They were one of several Iron Age nomadic cultures that inhabited the vast territory of the Eurasian steppe, and understanding their relationships to neighboring cultures helps place the Ice Maiden in a broader context.

To the west, on the Pontic-Caspian steppe — the territory now occupied by parts of Ukraine and Russia — lived the Scythians proper, the group that Herodotus described in his Histories.

The Scythians were the most historically visible of the Iron Age steppe nomads, partly because they interacted directly with Greek colonies on the Black Sea coast and were therefore described in Greek sources with a detail that the more remote Pazyryk never received.

Archaeological evidence from Scythian burials shares many features with Pazyryk burials: horse sacrifice, elaborate grave goods, the animal style in art and decoration.