Among the ancient nomadic peoples, the Scythians are among the most famous. They were belligerent and cruel, easily got involved in wars, and won many battles, terrifying the settled tribes. Like a hurricane, the Scythians swept across the steppes, conquering and conquering.
Many powerful powers of the past preferred to stay away from the lands of the Scythians, because the nomads were difficult to subdue, they were a formidable uncontrollable force. Scythian tribes occupied vast steppe territories in Europe and Asia in the VIII-IV centuries BC. They left behind a unique cultural heritage and a lot of evidence in the works of ancient historians. How did the Scythians live? And where did they disappear to?
Features of the Scythians
The Scythians were a group of nomadic tribes that occupied significant territories. The nomads of Transbaikalia and Northern China also belonged to this people, but the greatest amount of information preserved by ancient authors relates to the Scythian warriors of the Black Sea region, as well as the lands at the mouth of the Danube and the Don Valley.
Despite the fact that many scholars agree that the Scythians were Iranian-speaking nomads, opinions about their origin vary dramatically. A number of historians suggest that it was the Scythian tribes that belonged to the ancient Aryans, while others support the theory expressed by their ancient colleague, Herodotus, that the Scythians were a group of different communities united by kinship and common ancestors.
There is no doubt about the anthropological differences of the Scythians, which were observed within the ethnic group itself. For example, the forest-steppe tribes were distinguished by narrower and elongated facial features in comparison with their steppe “brothers”.
The famous ancient Greek healer Hippocrates noted the following characteristics of the people:
“Scythians are distinguished by their thick, fleshy, uncombed, raw and non-muscular bodies… Due to their obesity and lack of vegetation on their bodies, they resemble each other, men to men and women to women.”
Theories of origin
But who were the ancestors of the warlike Scythians? There are two official hypotheses in this regard. One of them was revealed in detail by the Soviet archaeologist Boris Grakov. He was of the opinion that most of the Scythian tribes belonged to autochthonous peoples, and their ancestors were the ethnic groups that created the log culture.
It is no secret that the Black Sea region has known several waves of migration. Probably, the settlers, who are representatives of the village cultural communities, gradually mixed with the population that had previously come to these lands.
Despite the validity of this version, one unknown element remains: the culture of the Scythians, their well-known “animal” ornaments and decorative elements were not peculiar to the “log cabins”, which means they were borrowed from other tribes.
The Soviet historian Alexei Terenozhkin expressed a completely different opinion. Thanks to his works, the so-called Central Asian theory of the origin of the Scythian people appeared. He assumed that the Scythians were not related to the local tribes of the Black Sea region — the nomads simply came to these territories in the 7th century BC, and their homeland was Asia.
Heyday times
As I have already noted, ancient authors, in particular, the historian Herodotus, have left us a lot of information about the Scythians. His notes tell about the Scythian version of their appearance, although it resembles a myth. The people considered Targitai, a strong and powerful warrior, to be their ancestor, from whose sons many nomadic nationalities emerged.
The heyday of Scythian power in the conquered lands occurred in the VIII-VII centuries BC. At this time, the Cimmerians were being displaced from the Northern Black Sea region, which became the center of the nomads’ habitat. The active development of trade relations with neighboring peoples and the exchange of various goods accelerated the process of division into classes and the formation of Scythian society.
But despite their success in trade, first of all, these tribes represented a formidable militant force, which not many dared to resist. The commander Zopion, appointed governor of Thrace by Alexander the Great, was one of those who underestimated the strength of the Scythians.
Justin, in his Epitome of Pompey Trogus, writes the following:
“Zopirion, who was left by Alexander the Great as governor of Pontus, believing that he would be recognized as lazy if he did not commit any enterprise, gathered 30,000 troops and went to war against the Scythians, but was destroyed with his entire army.”
Customs of the Scythians
Note that the defeat of a huge army is presented as something completely easy and natural for the Scythians. On my own behalf, I would like to add that the territory of their residence also contributed to the success of the Scythians in many ways.
The nomads fought excellently in the open, and the steppe expanses alone gave them a considerable advantage over the enemy. However, the customs of the Scythians themselves horrified representatives of other peoples.
Herodotus wrote:
“Their military customs are as follows: the Scythian drinks the blood of the first enemy he kills, and the heads of all enemies killed in battle belong to the king, because only on condition of delivering the enemy’s head does the Scythian receive a share of the spoils, otherwise he receives nothing.”
The beginning of decline
The Scythians were able to create a truly strong state, but they were far from the only strong nomadic people in their region. In 280-260 BC, the Sarmatian tribes, related to them, came to the Scythian lands, which pushed back and killed many representatives of this people.
However, the Scythians were in no hurry to give up. In the II century BC in the Crimea, the Scythian kingdom entered the time of its prosperity. Alas, this “golden age” did not last long — the Scythian state existed only until the third century AD.
It was later destroyed by the Gothic conquerors. During the Great Migration period, the Scythians ceased to exist as an ethnic group at all. They mixed with other nomads, becoming the basis for the emergence of new tribes. However, even today, many of us have the blood of these great nomads, the true rulers of the steppe expanses.