They were nomadic, famous for their skills at horse riding, who dominated the Pontic steppe (modern Ukraine and Southern Russia) throughout the ancient world. By the 2nd century AD the closely-related Sarmatians came to dominate the Scyths in this area. Much of our information about the Scyths comes from the famous Greek historian Herodotus (c. 440 BC) in his "Histories", and from archaeologically from the beautiful goldwork found in Scythian Kurgan burial mounds in Ukraine, Kazakhstan and southern Russia.