Based on the works of G.V. Vernadsky and other historians of the 19th-21st centuries. Southern Russia was first politically organized Cimmerians (1000 - 700 BC), then the Scythians (700 - 200 BC) In the 7th century BC. there is an invasion of the Scythians from Eastern Europe and forever knocks out the Cimmerians from the Crimea ... In Europe, the Cimmerians fought longer. In alliance with the Teutonic tribes, the "Cimbri", as the Romans called them, continued to successfully fight with Ancient Rome for several more centuries. But in 101 B.C. Roman consul Gaius Marius wins the final victory at Vercelli: “more than 65 thousand barbarians were killed, and the rest were sold into slavery” ... This is where the story of Cimmeria ended. Yes, we are Scythians! For many centuries, scientists have been breaking spears, trying to understand the origin of the Russian people. And if the studies of the past were based on archaeological and linguistic data, today even geneticists have taken up the matter. From the Danube Of all the theories of Russian ethnogenesis, the most famous is the Danube one. We owe its appearance to the chronicle "The Tale of Bygone Years", or rather the centuries-old love for this source of domestic academics. The chronicler Nestor determined the initial territory of the settlement of the Slavs by the territories along the lower reaches of the Danube and the Vistula. The theory of the Danube "ancestral home" of the Slavs was developed by such historians as Sergei Solovyov and Vasily Klyuchevsky. Vasily Osipovich Klyuchevsky believed that the Slavs moved from the Danube to the Carpathian region, where an extensive military alliance of tribes arose, led by the Duleb-Volhynian tribe. From the Carpathian region, according to Klyuchevsky, in the 7th-8th centuries, the Eastern Slavs settled in the East and Northeast to Ilmen Lake. The Danubian theory of Russian ethnogenesis is still adhered to by many historians and linguists. A great contribution to its development was made at the end of the 20th century by the Russian linguist Oleg Nikolaevich Trubachev. One of the most fierce opponents of the Norman theory of the formation of Russian statehood, Mikhail Lomonosov, leaned towards the Scythian-Sarmatian theory of Russian ethnogenesis, which he wrote about in his Ancient Russian History. According to Lomonosov, the ethnogenesis of the Russians occurred as a result of the mixing of the Slavs and the Chudi tribe (Lomonosov's term is Finno-Ugric), and he named the interfluve of the Vistula and the Oder as the place of origin of the ethnic history of the Russians. Supporters of the Sarmatian theory rely on ancient sources, as did Lomonosov. He compared Russian history with the history of the Roman Empire and ancient beliefs with the pagan beliefs of the Eastern Slavs, finding a large number of coincidences. The fierce struggle with the adherents of the Norman theory is quite understandable: the people-tribe Rus, according to Lomonosov, could not come from Scandinavia under the influence of the expansion of the Norman Vikings. First of all, Lomonosov opposed the thesis about the backwardness of the Slavs and their inability to independently form a state. Scythians - a mysterious ancient people

Riders rush on horseback as fast as the wind, leaving clouds of dust behind them. It is the nomadic tribes returning with the loot. From 700 to 300 BC. e. they dominated the steppes of Eurasia. Then they disappeared, leaving a mark on history. They are even mentioned in the Bible. These were the Scythians . Scythian tribes Thucydides (4th century BC) argued that no kingdoms could compare with the Scythians in terms of military strength and number of troops. In Asia, he wrote, there is no people who could stand face to face with the Scythians, if they were unanimous. The military experience of the Scythians was absorbed by the troops of Genghis Khan through the peoples who entered his empire. For centuries, their tribes, with huge herds of wild horses, roamed the boundless steppes that stretched from the Carpathians to what is now known as southeast Russia. By the 8th century BC. e. as a result of a military campaign undertaken by the Chinese emperor Xuan, they were forced out to the west. Having settled in new lands - in the foothills of the Caucasus and on the territory of the Northern Black Sea coast - the Scythians expelled the Cimmerians who lived there. In search of treasure, the Scythians captured and plundered the Assyrian capital of Nineveh. Later, having united with Assyria, they attacked Media, Babylonia and other ancient states. Even the northern part of Egypt was subjected to their raids. The very name of the city of Scythopol (north-east of Israel), formerly known as Beth-San, indicates that, most likely, this city was also once captured by the Scythians. Over time, the Scythians settled in the steppes in the territory now occupied by Romania, Moldova, Ukraine and southern Russia. Such a favorable location brought them a considerable income: they became intermediaries between the Greeks and the tribes of grain growers who lived in the territory that is now occupied by Ukraine and southern Russia. In exchange for grain, honey, fur and cattle, the Scythians received wine, fabrics, weapons and jewelry from the Greeks. So the Scythian tribesamassed a huge fortune. Scythians - life in the saddle The horse for the Scythian warriors was the same as the camel for the inhabitants of the desert. The Scythians were known as excellent riders. They were among the first to use saddles and stirrups. They ate horse meat and drank mare's milk. It is known that the Scythians sacrificed horses. When a Scythian warrior died, his horse was slaughtered and buried with all honors. Along with the horse, a harness and blanket were also placed in the grave. According to the historian Herodotus, the Scythians had cruel customs, for example, they made drinking bowls from the skulls of their victims. They mercilessly killed their enemies, using iron swords, battle axes, spears and triangular arrows that ripped through the tissues of the body. Scythian graves for eternity Wormwood, dusty and feather grass, Top hiding in the fog He stands over the steppe, omnipotent, Gray-haired, like my great-grandfather, a barrow. And my great-grandfather from the top of this Looked carefully into space And, having barely noticed the enemy hordes, Now he made a fire ... The Scythians were engaged in witchcraft and shamanism, and also worshiped fire and the mother goddess. The graves of the Scythians were considered dwellings for the dead. Slaves and domestic animals were also sacrificed to the deceased master. Jewelry and servants, according to the beliefs of the Scythians, were supposed to "go" after the owner to the "other world". Skeletons of five of his servants were found in the tomb of a Scythian king. Their feet were turned towards their master, as if at any moment these loyal subjects were ready to rise and serve him. When the king died, the Scythians did not skimp on sacrifices, and during mourning they bled themselves and cut their hair. Here is what Herodotus reports: "They cut off a piece of their ear, cut off the hair on their head in a circle, make an incision on their arm around, scratch their forehead and nose, and pierce their left hand with arrows." The Scythians left behind thousands of burial mounds (grave mounds). The things found during the excavations of the Scythian mounds introduce us to the life, way of life and culture of this ancient people. In 1715, the Russian Tsar Peter I began to collect Scythian treasures, and now these masterpieces of ancient art are presented in the museums of Russia and Ukraine. The products, made in the animal style characteristic of the Scythians, depict figures of such animals as a horse, an eagle, a falcon, a cat, a panther, an elk, a deer, a vulture and a griffin (a winged fantastic monster with a lion's body and an eagle's head). Bible and Scythians There is only one direct mention of the Scythians in the Bible. In Colossians 3:11 we read, "Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision, foreigner, Scythian, slave, free, but Christ is all and in all." When the Apostle Paul wrote this letter, the word "Scythians" ceased to have an ethnic character and was applied to uncivilized people. Some archaeologists believe that the name "Askenaz", mentioned in Jeremiah 51:27, is the equivalent of the Assyrian word "Ashkuz", which was used to name the Scythians. According to cuneiform tablets, in the 7th century BC. e. this people, together with the kingdom of Mana, united against Assyria. Before Jeremiah began to prophesy, the path of the Scythians to Egypt passed through the land of Judah, but the Scythians did not cause any harm to its inhabitants. Therefore, for many, Jeremiah's prophecy about the attack on Judah by the people from the north seemed incredible (Jeremiah 1:13-15). Some biblical scholars believe that Jeremiah 50:42 speaks of the Scythians: "They hold a bow and a spear in their hands; they are cruel and unmerciful; their voice is noisy like the sea; they ride on horses, lined up as one man to fight you, daughter of Babylon ". However, these words primarily refer to the Medes and Persians, who captured Babylon in 539 BC. e. The Scythians contributed to the fulfillment of Nahum's prophecy about the destruction of Nineveh (Nahum 1:1,14). The Chaldeans, Scythians and Medes sacked Nineveh in 632 BC. which led to the collapse of the Assyrian Empire. The mysterious disappearance of the Scythians The Scythian people disappeared from the face of the earth. But why? "Honestly, this question remains a mystery," says a leading Ukrainian archaeologist. Some researchers are convinced that the Scythians were ruined by their indefatigable love of luxury, and between the 1st and 2nd centuries BC. e. they were driven out by the Sarmatians - an association of nomadic tribes. Other researchers believe that the reason for the disappearance of the ancient Scythians was their tribal wars. Still others believe that the Scythians became the ancestors of the Ossetians. Be that as it may, this mysterious ancient people left an indelible mark on history - even the word "Scythian" itself has long become a household word, synonymous with the word "cruel"

For almost a millennium, the Scythians dominated the current territory of Russia. Neither the Persian Empire nor Alexander the Great could break them. But suddenly, overnight, this people mysteriously disappeared into history, leaving behind only majestic burial mounds...

Who are the Scythians

Scythians is a Greek word, with the help of which the Hellenes denoted nomadic peoples living in the Black Sea region between the courses of the Don and Danube rivers. The Scythians themselves called themselves Saki.

For most Greeks, Scythia was an outlandish land inhabited by "white flies" - snow, and cold always reigned, which, of course, did not correspond to reality.

It is this perception of the country of the Scythians that can be found in Virgil, Horace and Ovid. Later, in the Byzantine chronicles, Slavs, and Alans, Khazars or Pechenegs could already be called Scythians.

And the Roman historian Pliny the Elder wrote back in the 1st century AD that “the name“ Scythians ”is transferred to the Sarmatians and Germans,” and believed that the ancient name was assigned to many of the peoples most distant from the Western world.

“Oleg went to the Greeks, leaving Igor in Kyiv; he took with him many Varangians, and Slavs, and Chuds, and Krivichi, and Meryu, and Drevlyans, and Radimichi, and Polyans, and Severians, and Vyatichi, and Croats, and Dulebs, and Tivertsy, known as interpreters: these were all called Greeks "Great Scythia".

It is believed that the self-name "Scythians" means "archers", and the beginning of the emergence of the culture of the Scythians is considered to be the 7th century BC.

The ancient Greek historian Herodotus, in whom we find one of the most detailed descriptions of the life of the Scythians, describes them as a single people, breaking up into various tribes - Scythian farmers, Scythian plowmen, Scythian nomads, royal Scythians and others. However, Herodotus also believed that the Scythian kings were the descendants of the son of Hercules, the Scythian.

The Scythians for Herodotus are a wild and rebellious tribe. One of the stories tells that the Greek king went mad after he began to drink wine "in the Scythian way", that is, without diluting it, as was not customary among the Greeks: "From now on, as the Spartans say, every time when they want to drink stronger wine, they say: "Pour it in the Scythian way."

Another demonstrates how barbaric the customs of the Scythians were: “Everyone has, as usual, many wives; they use them together; they enter into a relationship with a woman by placing a stick in front of the dwelling. At the same time, Herodotus mentions that the Scythians also chuckle at the Hellenes: "The Scythians despise the Hellenes for their Bacchic frenzy."

Fight

Thanks to the regular contacts of the Scythians with the Greeks, who actively colonized the lands surrounding them, ancient literature is rich in references to the nomadic people. In the VI century BC. the Scythians drove out the Cimmerians, defeated Media and, thus, took possession of all of Asia.
After that, the Scythians retreated to the northern Black Sea region, where they began to meet with the Greeks, fighting for new territories.

At the end of the 6th century, the Persian king Darius went to war against the Scythians, but despite the crushing power of his army and huge numerical superiority, Darius failed to quickly break the nomads.

The Scythians chose a strategy to wear down the Persians, retreating endlessly and circling around Darius's forces. Thus, the Scythians, having remained undefeated, earned themselves the glory of impeccable warriors and strategists.

In the 4th century, the Scythian king Atey, who lived for 90 years, united all the Scythian tribes from the Don to the Danube. Scythia in this period reached its highest peak: Atey was equal in strength to Philip II of Macedon, minted his own coin and expanded his possessions. The Scythians had a special relationship with gold. The cult of this metal even became the basis for the legend that the Scythians managed to tame griffins guarding gold.

The growing power of the Scythians forced the Macedonians to undertake several large-scale invasions: Philip II killed Atheus in an epic battle, and his son, Alexander the Great, went to war against the Scythians eight years later. However, the great commander failed to defeat Scythia, and had to retreat, leaving the Scythians unsubdued.

During the 2nd century, the Sarmatians and other nomads gradually ousted the Scythians from their lands, leaving behind them only the steppe Crimea and the basin of the lower Dnieper and Bug, and as a result, Great Scythia became Lesser. After that, Crimea became the center of the Scythian state, well-fortified fortifications appeared in it - the fortresses of Naples, Palakiy and Khab, in which the Scythians took refuge, fighting with Chersonesus and the Sarmatians.

At the end of the 2nd century, Chersonese found a powerful ally - the Pontic king Mithridates V, who went to war against the Scythians. After numerous battles, the Scythian state was weakened and bled dry.

Disappearance of the Scythians

In the 1st and 2nd centuries AD, the Scythian society could hardly be called nomadic: they were farmers, rather strongly Hellenized and ethnically mixed. The Sarmatian nomads continued to push the Scythians, and in the 3rd century the Alans began to invade the Crimea.

They devastated the last stronghold of the Scythians - Scythian Naples, located on the outskirts of modern Simferopol, but could not stay on the occupied lands for a long time. The invasion of these lands by the Goths soon began, declaring war on the Alans, the Scythians, and the Roman Empire itself.

The blow to Scythia, therefore, was the invasion of the Goths around 245 AD. All the fortresses of the Scythians were destroyed, and the remnants of the Scythians fled to the south-west of the Crimean peninsula, hiding in hard-to-reach mountainous areas.

Despite the seemingly obvious complete defeat, Scythia continued to exist for a short time. The fortresses that remained in the southwest became a refuge for the fleeing Scythians, and several settlements were founded at the mouth of the Dnieper and on the Southern Bug. However, they soon fell under the onslaught of the Goths.

The Scythian war, which, after the events described, was waged by the Romans with the Goths, got its name due to the fact that the name "Scythians" began to be used to refer to the Goths who defeated the real Scythians.

Most likely, there was some truth in this false name, since thousands of defeated Scythians joined the Gothic troops, dissolving in the mass of other peoples who fought with Rome. Thus, Scythia became the first state to collapse as a result of the Great Migration of Nations.

The Huns completed the work, in 375 they attacked the territories of the Black Sea region and killed the last Scythians who lived in the Crimean mountains and in the Bug valley. Of course, many Scythians again joined the Huns, but there was no longer any question of any independent identity.

The Scythians as an ethnic group disappeared in the whirlpool of migrations, and remained only on the pages of historical treatises, with enviable persistence continuing to call "Scythians" all new peoples, usually wild, recalcitrant and unbroken.

As already mentioned, the political organizing power of the Scythians in southern Russia was replaced by the Sarmatians (200 BC - 200 AD),

then followed by the Goths (200 - 370 AD),

replaced by the Huns (370 - 454 AD).

In most cases, the vast majority of the local population, recognizing the political control of the newcomers, desperately clung to their old homes or settled again near their former habitats. In turn, each newly arrived group added a new ethnic touch to the many already existing ones. So, in addition to the initial mass of the local population of Southern Russia, which Nikolai Mar called the Japhetids, an ethnic superstructure of a varying nature gradually formed, but on the whole there was a certain sequence of racial tension. Returning to the Cimmerians, one can accept the opinion that they constituted only the ruling class of the country. The problem of their ethnic origin is thus narrower than the question of the ethnic basis of the population of Southern Russia as a whole.

The "Scythian world" took shape in the 1st millennium AD. It originated in the steppes of Eurasia. This is a cultural, historical and economic community, which has become one of the most outstanding phenomena of the ancient world.

Who are the Scythians?

The word "Scythians" is of ancient Greek origin. It is customary to use it to refer to all northern Iranian nomads. One can talk about who the Scythians are in the narrow and broad sense of the word. In a narrow sense, only the inhabitants of the plains of the Black Sea and the North Caucasus are called so, separating them from closely related tribes - the Asian Saks, Dakhs, Issedons and Massagets, European Cimmerians and Savromats-Sarmatians. A complete list of all Scythian tribes known to ancient authors consists of several dozen names. We will not list all these peoples. By the way, some researchers believe that the Scythians and Slavs have common roots. However, this opinion has not been proven, so it cannot be considered reliable.

Let's talk about where the Scythians lived. They occupied a vast territory from Altai to the Danube. Scythian tribes eventually annexed the local population. Each of them has its own characteristics of spiritual and material culture. However, all parts of the vast Scythian world were united by a common origin and language, customs and economic activities. Interestingly, the Persians considered all these tribes to be one people. The Scythians have a common Persian name - "Saki". It is used in a narrow sense to refer to the tribes inhabiting Central Asia. Unfortunately, we can only judge on the basis of indirect sources about what the Scythians were like. There is no photo of them, of course. Moreover, there is not much historical information about them.

The appearance of the Scythians

The image on a vase found in the Kul-Oba burial mound gave researchers the first real idea of ​​how the Scythians lived, how they dressed, what their weapons and appearance were like. These tribes wore long hair, mustaches and beards. They dressed in linen or leather clothes: long harem pants and a caftan with a belt. On their feet were leather boots, intercepted with ankle straps. The head of the Scythians was covered with felt pointed hats. As for weapons, they had a bow and arrows, a short sword, a square shield and spears.

In addition, images of these tribes are also found on other objects found in Kul-Oba. For example, a gold plaque shows two Scythians drinking from a rhyton. This is a rite of twinning, known to us from the testimonies of ancient authors.

Iron Age and Scythian culture

The formation of the Scythian culture took place in the era of the spread of iron. Weapons and tools made of this metal replaced bronze. After the method of making steel was discovered, the Iron Age finally won. Tools made of steel made a real revolution in military affairs, crafts and agriculture.

The Scythians, whose territory of distribution and influence were impressive, lived in the early Iron Age. These tribes owned the advanced technology that was in use at the time. They could extract iron from ore, then turn it into steel. The Scythians used different methods of welding, cementation, hardening, forging. It was through these northern Eurasia became acquainted with iron. They borrowed metallurgy skills from Scythian artisans.

Iron in the Nart legends has magical powers. Kurdalagon is a heavenly blacksmith who patronizes heroes and heroes. The ideal of a man and a warrior is embodied by Nart Batraz. He is born iron, and then undergoes hardening at the heavenly blacksmith. Narts, defeating enemies and capturing their cities, never touch the quarters of blacksmiths. So the Ossetian epic of antiquity in the form of artistic images conveys the atmosphere characteristic of the early Iron Age.

Why did nomads appear?

In the vast expanses, from the Northern Black Sea region in the west to Mongolia and Altai in the east, a very original kind of nomadic economy began to take shape more than 3 thousand years ago. It covered a significant part of Central Asia and South Siberia. This type of economy was replaced by a settled pastoral and agricultural life. A number of reasons led to such important changes. Among them is climate change, as a result of which the steppe has dried up. In addition, the tribes have mastered horseback riding. The composition of the herd has changed. Now horses and sheep began to predominate in them, which they could get for themselves in the winter.

The era of the early nomads, as it is called, coincided with an important milestone in history, when humanity took a big historical step - iron became the main material used to make both tools and weapons.

Noman life

The rational and ascetic life of the Nomans took place according to harsh laws, which required the tribes to possess horseback riding and excellent military skills. It was necessary to be ready at any moment to protect your property or seize someone else's. Livestock was the main measure of well-being for the Nomans. The ancestors of the Scythians received everything they needed from him: shelter, clothing and food.

Almost all the nomans of the steppes of Eurasia (with the exception of the eastern outskirts), according to many researchers, were Iranian-speaking in the early period of their development. For more than a millennium, Iranian-speaking nomads dominated the steppe: from the 8th-7th c. BC e. to the first centuries AD. e. The Scythian era was the heyday of these Iranian tribes.

Sources by which one can judge the Scythian tribes

At present, the political history of many of them, as well as their relatives (Tokhars, Massagets, Dayes, Saks, Issedons, Savromats, etc.), is only fragmentarily known. Ancient authors describe mainly the deeds of major leaders and the military campaigns of the Scythians. Other features of these tribes do not interest them. Herodotus wrote about who the Scythians were. Only this author, whom Cicero named, can be found a fairly detailed description of the traditions, religion and way of life of these tribes. For a long time, very little information was available about the culture of the northern Iranian nomads. Only from the 2nd half of the 19th century, after the excavation of mounds belonging to the Scythians (in the North Caucasus and Ukraine), and the analysis of Siberian finds, a whole scientific discipline called Scythology was formed. Its founders are considered to be prominent Russian archaeologists and scientists: V. V. Grigoriev, I. E. Zabelin, B. N. Grakov, M. I. Rostovtsev. Thanks to their research, we have received new information about who the Scythians are.

Evidence of genetic commonality

Despite the fact that the differences in the culture of the Scythian tribes were quite large, scientists identified 3 elements that speak of their genetic commonality. The first of these is horse attire. The second element of the triad is certain types of weapons that these tribes used (akinaki daggers and small bows). The third is that the animal style of the Scythians dominated the art of all these nomads.

Sarmatians (Sarmovats), who devastated Scythia

These peoples in the 3rd century AD. e. displaces the next wave of nomads. New tribes devastated a significant part of Scythia. They exterminated the vanquished, and turned most of the country into a desert. This is evidenced by the Scythians and Sarmatians - tribes that came from the east. The nomenclature of Sarmovats is quite extensive. It is also known that there were several unions: Roxolans, Yazygs, Aorses, Siraks ... The culture of these nomads has many similarities with the Scythian. This can be explained by religious and linguistic kinship, that is, common roots. Sarmatian animal style develops Scythian traditions. Its ideological symbolism is preserved. However, the Scythians and Sarmatians are characterized by the presence of their own characteristics in art. Among the Sarmatians, it is not just a borrowing, but a new cultural phenomenon. This is an art that was born of a new era.

Development of the Alans

The rise of the Alans, a new northern Iranian people, takes place in the 1st century AD. e. They spread from the Danube to the Aral Sea. The Alans took part in the Marcomannic wars that took place on the Middle Danube. They raided Armenia, Cappadocia and Madia. These tribes controlled the Silk Road. The Huns invaded in 375 AD. e., put an end to their dominance in the steppe. A significant part of the Alans went to Europe along with the Goths and Huns. These tribes have left their mark on many toponyms that are found in Portugal, Spain, Italy, Switzerland and France. It is believed that the Alans, with their cult of military prowess and the sword, with their military organization and special attitude towards women, are at the origins of European chivalry.

These tribes throughout the Middle Ages were a notable phenomenon in history. The heritage of the steppe is visibly felt in their art. Having settled in the mountains of the North Caucasus, part of the Alans retained their language. They became the ethnic basis in the education of modern Ossetians.

Separation of the Scythians and Savromats

The Scythians in the narrow sense, that is, the European Scythians, and the Sauromatians (Sarmatians), according to scientists, separated no earlier than the 7th century BC. e. Until that time, their common ancestors inhabited the steppes of Ciscaucasia. Only after campaigns in the countries beyond the Caucasus did the Savromats and Scythians disperse. From now on, they began to live in different territories. Cimmerians and Scythians began to quarrel. The confrontation between these peoples ended with the fact that the Scythians, having retained the main part of the North Caucasian plain, captured the Northern Black Sea region. The Cimmerians who lived there, they partly displaced, and partly subdued.

Savromats now inhabited the steppes of the Urals, the Volga region and the Caspian. The Tanais River (modern name - Don) was the border between their possessions and Scythia. In ancient times, there was a popular legend about the origin of the Sauromates from the marriages of the Scythians with the Amazons. This legend explained why the Sauromatian women occupied a high position in society. They rode on equal terms with men and even participated in wars.

Issedones

The Issedones were also distinguished by the equality of the sexes. These tribes lived east of the Sauromates. They inhabited the territory of present-day Kazakhstan. These tribes were famous for their justice. They were attributed to peoples who did not know resentment and enmity.

Dahi, massagets and saki

Dakhs lived near the Caspian Sea, on its eastern coast. And to the east of them, in the semi-deserts and steppes of Central Asia, were the lands of the Massagets and Saks. Cyrus II, the founder of the Achaemenid Empire, in 530 AD. e. made a campaign against the Massagetae, who inhabited the regions near the Aral Sea. These tribes were ruled by She did not want to become the wife of Cyrus, and he decided to seize her kingdom by force. The Persian army in the war with the Massagets was defeated, and Cyrus himself died.

As for the Saks of Central Asia, these tribes were divided into 2 associations: Saki-Khaumavarga and Saki-Tigrakhauda. That's what the Persians called them. Tigra in translation from Old Persian means "sharp", and hauda - "helmet" or "hat". That is, saki-tigrahauda - saki in pointed helmets (hats), and saki-haumavarga - revering haoma (the sacred drink of the Aryans). Darius I, Persian king, in 519 BC. e. made a campaign against the Tigrahauda tribes, conquering them. Skunkha, the captive leader of the Sakas, is depicted in a relief carved by order of Darius on the Behistun rock.

Scythian culture

It should be noted that the Scythian tribes created a rather high culture for their time. It was they who determined the path of further historical development of many regions. These tribes participated in the formation of many peoples.

In the empire of Genghis Khan, Scythian chronicles were kept, rich literature with legends and legends was presented. There is reason to hope that most of these treasures have survived to this day in underground storage. The culture of the Scythians, unfortunately, remains poorly understood. In ancient Indian legends and Vedas, in Chinese and Persian sources, they speak of the lands of the Siberia-Ural region, where unusual people lived. At the Putorano Plateau, they believed, were the abode of the gods. These places attracted the attention of the rulers of India, China, Greece, Persia. However, interest usually ended in economic, military or other aggression against the great tribes.

It is known that the troops of Persia (Darius and Cyrus II), India (Arjuna and others), Greece (Alexander the Great), Byzantium, the Roman Empire, etc., invaded Scythia at different times. We also know from historical sources that that Greece showed interest in these tribes: the physician Hippocrates, the geographer Hekatius of Miletus, the tragedians Sophocles and Aeschal, the poets Pandora and Alkaman, the thinker Aristotle, the logographer Damast, etc.

Two legends about the origin of Scythia, told by Herodotus

Herodotus told two legends about the origin of Scythia. According to one of them, Hercules, while here, met an unusual woman in the Black Sea region (in a cave in the land of Gilea). Its lower part was serpentine. Three sons were born from their marriage - Agathirs, Scyth and Gelon. From one of them the Scythians originated.

Let us briefly outline another legend. According to her, the first person on earth appeared, whose name was Targitai. His parents were Zeus and Borisfen (daughter of the river). They had three sons: Arpoksai, Lipoksai and Kolaksai. The eldest of them (Lipoksay) became the ancestor of the Scythians-Avkhats. The traspii and katiari originated from Arpoksai. And from Kolaksay, the youngest son, royal paralats. These tribes are collectively called the Skolots, and the Greeks began to call them Scythians.

Kolaksay first divided the entire territory of Scythia into 3 kingdoms, which went to his sons. One of them, where the gold was stored, he made the largest. The area north of these lands is covered in snow. Around the 1st millennium BC. e. Scythian kingdoms arose. It was the time of Prometheus.

The connection of the Scythians with Atlantis

Of course, legends about the genealogy of kings cannot be considered the history of the peoples of Scythia. It is believed that the history of these tribes has its roots in Atlantis, an ancient civilization. This empire included, in addition to the island in the Atlantic Ocean, where the capital was located (Plato described it in the dialogues Critias and Timaeus), lands in northwestern Africa, as well as Greenland, America, Scandinavia and northern Russia. It also included all areas around the geographic North Pole. The island lands located here were called Middle-earth. They were inhabited by distant ancestors of Asian and European peoples. On the map of G. Mercator, relating to 1565, these islands are presented.

The economy of the Scythians

The Scythians are a people whose military power could only be formed on a strong socio-economic basis. And they had such a base. In the Scythian lands more than 2.5 thousand years ago there was a warmer climate than in our time. The tribes developed animal husbandry, agriculture, fishing, and the production of leather and cloth goods, fabrics, ceramics, metals and wood products. Military equipment was made. In terms of quality and level, the products of the Scythians were not inferior to the Greek ones.

The tribes provided themselves with everything that was needed. They dealt with iron, copper, silver and other minerals. Among the Scythians, casting production reached a very high level. According to Herodotus, who compiled a description of the Scythians, in the 7th century BC. e., under King Ariante, these tribes cast a huge copper cauldron. Its wall thickness was 6 fingers, and its capacity was 600 amphorae. It was cast on the Desna, south of Novgorod-Seversky. During the invasion of Darius, this cauldron was hidden to the east of the Desna. Copper ore was also mined here. Scythian golden relics are hidden on the territory of Romania. This is a bowl and a plow with a yoke, as well as a double-edged ax.

Trade of the Scythian tribes

Trade was developed on the territory of Scythia. There were water and land trade routes along the European and Siberian rivers, the Black, Caspian and North Seas. In addition to war chariots and wheeled carts, the Scythians built river and sea flax-winged ships at the shipyards of the Volga, Ob, Yenisei, at the mouth of the Pechora. Genghis Khan took craftsmen from these places to create a fleet intended to conquer Japan. Sometimes the Scythians built underground passages. They laid them under large rivers, using mining technology. By the way, in Egypt and in other states, tunnels were also laid under the rivers. The press has repeatedly reported on the underground passages under the Dnieper.

Lively trade routes from India, Persia, China ran through the Scythian lands. Goods were delivered to the northern regions and Europe along the Volga, Ob, Yenisei, the North Seas, and the Dnieper. These paths operated until the 17th century. In those days, there were cities with noisy bazaars and temples on the banks.

Finally

Each nation goes through its own historical path. As for the Scythians, their path was not short. More than a thousand years history measured them out. For a long time, the Scythians were the main political force in a large area between the Danube and the Don. Many prominent historians and archaeologists have been studying these tribes. Research continues to this day. They are joined by specialists representing related fields (for example, climatologists and paleogeographers). It can be expected that the cooperation of these scientists will provide new information about what the Scythians were like. The photos and information that was presented in this article, we hope, helped you get a general idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthem.

Yes, we are Scythians! Yes, we are Asians! With slanting and greedy eyes.(Alexander Blok).

In ancient times, from about the beginning of the 8th century BC. That is, in the vast territories of Eurasia from the northern Black Sea region and right up to Altai, a freedom-loving and warlike tribe lived, or even rather tribes that went down in history under the common name of the Scythians. Who were the ancient Scythians, what is their history, religion, culture, read about all this further.

Where did the Scythians live?

Where did the ancient Scythians live? In fact, the answer to this question is not as clear and simple as to who these Scythians are in general. The fact is that various historians enrolled a variety of tribes and peoples to the Scythians, including our ancestors of the ancient Slavs. And in some medieval manuscripts even Kievan Rus is called Scythia. But, in the end, historians came to a consensus that the Scythians should still be called one specific people, who lived, however, on a very wide territory, from the Don to the Danube, the northern Black Sea region in the south of our country Ukraine and right up to Altai.

Other tribes related to the Scythians, for example, Savromats, Saks, Meots, should be called the peoples of the Scythian world, since they have many common features both in their way of life and in culture, tribal way of life, rituals and worldview.

Map of archaeological finds of the Scythian mounds. As we can see, despite the wide territories where this ancient people lived, most of the Scythians lived in the Northern Black Sea region and there is reason to believe that it was here that the center of their civilization was.

Origin of the Scythians

In fact, the origin of the Scythians is mysterious, the fact is that the Scythians themselves did not have a written language, and the information about them from other peoples is very contradictory. The main source of historical information about them are the works of the historian Herodotus. According to one of the legends mentioned by the "father of history", the nomadic Scythians came from Asia to the territory of the northern Black Sea region, having driven out the local Cimmerian tribes living there. But the same Herodotus in his other work "History" mentions another legend of the Scythians, according to which they always lived in the Black Sea region.

But legends are legends, but what does Her Majesty archeology say about the origin of the Scythians? Archaeological excavations also, unfortunately, do not give an exact answer to the question and the origin of the Scythians. So most of the Scythians led a nomadic lifestyle, and could move long distances in a relatively short period of time. And it is also very difficult to distinguish their ancestors among the many tribes with a similar culture.

Still, a number of scientists believe that the Scythians came to Europe from Asia as an already formed people. Proponents of another theory argue that the Scythians, on the contrary, have lived in the steppes of the Black Sea since ancient times, and acquired some of their Asian features during their campaigns for the Caucasus Range, Mesopotamia and Asia Minor, which took place in the 7th century BC. e. Unfortunately, we don’t know how it was in reality.

History of the Scythians

The heyday of the Scythian civilization falls on the 7th century, it was at this time that the Scythians dominated not only the steppes of the Black Sea region, but also the whole of Asia Minor, where they created the Scythian state of Ishkuza, although by the beginning of the 6th century they were forced out of Asia Minor. At the same time, traces of the Scythians were found in the Caucasus.

In 512 B.C. e. all the tribes of the Scythians rallied to repel the conquest undertaken by King Darius I. An attempt to conquer the lands of the Scythians failed, the Persians were defeated. The unsuccessful campaign of Darius against the Scythians is described in detail by the same Herodotus, the Scythians used very original tactics against the conquerors - instead of giving the Persians a general battle, they lured them deep into their territory, avoiding a general battle in every possible way and constantly exhausting the Persian troops. In the end, it was no longer difficult for them to defeat the weakened Persians.

After some time, the Scythians themselves attacked neighboring Thrace (the territory of modern Bulgaria) and successfully conquered these lands. Then there was a war with the Macedonian king Philip, who inflicted a crushing defeat on the Scythians, again throwing them into the steppes of the Black Sea region.

Approximately in the III-II century BC. e. Scythian civilization begins to decline. The territory inhabited by the Scythians was also significantly reduced. In the end, the Scythians themselves were conquered and destroyed by their distant relatives - the nomadic tribes of the Sarmatians. The remains of the Scythian kingdom for some time continued to be preserved in the Crimea, but from there they were soon forced out by the tribes of the Goths.

Scythian culture

The whole culture of the Scythians, their life, their way of life is literally saturated with military affairs, obviously otherwise in those harsh conditions in which they lived, it was impossible to survive. Warriors in the Scythian society were not only all men, but also most women. It is with the harsh Scythian warriors that ancient legends about the tribe of Amazons, brave female warriors, are associated. At the head of the Scythian society was the so-called military nobility - the royal Scythians, who in turn were led by the Scythian king. However, the power of the Scythian king was not absolute, he was rather the first among equals than a sovereign with unlimited power. The functions of the king included the management of the army, he was also the supreme judge, dealt with the resolution of disputes between his subjects and performed religious rituals. But the most important matters were discussed at democratic people's meetings, known as the "Council of the Scythians." Sometimes the council of the Scythians even decided the fate of their kings.

An objectionable king could also be easily thrown off and killed, as, for example, happened with the Scythian king Anarcharsis, who, after marrying a Greek woman, became addicted to Greek culture and the Greek way of life, which the rest of the Scythians perceived as a betrayal by the king of Scythian customs and death was punishment for this king.

Speaking of the Greeks, the Scythians for centuries conducted intensive trade with them, especially with the Greek colony cities in the Black Sea region: Olbia, Chersonese. The Scythians were frequent guests there, and, of course, some cultural influence of the Greeks did affect the Scythians, Greek ceramics, Greek coins, Greek women's jewelry, even various works of art by Greek masters were often found in their burials. Some especially enlightened Scythians, like the Scythian king Anarcharsis already mentioned by us, were imbued with the ideas of Greek philosophers, tried to bring the light of knowledge of Antiquity to their fellow tribesmen, but alas, the sad fate of Anarcharsis says that this was not always successful.

Scythian customs

In the writings of Herodotus, one can find many references to harsh, like the Scythians themselves, Scythian customs. So, when killing the first enemy, the Scythian was supposed to drink his blood. The Scythians also, like the American Indians, had a bad habit of scalping defeated enemies, from which they then sewed their own cloaks. To get their share in the booty, the Scythian had to present the severed head of the enemy, and bowls were made from the heads of especially fierce enemies. Also, every year the Scythian nobility organized feasts, in which only a Scythian who had killed an enemy could participate.

Divination was popular in the Scythian society, special soothsayers divined with the help of bundles of twigs or with the help of linden bast. The Scythians secured friendly ties with a special ritual - the blood of both friends was poured into a bowl of wine, then after the oaths were pronounced, this wine with blood was drunk by both friends.

The most interesting works of art discovered by archaeologists in the Scythian mounds are objects decorated in animal style. These are arrow quivers, sword hilts, women's necklaces, mirror handles, buckles, bracelets, hryvnias, etc.

In addition to images of animal figures, there are often scenes of the struggle of different animals. These images were made using forging, chasing, casting, embossing and carving, most often from gold, silver, bronze or iron.

All these art objects were indeed created by Scythian masters, a sign of their belonging to the Scythians is a special way of depicting animals, the so-called Scythian animal style. Animals are always depicted in motion and from the side, but at the same time they have their heads turned towards the viewer. For the Scythians themselves, they served as the personification of animal totem ancestors, various spirits, and played the role of magical amulets. It is also believed that various animals depicted on the hilt of a sword or a quiver with arrows were meant to symbolize the strength, dexterity and courage of the Scythian warrior.

Warfare of the Scythians

All Scythian warriors were excellent riders and often used cavalry in battle. They were also the first to successfully use the strategic retreat against the Persians, greatly exhausting the Persian forces. Subsequently, the military art of the Scythians became significantly outdated, and they began to suffer military defeats, whether it be from a close-knit Macedonian phalanx, or mounted Parthian archers.

Religion of the Scythians

The religious life of the Scythians was dominated by the cult of fire and the sun. An important rite was the veneration of the royal hearth. Religious rites were performed by the kings, and the Scythian king was also at the same time the religious head of the community. But besides him, various magicians and soothsayers also played an important role, whose main task was to search for the enemy of the king, to prevent the magical intrigues of enemies. The illness, both of the king and of any other Scythian, was explained precisely by the magical intrigues of some enemy, and the task of the soothsayers was to find these enemies and eliminate their intrigues in the form of an illness. (Such a kind of ancient Scythian medicine)

The Scythians did not build temples, but had special sacred places where they performed their religious rites of worship of the Sun and fire. In exceptional cases, the Scythians even resorted to human sacrifice.

Scythians, video

And in conclusion, we offer you to watch an interesting documentary about the Scythians.

The ancient writings of Herodotus (5th century BC) described the people who dominated the Northern Black Sea region. This people even managed to put an end to the ambitions of Darius I, who considered himself invincible. This name was so well known that even after their disappearance at the end of the first millennium of our era, it remained in memory for a long time and was often used in relation to peoples who had nothing to do with the Scythians. , but living in the territories of their former habitat.

In particular, the Eastern Slavs were often called Scythians. And even at the beginning of the 20th century, Alexander Blok, in a symbolic sense, called our people Scythians. Although in some ways he was not quite right, since the Scythians were not necessarily Asians, and not necessarily with slanted eyes.

Origin of the Scythians

However, according to some sources, for the first time this people, however, without its own name, was mentioned in the Iliad of Homer, where it is described as drinking mare's milk. And how do we know that they were Scythians? Yes, because the ancient Greek geographer of the VIII century. BC. Hesiod refers to Homer and already calls them Scythians. If several assumptions of this name.

Some researchers believe that it comes from the self-name of the Scythians - skoloty (arrows-archers), which in Greek turned into Scythians. Others designate this name as coming from the ancient Iranian word for them as shorn. Although the latter seems debatable, since the haircut for Scythian hairstyles was uncharacteristic.

For Homer, who gave the most thorough description of the Scythians, these were the inhabitants of the steppes of the northern Black Sea region and more northern regions, but in fact their habitat extended far to the east, through Siberia up to the borders of modern Mongolia.

There is no single strict anthropological type of the Scythians, who, having settled from the Black Sea to Baikal, mixed with local tribes, spreading their culture among them, but, at the same time, acquiring certain features of these tribes.

The Scythians as a whole belonged to the Iranian-speaking peoples, although among them there was a significant linguistic diversity, since the name itself, although it referred to a specific people, was also used in relation to a large number of tribes: Saks, Massagets, Savromats and others.

Differences were also noted, who divided them into royal Scythians, who dominated the region of the river. Don and Crimea, Scythian nomads in the western part of the northern Black Sea region, Scythian plowmen in the basin of the Southern Bug and the Dniester, Scythian farmers in the Dnieper basin.

The differences were also related to the fact that the main factor in the creation of the Scythian civilization was not ethnic proximity, but culture.

The Scythians of different territories came from different, even unrelated peoples. They even belonged to different races, since tribes with a Caucasoid type and a Mongoloid type, but at the same time with a common Scythian culture, were traced.

The ancestors of the Scythians, according to their own legends, were Targitai and his sons: Lipoksai, Arpoksai and Koloksai. In their time, a golden plow, a yoke, an ax and a bowl fell from the sky. According to the good old fairy-tale tradition, only the youngest, Koloksai, who led the Scythian people, could use them.

The Greeks clothed this legend in their surroundings, according to which the parent of Targitai was either Hercules, who, traveling in those places, entered into a relationship with a half-woman, half-snake, from whom three sons were born, and the youngest was called Scythian.

Since Zeus is considered the father of Hercules, there is little contradiction here. However, an important detail is that Hercules leaves his bow to his sons, and the one who can pull it will be the head of everyone. The bow for nomads has a special meaning, which this legend emphasizes. Of course, only Skiff could pull it.

Ancient Greek authors characterize the Scythians as a warlike people, as is typical of nomads. In general, we can say that the Scythians were the first truly nomads who took the nomadic lifestyle as the main one in their activities. They are the first warrior horsemen in world history.

Military art of the Scythians

The very establishment of the Scythians in the Black Sea region takes the form of a military invasion, during which they expel the ancient people of the Cimmerians from this territory. Their main weapons were a bow with bronze or iron-tipped arrows, short akinaki swords, which were convenient to wield on horseback, throwing darts and spears.

Women also participated in the wars, which served as the basis for the Greek legends about the Amazons.

Of course, everyone knows the clash of the Scythians with the powerful Persian state, during which the Persian king Darius I at the end of the 6th century. BC. tried to conquer them. With a huge army, he crossed the Danube and began the pursuit of the Scythians. It was not possible to catch up with them, since the Scythians retreated further and further east, luring the Persians to the Don basin. At the same time, as the Scythian king Idanfirs explained to Darius, they did not retreat at all, but simply migrated exclusively according to their usual custom. Darius had to return ingloriously, and even with heavy losses.

Scythian culture

In socio-political terms, the Scythians did not form a single state. Greek sources call the Scythian leaders kings, and the presence of huge burial mounds from the Black Sea region to Altai tells us that social inequality is developing in the Scythian society and there is nobility, but the Scythians have not grown to the level of developed statehood.

It should be noted that, unlike many nomads, who left behind primarily traces of their military activities, the Scythians were the creators and distributors of a powerful cultural heritage. A large number of products of Scythian production have come down to us. In particular, the Scythians widely used various metals: for the manufacture of weapons - iron, copper, tin, or other products, such as gold. The search for deposits in itself pushed the Scythians to constant migrations, which can explain such a breadth of their settlement.

In the moral system of values ​​of the Scythians, as a mostly nomadic people without serious property inequality, there was no worship of wealth. Gold, for which their culture is famous, was not perceived as a means of accumulation and possession, but was used as a convenient and beautiful material for creativity. The booty that the Scythians captured during the raids also served not as a means of accumulating wealth, but as a measure of glory.

The Scythian culture was so developed that it influenced a huge number of peoples over a vast territory. When in 1923-24. An archaeological expedition in Mongolia found burial mounds, where, along with traces of Chinese influence, elements of the Scythian animal style were clearly traced.

It can be said that the Scythians were a civilization-forming people in the Eastern European and South Asian expanses. And this is in the absence of their state system and writing!

Scythian sunset

The Scythians practically disappear from the historical field of view in the III - II centuries. BC, although they are still mentioned at the beginning of a new era, it is not known whether these reports refer to the Scythians or the name is applied to other peoples, for example, the Slavs. Why did the Scythians disappear? It seems to be at the end of the 1st millennium BC. they have not met enemies more powerful than themselves in their area of ​​\u200b\u200bdwelling.

Most likely, the Scythians did not disappear as a people, they disappeared precisely as a single culture, breaking up into a number of tribal formations with their own names. In other words, they haven't really gone anywhere. They formed new combinations of tribes into which new peoples joined.

So the Black Sea Scythians, as a result of these recombinations, merging with their kindred Sarmatians, formed the Sarmatian unions of the tribes of the Don, Dnieper and Dniester, which were soon joined by the Eastern Slavs, who eventually assimilated them. So the Scythians to some extent are among us now.

The Scythians, the descendants of the Aryans who lived in Siberia, came to the Don along with other related tribes. They adapted to a nomadic way of life and got used to the cooling of the climate. It was mainly a tribal community of excellent warriors-military commanders, who took power over the other tribes of the Eurasian nomads.

The myth of the ancestor of the Scythians.

According to the myth about the ancestor of the Scythians, the famous character of Greek myths Hercules wandered through the desert. And when he was tired, he went to bed, wrapped in a lion's skin. What was his surprise when, waking up, he discovered the loss of his horses. Then he searched for them all over the country, because without horses a warrior is not a warrior. And he found in one of the caves of the Pontic region, the so-called echidna (snake woman). It turned out that the loss of the horses was her doing, and in order to get them, Hercules must fall in love with her for one day.

On the image are Scythian archers, zoomorphic plaques and an akinak sword.

Probably, the horses were really good, or the echidna herself was a snake woman in her soul, but in fact a beauty. In general, she gave birth thanks to a short-term love union of three sons - heroes: Gelon, Agatirs and Scythian. It was the last son who turned out to be more adapted to royal power, and he got to rule the tribes over vast territories.

Wars.

The Scythian military alliance of nomadic tribes presented the Cimmerians in the 8th century BC with a difficult choice. Therefore, part of the ruling elite of the Cimmerians went west and south to Troy, and the civilian population, commoners, entered into a military alliance of the Scythians. The population of the Don and Kuban accept the power of the Scythians unconditionally, since many of them have a kindred Iranian-Aryan connection. And now a huge military alliance is attacking Media and Assyria, ruining Palestine and Egypt.

An attempt to defeat and subdue the Scythians (512 BC) was made by the king of Persia, Darius I. He successfully landed on the territory of modern Ukraine and started a land company. But the strategy of the Scythian warriors did not fit into his plans. The nomad units made an attack, but did not come close and again went into the steppe. This was enough, as their arrows flew at a distance of 400 meters. Being the best archers, they shot accurately on the move from any position.The further, deep into the European forest-steppe, the army of Darius went, the faster it melted before our eyes.

Shooting out the steppe, the Scythians lured the Persian army deep into the steppe and began to tear it to pieces, constantly attacking from different sides. The Persian warriors looked with horror at the rushing equestrian crowd with peaks, but they could no longer do anything. In addition, in close combat, the pointed swords of the akinaki pierced copper armor, leaving no chance for the enemy. Darius understands that it's all over, runs with bodyguards to his homeland, leaving the remnants of the wounded army to their fate.

A.Macedonsky did not go against the Scythians, not without reason he was a great commander. But his follower Lysimachus made an attempt in 291 BC, but was captured.

Scythian state.

The state of the Scythians is growing stronger, settlements-fortifications appear, people grow grain to feed the army. There is a brisk slave trade going on. In addition, in order to provide for the time of harvesting fodder and provisions, there is a seasonal capture of labor force. When the work is completed, the slaves are released.

After the 3rd-2nd century BC, the Scythian state entered into internecine wars for power. Soon, the representatives of a related tribe, the Sarmatians, who improved their position, taking advantage of the weakness of the ruling dynasty of the Scythians, take the power of nomadic tribes into their own hands. A new era of government begins, associated with great trade and the prosperity of Greek-Sarmatian relations.