Masagetas
Massages (Massagetae in Bulgarian Масагети, Massageti, Greek Μασσαγέται) were a nomadic people who inhabited between the Sea of Aral and the Caspian Sea during Antiquity. According to Herodotus, Cyrus II the Great of Persia found the death during a battle against the masajes in Balkhara, commanded by the queen Tomiris. The name masageta means great Scythians, Ma is equal to great and sagetas is equal to Scythians.
According to Herodotus, they had great esteem for women unlike the Iranian and Mediterranean countries, as shown by their queen. Thus was born the legend of Tomiris queen of the masagets in Balkhara (Bactria) who managed to overcome Cyrus. In the legend Cyrus manages to take like prisoner the son of the queen, Espargapises. Tomiris threatened that if he did not return his son safe and sound he would swear that he would kill Cyrus and sate him with blood. Cyrus scorned the threat, leaving Espargapises to commit suicide and on the day of the battle, after a great exchange of projectiles and a fierce melee, the masagets defeated the troops of Ciro. Tomiris found the dead body of the Achaemenid king and, fulfilling his promise, beheaded him and taking a blood-covered wineskin he dipped his head in it. In the customs that he names, Herodotus declares that they resembled the Scythians very much, dressing like them and living in a nomadic way, fighting on horseback, still emphasizing their great skills in the struggle on foot, in the handling of bow and spear when mounted and carried as a melee weapon "sagaris", double-edged axes famous for being the preferred weapon of the Amazons. Their horses protected them with bronze armor and used gold to adorn spurs, reins, and testeras. They also used bronze for arrowheads, spears and the sagaris; and gold for helmets and head protectors, belts and corsets.
Each male masageta married once, hanging a charger, which Herodotus identifies with a sexual relationship since they did not have a marital status, hanging in the car (since they were nomads). When a person died because of old age, they cooked their meat with many cattle, celebrating a great banquet (these customs were also given in the old Indians of Padua and in the isedones); but they did not eat the dead by sickness and it seemed to them that it was a great misfortune because they had not been able to reach the age of being immolated.
They adored the sun they were offered in sacrificial horses because the Sun is the fastest star and horses the fastest animals.
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