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| Scythians *Skula | |
|---|---|
 Map of Scythian territories (orange) | |
| Common languages | Scythian |
| Dominant mode of production | Barbarism |
| Government | Monarchy |
The Scythians were an ancient Iranian nation that lived on the Eurasian Steppe. Their territory stretched from the Black Sea in the west to Tuva in the east.[1]
History[edit | edit source]
The Scythians arrived in the Black Sea area in the seventh century BCE and drove out or assimilated the Cimmerians, who had a similar language and culture. The Cimmerians fled across the Caucasus Mountains and attacked the kingdom of Lydia. The Scythians allied with Assyria in its war against Media and raided as far as Egypt. After several defeats, they retreated from West Asia and returned to the Black Sea.[1]
The Persian emperor Dārayavahuš I crossed the Danube and pursued the Scythians for two months. Their nomadic lifestyle enabled them to retreat easily since they had no cities or farmland to defend. The Scythians did not fight any major battles with the Persians, but many small-scale attacks eventually forced the Persians to retreat.[1]
During the reign of Hathaiya in the fourth century BCE, the Scythians built their capital city at the modern location of Kamianka on the Dnipro. Hathaiya minted his own coins. In 339 BCE, Philippos II Argeados of Macedon defeated the Scythians and killed Hathaiya in battle. The Sarmatians, who spoke a similar language to the Scythians and originally lived to their east, occupied the left bank of the Dnipro in the second century BCE and the right bank by the end of the millennium. They drove out the Scythians and killed most of them, but some survived in fortified settlements.[1]
Economy[edit | edit source]
Class system[edit | edit source]
A single nomadic tribe of "royal Scythians" imposed tribute on the other Scythian tribes. A military aristocracy dominated Scythian society, and chieftains' power was considered divine. In addition to the aristocracy, there were also priests, farmers, and cattle breeders. The role of slave labor probably grew over time.[1]
Trade[edit | edit source]
The Scythians traded with Greek cities and provided them grain, slaves, and raw materials. The Greeks sold art and luxury goods to Scythian nobles. Greco-Scythian art depicted humans, animals, and figures from Greek mythology.[1]
Culture[edit | edit source]
Burials[edit | edit source]
The Scythians covered their tombs in dirt mounds called kurgans. Tombs included weapons, pieces of horse harnesses, and art depicting animals. Commoners were buried in relatively small kurgans. The most common item found in kurgans was bronze arrowheads, and women's graves usually contained jewelry. Thousands of people participated in the funeral rites of a dead king and helped build his kurgan. Rulers' kurgans could be more than 20 meters tall and 100 meters wide. Servants and horses were often buried with rulers.[1]
Religion[edit | edit source]
The supreme Scythian god was the fire goddess Tapatī. The next most important gods were the earth god Pāpaya and the sky goddess Api. The Scythians believed that all people were descended from the marriage of Pāpaya and Api. Other gods included the nature goddess Artimpasa, the sun god Gaithāsūra, and Targītavah, who was equated with the Greek Heracles.[1]
The Scythians made sacrifices to their war god, whose name is unknown, at huge wooden altars. They placed an iron sword at the top of the altar and sprinkled prisoners' blood onto it. They typically sacrificed horses and cooked their meat in a sacred bronze cauldron.[1]
Weapons[edit | edit source]
The Scythians used bows with bronze arrowheads and were able to shoot forwards and backwards while riding horses at full speed. Nobles also had spears and short swords, but these weapons were not usually found in commoners' tombs.[1]