Until recently, our view of the later prehistory of the Eurasian steppe was that of nomadic pastoralist warriors riding out of the grasslands to destroy peaceful agriculturalist communities left lying in their wake. Recent research, however, has revealed a much more complex picture. The authors' first-hand experience of the data has permitted them to reassess our knowledge of later prehistory in a region in which, unitl recently, it was almost impossible for Western scientists to work.