Scythians The Scythians, or Sakae, were extremely good archers and fighters and were employed as mercenaries by both the Persians and Greeks. They are quite often seen portrayed on Greek vases. When the Greeks and Persians met at Marathon the Scythian mercenaries employed by Athens refused to fight their Asiatic brothers, and a group of them even switched sides during the battle. (Proabably not their wisest decision considering the outcome.) Datis the Persian commander must have respected their fighting abilities as he positioned them in the Persian centre, a position of honour in any army. There they distinguished themselves by breaking the Greek centre. Interestingly, Scythians were also employed by the Persians to teach their troops the art of archery.   Sources taken from Mark Drury's Achaemenid Persian