Alanic Sarmatian influence in the 5th century

[Alanus]

As Michael noted, the practice of skull deformation was late. At least two deformed Alan sculls have been found in France, but the tall conical helmet was developed in the early iron age. Here is a reconstruction of a Sargat heavy-armored horseman from the 4th to 3rd century BC:
[attachment=12380]Sargat4th-3rdCent.BC.jpg[/attachment]

To refer back to lamellar armor, it first arrived in bone, then replaced by iron. Here are a couple of archaeological examples of bone armor finds from the Karasuk Culture, Minusinsk Basin, 1,800 to 1,100BC.
[attachment=12381]DSC_0056.JPG[/attachment]

The Tagars and Sargats replaced the bone plates with iron, but this shows how old, and influential, lamellar was. Almost every warrior on the Orlat buckle-plaques is wearing some form of lamellar. These tribes, along with others, became the Saka/Massagetae confederation, then socially restructured as the Alans. Their arch enemy, the Hsiung-nu became the Huns. They were lighter armored and very dependent on the improved bow which is actually traced back to the Sargats. The two cultures, Alans and Huns, remained as heavier-armored and lighter-armored up into the 5th century.