The "Scythian world" was formed 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 hadtheir 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 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. In terms of weapons, they had a bow and arrow, a short sword, a square shield, and spears.
Besides, images of these tribes are also found on other items 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
Education of the Scythian culture took place in the era of the spread of iron. Weapons and tools made of this metal came tochange to bronze. After the method of making steel was discovered, the Iron Age finally won. Tools made of steel have revolutionized warfare, crafts and agriculture.
The Scythians, whose territory 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 tribes that the peoples of 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 the 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 range of reasonsbrought about 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 they began to be dominated by horses and sheep, which could get their own pasture 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.
Life of the Nomans
The rational and ascetic life of the Nomans took place according to harsh laws that 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, clothes and food.
Practically 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, Daevs, Saks, Issedons, Savromats, etc.) is only fragmentarily known. Ancient authors describe mainly the deeds of major leaders and militaryScythian campaigns. Other features of these tribes do not interest them. Herodotus wrote about who the Scythians were. Only this author, whom Cicero called the "father of history", can be found in 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 have identified 3 elements that speak of their genetic commonality. The first of these is horse harness. 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), 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 Diodorus Siculus. Scythians and Sarmatians are tribes that came from the east. The nomenclature of Sarmovats is quite extensive. It is also knownthat 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 art that was born from 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 Scythians and Savromats
The Scythians in the narrow sense, that is, the European Scythians, and the Savromats (Sarmatians), according to scientists, were divided 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 subjugated.
Sauromates 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, the legend about the origin of the Sauromates from the marriages of the Scythians with the Amazons was popular. This legend explained why the Sauromatian women occupied a high position in society. They rode as well as men and even participated in wars.
Issedones
The Issedones were also distinguished by gender equality. 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.
Dakhi, Massagets and Saki
Dakhis 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 Queen Tomiris. 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 ancient 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 nations.
Scythian chronicles were kept in the empire of Genghis Khan, rich literature with stories 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 locatedthe 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 at different times Scythia was invaded by the troops of Persia (Darius and Cyrus II), India (Arjuna and others), Greece (Alexander the Great), Byzantium, the Roman Empire, etc. We know from historical sources and 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, and others.
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. The Scythians originated from one of them.
Let's 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 Skolots, and the Greeks began to call them Scythians.
The entire territory of Scythia Kolaksay first divided 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. G. Mercator's map of 1565 shows these islands.
Scythian economy
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. The quality and level of the products of the Scythians was not inferior to the Greek.
The tribes provided for themselves with everything they needed. They were mininggold, 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.
Busy 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 on the banks with noisy bazaars andtemples.
In conclusion
Each nation has 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.
