessors, the Scythians, but also developed distinct characteristics. They lived as nomads, moving with herds across the grasslands, dwelling in tents or wagons that allowed rapid mobility. Unlike other people from that period, they left no great cities, but their burial mounds, kurgans, reveal a society that valued status, warfare, and the display of wealth.
Clan and tribal organization lay at the heart of their social structure. Prestige came above all from success in battle. Weapons and armor were buried with the dead, a testimony to the warrior ethos that defined Sarmatian life. Archaeological finds also suggest an unusual position for women: graves containing weapons and evidence of battle injuries point to female warriors. Greek and Roman authors, noting these discoveries, associated them with the myth of the Amazons. While exaggerated, this connection underlines the fact that Sarmatian women could hold roles unusual in many contemporary societies.
The defining element of Sarmatian culture was its military tradition, centered on the horse. The Sarmatians became famous for their cataphracts, heavily armored cavalry in which both rider and horse were protected by scale armor. This was a striking contrast to the lighter horse-archer tactics favored by many other nomadic nations. In battle, the charge of Sarmatian cataphracts was a devastating force, capable of breaking infantry lines. Roman writers, both fearful and impressed, described these warriors as an almost unstoppable wall of iron.
This military specialization did not remain confined to the steppe. Roman armies came into contact with Sarmatian tactics repeatedly, and by the 2nd century AD, Rome had begun to adopt elements of their cavalry style. The evolution of Roman heavy cavalry owed much to the influence of the Sarmatians, whose skill in mounted combat was unrivaled.
Relations with Rome
Of all the neighboring nations Rome encountered, the Sarmatians posed one of the most complex challenges. Unlike the Germanic tribes along the Rhine or the Dacians in the Carpathians, the Sarmatians operated across a vast frontier stretching from the lower Danube to the Black Sea, making them a constant presence in imperial affairs. Their relations with Rome alternated between hostility and cooperation, a pattern that shaped centuries of frontier history.
First Contacts and Early Conflicts
The Romans first came into regular contact with the Sarmatians in the 1st century AD. Among the most prominent tribes were the Roxolani and the Iazyges. These groups frequently raided Roman provinces such as Moesia and Pannonia, striking across the Danube frontier. Yet Rome also learned to use them as allies. Sarmatian horsemen were valuable mercenaries, particularly in campaigns against the Dacians, whose mountain strongholds challenged Rome’s traditional legions.
The Roxolani played for both sides. At times, they joined Roman campaigns; at others, they attacked Roman territories. This unpredictability made them dangerous, but also essential: Rome could not afford to ignore them. By contrast, the Iazyges settled along the Danube and became a persistent thorn in the side of Roman Pannonia.
The Sarmatian Wars under Marcus Aurelius
The most dramatic confrontation between Rome and the Sarmatians occurred in the reign of Marcus Aurelius (161–180 AD). The so-called Marcomannic Wars were not limited to Germanic tribes; they also involved prolonged struggles with the Sarmatians. The Iazyges in particular clashed repeatedly with Rome, exploiting the empire’s distractions during a time of plague and internal crisis.
Marcus Aurelius undertook several campaigns to contain the threat. His victories were hard-won, and the Sarmatians proved resilient opponents. Eventually, thousands of Sarmatians were captured and resettled within the empire. Some were distributed across frontier provinces, while others were sent far afield. One of the most remarkable episodes was the dispatch of several thousand Sarmatian cavalrymen to Britain, where they served as auxiliaries.
This resettlement left a lasting cultural imprint. Legends of mounted warriors in Britain, some scholars even suggest early inspirations for the Arthurian myth, may have distant roots in the presence of Sarmatian cavalry along Hadrian’s Wall. While such connections remain speculative, the fact illustrates how deeply Rome integrated these once-hostile nomads into its military system.
Shifting Alliances and Service in the Roman Army
After Marcus Aurelius, Rome continued to balance hostility and cooperation with the Sarmatians. At times, they raided Roman territory, taking advantage of imperial weakness. At other times, they served faithfully as foederati, bound by treaty to provide troops. Their cavalry was particularly valued in frontier defense, where speed and mobility were essential.
The Roman perspective on the Sarmatians was ambivalent. On one hand, they were a perpetual threat, capable of devastating raids deep into imperial provinces. On the other hand, they were indispensable soldiers, filling a gap in Rome’s own military system. This tension never disappeared. It reflected the broader reality of Rome’s frontiers: the empire could not live without its neighbors, but it could never fully control them either.
The Alans and the Decline of the Sarmatians
By the 3rd century AD, one Sarmatian group came to dominate the others: the Alans. Unlike the Roxolani or Iazyges, the Alans projected their power far beyond the Danube frontier. They became a familiar presence in Roman politics, sometimes as allies, sometimes as invaders. Alanic warriors served in Roman armies, but Alanic raiders also penetrated deep into the empire.
The great migrations of the 4th and 5th centuries brought even greater upheaval. Pressed by the advancing Goths and later the Huns, the Sarmatians lost their independent position. Many were absorbed into Gothic kingdoms, while others joined the armies of the Huns. The Alans, however, retained a distinct identity. Some groups moved westward, taking part in the invasion of Gaul, Spain, and even North Africa, where they established kingdoms alongside the Vandals.
By the early Middle Ages, the Sarmatians as a distinct people had largely disappeared. Yet echoes of their presence survived. In Gaul, the region of Alençon preserves the memory of the Alans. In the Caucasus, the Ossetians trace their lineage to the Alans, preserving a distant connection to the Sarmatians of antiquity.
Conclusion
The story of the Sarmatians is one of contrasts. They were nomadic outsiders, yet they became part of Rome’s military and frontier world. They were feared as raiders, but valued as cavalrymen. They fought against the empire, but also defended it. From the plains of Pannonia to the walls of Roman Britain, their presence shaped the history of the Roman frontier.
From Rome’s perspective, the Sarmatians were never simply enemies or allies. They were both—sometimes in the same generation. Their cavalry left a mark on Roman warfare, while their settlement within the empire blurred the line between barbarian and Roman. Though they eventually disappeared under the weight of new steppe powers, the Sarmatians remain a vital chapter in the story of how nomadic peoples shaped the destiny of Rome.
Hello, my name is Vladimir, and I am a part of the Roman-empire writing team.
I am a historian, and history is an integral part of my life.
To be honest, while I was in school, I didn’t like history so how did I end up studying it? Well, for that, I have to thank history-based strategy PC games. Thank you so much, Europa Universalis IV, and thank you, Medieval Total War.
Since games made me fall in love with history, I completed bachelor studies at Filozofski Fakultet Niš, a part of the University of Niš. My bachelor’s thesis was about Julis Caesar. Soon, I completed my master’s studies at the same university.
For years now, I have been working as a teacher in a local elementary school, but my passion for writing isn’t fulfilled, so I decided to pursue that ambition online. There were a few gigs, but most of them were not history-related.
Then I stumbled upon roman-empire.com, and now I am a part of something bigger. No, I am not a part of the ancient Roman Empire but of a creative writing team where I have the freedom to write about whatever I want. Yes, even about Star Wars. Stay tuned for that.
Anyway, I am better at writing about Rome than writing about me. But if you would like to contact me for any reason, you can do it at contact@roman-empire.net. Except for negative reviews, of course. 😀
Kind regards,
Vladimir