One possibility is that the form survived among one or more of the nomadic Turkic tribes that superceded (or arose from) the Scythians. Since archeology on the steppes is slim at best, it might just a matter of no "missing links" having yet been found.
As the Turks moved south of the Black Sea and sort of entered into the consciousness of the West, the yatagan "appeared."
All theory, of course. What is the earliest date at which a yatagan form (other than these Scythian examples) is known?
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