First millennium bc
After the end of the arid period at the beginning of the first millennium BC nomadic populations migrated into Kazakhstan from the west and the east, repopulating abandoned areas. They included several Indo-Iranians, often known collectively as the Saka. Between 500 BC and 500 AD Kazakhstan was home to the Saka and the Huns, early nomadic warrior cultures.
While enumerating various Saka tribes, Herodotus mentions the tribe of Orthocorybantes, who seem to correspond to the Sakas in pointed hats or the Massagetae. In the fifth century BCE, the ‘Sakas in pointed hats’ and the Massagetae inhabited the lower reaches of the Syr Darya, the southern regions of Kazakhstan, and Jetysu, the southeast of present-day Kazakhstan. Herodotus also writes about the Amyrgians, believed to be Sakas, who were fond of the fly agaric brew.
The fly agaric may have been the earliest source of entheogens, that is hallucinogenic substances used for religious or shamanic purposes, the use of which date back possibly over 10,000 years. Fly agaric has been put forward as the most likely candidate for the mysterious Soma, mentioned in around 150 hymns of the Hindu Rig-Veda, which was written between 1500 – 500 BC by Aryans in the Indus valley. Soma was a moon god, as well as a related plant and a holy brew which were also worshipped. Though there have been many suggestions as to the identity of the plant, fly agaric fits many of the Vedic references as a substance with which to contact the gods.
Later period
The historical connections between Kazakhstan and India span thousands of years, with the migration of Huns and Śakas from Central Asia to India playing a significant role in shaping the history of these two nations. The Huns, first mentioned by Roman historian Tacitus in the late first century A.D., originated near the Caspian Sea, in present-day Kazakhstan. They migrated to India, where they had a profound influence on the local population. Notable among the Huns was Toramana, who, around 500 A.D., launched attacks on India, eventually settling in Malwa in Central India and establishing himself as a powerful ruler.
timesca. from-steppe-to-subcontinent-the-indianisation-of-the-huns-and-sakas-from-kazoos