Border Reivers and Alani-Sarmatians...

[Arthes]

Did you know Border Reiver families of Scotland are tracing their dna from the Sarmatians and Alani ...
Some Border families have the grouping...Y-DNA Hg G - the G could indicate Sarmatian-Alanic lineage.

This description is from the Border Reivers website
Their intimate knowledge of their own terrain and their acquired skill and inborn courage provided a useful force as guerrilla fighters. They were superb light horsemen useful in repelling light attacks, and when large-scale attacks took place, usually from England, the Borderers harried the invaders by lightning strikes and then withdrawing into the dangerous wastes they knew so well, having an intimate knowledge of the terrain and used to the harshness of the conditions.

Sounds about right for the tactics of Steppes warriors....!

No, I have no idea what my DNA grouping is...!

[Robert Vermaat]

Sounds about right for the tactics of Steppes warriors...!

Sound about right for the common tactics on both the Scottish AND Welsh borders... Nothing specifically steppe about it. That's how the Scythians hit the Persian army, that's how the Welsh hit the English army.

[Arthes]

Sounds about right for the tactics of Steppes warriors...!

Sound about right for the common tactics on both the Scottish AND Welsh borders... Nothing specifically steppe about it. That's how the Scythians hit the Persian army, that's how the Welsh hit the English army.

The Scythians are from the Steppes :lol: Scythians
Remains were found in the Altai region of Mongolia too Remember thisPazyryk Scythians lived in this area...
I remember reading about some of the Steppes warriors acting in a similar fashion....I have a few books lurking around here somewhere...
I have the West Welsh amongst my ancestors ...so they were probably hitting the earlier English army in much the same way.....hehehe :oops: :lol:

[Robert Vermaat]

Sounds about right for the tactics of Steppes warriors...!

Sound about right for the common tactics on both the Scottish AND Welsh borders... Nothing specifically steppe about it. That's how the Scythians hit the Persian army, that's how the Welsh hit the English army.

The Scythians are from the Steppes :lol: Scythians

You misunderstood me.
Of course I know Scythians are from the steppes. I merely compared the tactics of Scythian, Welsh and Scotttish Border Reivers to point out that while the tactics are similar, the steppes have nothing to do with it. It's mainly to do with hit-and-run tactics, withdrawing into terrain afterwards, where the enemy can't follow.

[Arthes]

You misunderstood me.
Of course I know Scythians are from the steppes.

:lol:

I merely compared the tactics of Scythian, Welsh and Scotttish Border Reivers to point out that while the tactics are similar, the steppes have nothing to do with it. It's mainly to do with hit-and-run tactics, withdrawing into terrain afterwards, where the enemy can't follow.

True...the Catuvellauni and Silures who fought under Caratacus in the hills of the West used a similar method of guerilla warfare against the Romans ...
Hereward too used a hit and run method, having the marchy terrain around Ely as a retreat where the Normans could not follow.
The comparisons are interesting as the 'hit and run' battle is a more tribal method of fighting, as opposed to those used by the larger city states of Europe. (thinks about the Roman viewpoint of the British cavalry :wink: )
It is probably the reason the Sarmatians were chosen for Britain, their fighting tactics were similar to the locals, so they knew what to expect.
Seeing a heavily armoured Sarmatian troop riding towards them, was probably initially enough to frighten the Pritani raiders...although I suspect they also had some friendly interaction...!