> [!quote] [[What was the ancient Persian relationship with other Iranian peoples]] > The Saka were the same (broadly speaking) as the Scythians in Greco-Roman sources. There was a perpetual desire to conquer the Saka on the Empire's borders up through the time of Xerxes I. Darius I's attempt to extend this policy to the tribes around the northern Black Sea famously failed in Herodotus' _Histories_, but east of the Caspian Sea, they had more success. It was a process started by Cyrus the Great, who died fighting on that frontier, and continued by his successors. The goal never seems to have been to conquer the whole steppe, but establish a buffer zone of loyal Saka groups between the northmost urban centers and the more hostile steppe nomads. This project was completed by the reign of Xerxes at the latest. > > Having a buffer was never perfect though. We know from both archaeological sources and the [ADAB Collection](https://brill.com/view/book/9789004443877/BP000002.xml) that there were often raids deep into Persian territory. We also know from trade goods excavated throughout Russia that Achaemenid goods worked their way into the trade networks of the steppe, probably through peaceful and violent means. - this is relevant for the [[Scythian|Scythians]], both because it's useful to know that it's fairly interchangeable as a term with Saka and because it explains what their eastern border was like. - Also this "build a buffer of loyal tribes" thing reminds me of Roman Germania.