Sagartians and Sogdians

The Sagartians, who probably lived in the area of modern Yazd, wear a horseman’s dress and cloaks. They were famous horsemen, fighting with lassoes. Their presents are garments and a bridled stallion. They are dressed like Medes and Armenians. Their turban is used to protect their faces, which reminds one of the fact that Yazd is an oasis in the desert.
The relief that showed the Sogdians, who lived in Central Uzbekistan, is badly damaged. Yet it is clear that they brought the great king a sword (akinakes), a pair of oblong rings, a pair of battle axes, and a bridled stallion. The relief shows that they wore some kind of tight-fitting cap.
![]() Persepolis, Apadana, East Stairs, Southern part, Sagartians |
![]() Persepolis, Apadana, East Stairs, Sagartian |
![]() Persepolis, Apadana, East Stairs, Southern part, Sogdians |
![]() Persepolis, Apadana, East Stairs, Southern part, Sogdians |
![]() Sagartians from Yazd, Apadana Staircase, Persepolis |
![]() Sagartians from Yazd, Apadana Staircase, Persepolis |
![]() Original Image – Sagartians from Yazd, Apadana Staircase, Persepolis |
![]() Sagartians from Yazd, Apadana Staircase, Persepolis – Levels adjusted |
The Sagartians (Latin: Sagartii; Ancient Greek: Σαγάρτιοι Sagártioi; Old Persian: Asagartiya “Sagartian”;[2] Elamite: Aš-ša-kar-ti-ia, Babylonian: KURSa-ga-ar-ta-a-a) were an ancient Iranian tribe, dwelling in the Iranian plateau. Their exact location is unknown; they were probably neighbors of the Parthians in northeastern Iran. According to Herodotus (1.125, 7.85) they were related to the Persians (Southwestern Iranian), but they may also have entered a political union with the Medians (Northwestern Iranian) at some point (J. van Wesendonk in ZII 9, 1933, pp. 23f.). Ptolemy (6.2.6) locates them in Media, while Stephanus of Byzantium claims that there was a peninsula in the Caspian Sea called Sagartía. They were nomadic pastoralists, their main weapon being the lasso (Herodotus 7.85).
It is unclear whether they are identical to the Zikirti mentioned by Sargon II as inhabitants of northern Zagros in the late 8th century BC. They may have been granted the district of Arbela by Median king Cyaxares as a reward for their aid in the capture of Niniveh.
According to Herodotus (3.93), the Sagartians belonged to the 14th taxation Province of the Achaemenid Empire. A Sagartian delegation appears among the tribute bearers on the Apadana relief. Herodotus also mentioned in the seventh book of his histories that the Sagartians provided 8,000 horsemen for King Xerxes’ massive army during the Persian king’s invasion of Greece in 480 BC.