A Scythian burial mound. The British Museum
A Scythian burial mound. The British Museum

Why it pays to be a nomad



Think nomad and the mind normally turns to Mongolians, Berbers, Bedouins, Roma or sea gypsies. Usually the setting is a sorry one: vulnerable, dispossessed and depleting peoples whose way of life is on the way out thanks to modernisation and the loss of land. But a new exhibition at London's British Museum, Scythians: Warriors of ancient Siberia, not only brings to life a massive but relatively forgotten chapter in human history, but suggests a new way of thinking about people on the move that is both formidable and instructive.

For the Scythians, mobility was their strength. This tribe, which flourished for around 700 years from about 900 BC until about 200 BC, mastered horsemanship and archery, inventing both the saddle and the composite bow.

Travelling at formidable speed and able to unleash torrents of metal-tipped poisoned arrows, they dominated vast swathes of land and terrified all comers, fighting off attacks from the Persians and making mincemeat of sedentary adversaries.

Yet they were also far from isolated, and had international connections from living alongside, trading and communicating with the Ancient Greeks, Persia, India and China. They also raided the Middle East and helped destroy the Assyrian Empire, culminating in the Battle of Nineveh in 612 BC, close to what is now modern-day Mosul. Thucydides, an Athenian historian, said in around 400 BC that “There is no people who would be able on its own to withstand the Scythians, if they were united.”

Though split into several distinct sub-tribes covering land all the way from the Black Sea to western China, the Scythians were all nomads. The British museum exhibition offers an insight into their way of life, which included mummification of the dead and tomb rituals reminiscent of the ancient Egyptians, and large quantities of striking gold jewellery and ornamentation illustrate their success.

But what is even more interesting is the realisation that settled people viewed nomads with both fear and admiration. While modern-day refugees may not choose their lifestyle and are widely feared, the worldwide efforts to harness their abilities in business startup bootcamps signal a new, more positive way of looking at them. Throughout history, people have always moved; in fact, it can be argued that moving is what makes us human.

Through momentum and skill, the Scythians were masters of the technology of their age. Today’s digital nomads, who value experiences over fixed assets (though are as keen as any of us on that most mobile of currencies, cash), have done the same. They embrace the sharing economy, pack up their life in a small backpack, working off Wi-Fi networks in remote offices, living in Airbnbs and finding work and thus food wherever it is. Inevitably, they find they are rewarded with yet more mobility – the freedom to work from anywhere. Howls of jealousy ring out from the enslaved sedentary masses, who sit at their desks and didn’t realise this was possible. Yet again, the nomads are ahead.

Scythians: warriors of ancient Siberia runs at the British Museum until January 14 2018.

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.

How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.

The Old Slave and the Mastiff

Patrick Chamoiseau

Translated from the French and Creole by Linda Coverdale

The specs

Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo

Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed

Power: 271 and 409 horsepower

Torque: 385 and 650Nm

Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000

Other workplace saving schemes
  • The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
  • Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
  • National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
  • In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
  • Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
Cryopreservation: A timeline
  1. Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
  2. Ovarian tissue surgically removed
  3. Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
  4. Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
  5. Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
Vidaamuyarchi

Director: Magizh Thirumeni

Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra

Rating: 4/5

 

Coffee: black death or elixir of life?

It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?

Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.

The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.

The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.

Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver. 

The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.

But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.

Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.

It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.

So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.

Rory Reynolds

Brief scores:

Juventus 3

Dybala 6', Bonucci 17', Ronaldo 63'

Frosinone 0

Arrogate's winning run

1. Maiden Special Weight, Santa Anita Park, June 5, 2016

2. Allowance Optional Claiming, Santa Anita Park, June 24, 2016

3. Allowance Optional Claiming, Del Mar, August 4, 2016

4. Travers Stakes, Saratoga, August 27, 2016

5. Breeders' Cup Classic, Santa Anita Park, November 5, 2016

6. Pegasus World Cup, Gulfstream Park, January 28, 2017

7. Dubai World Cup, Meydan Racecourse, March 25, 2017