Defining the number of Sarmatian inhabitants in the Lower Volga region

Ancient authors usually exaggerated the number of Sarmatian inhabitants. The methods used to solve the problem in the late 20th century led to contradictory conclusions. More objective data of Sarmatian population may be calculated basing on new research results of the Kalmyk ethnography. The Kalmyks were also nomadic people, and occupied the same ecological niche as Sarmatians did in the early Iron Age.