Who are the Scythians and what did they do? Scythians. Who are they and where did they come from? Appearance of the Scythians

In the central part of Russia and especially the Voronezh region, many Scythian monuments are found. How close this people is to us, who disappeared almost two thousand years ago, AiF-Chernozemye learned from local historian Nikolai Sapelkin.

Aborigines of Russia

“The Scythians are the aborigines of our country,” says the local historian. - Their whole history is connected with the territory historical Russia from the Yenisei to the Danube, including Kazakhstan and Central Asia."

The Scythians dominated vast areas of Eurasia in the middle of the first millennium BC. Today's researchers have gleaned a lot of facts about this people thanks to ancient Greek authors: the Hellenes actively interacted with the Scythians - they traded and fought. Actually, the Scythians are a Greek word; they themselves called themselves Sakas.

He described in detail the everyday habits, military customs, and religious views of this people. ancient historian Herodotus. He singled out the royal Scythians, the Scythian shepherds, the Scythian farmers - the Scolots, but wrote that they had a common culture and they were all equally warlike. Herodotus also spoke about his neighbors who also lived in the Black Earth Region. Where the forests began, the Budins lived - fair-haired, blue-eyed and no less warlike. Sometimes they fought with the Scythians, sometimes they acted as allies.

In the Voronezh region, Scythian archaeological sites have been studied for a long time. Thus, since 1989, the Don archaeological expedition of the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences has been conducting research - it has been studying Scythian antiquities in the Ostrogozhsky and Repyovsky regions, in the basins of the Potudan and Devitsa rivers. Voronezh archaeologists Alexander Medvedev and Yuri Razuvaev are actively studying this era.

Who will get the “princess”?

“Thanks to systematic archaeological research, we know that Scythian farmers most densely inhabited the area between the Bystraya Sosna and Tikhaya Sosna rivers,” notes Nikolai Sapelkin. - The entire coast of these and neighboring rivers, the coast of the Don, was full of Scythian cities. A little to the south lived nomads - the royal Scythians, a little to the north - the Budins. By the way, the name of the Don River came to us precisely from the Scythians.”

Scythian settlements were large settlements with a line of fortifications: a moat, earthen ramparts and a palisade.

Just like modern Russians, the Scythians were Indo-Europeans, but they spoke a language that belonged not to the Slavic, but to the Iranian group. There are two theories of their origin. One says that they came from Asia - from the Sayan and Altai. The second says that this is the indigenous population of our steppes and forest-steppes, who have lived here since the late Bronze Age. In the 7th century BC, the Scythians passed through the Caucasus and invaded Asia: their cavalry destroyed Assyria, Media, Babylonia, Egypt and other ancient states. Having enriched their culture, mastered new technologies and weapons, they returned to their native steppes.

The 25-year-old Scythian princess died of breast cancer. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

The oldest of the burials of the Scythian kings was found far to the east - in the Sayan Mountains. And in the early 1990s, the mummified body of a 25-year-old woman was discovered on the Altai Ukok plateau. The water that filled the grave in ancient times froze - the ice lens did not melt for more than two thousand years and perfectly preserved the Scythian beauty sleeping in eternal sleep, whom our contemporaries call either the princess or the shaman of Ukok.

Unfortunately, controversy soon began to boil over the remains of the princess. The unique find almost became a victim of superstition. The chief shaman of Altai stated that the grave of the Scythian princess locked the lower worlds and did not release evil spirits from there. Now the demons seem to have broken out and are creating misfortunes: earthquakes, livestock deaths, budget deficits and economic crises. The hysteria reached the point that the council of elders under the head of the Altai Republic demanded that the mummy be buried again.

Fortunately, now the mummy is the property of the museum of the Institute of Archeology and Ethnography of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and scientists have not given in to obscurantism. After all, the find told a lot about the appearance, clothes, tattoos and many other details everyday life Scythian society. The cause of death of the woman is also known - breast cancer.

Potters and metallurgists

Unfortunately, mummies are not found in Scythian burials in the Black Earth Region. But there were others important discoveries. Thus, the history of archeology includes finds made during excavations of the so-called Frequent Mounds - now these places are built up with high-rise buildings in the Northern region of Voronezh. In 1911, archaeologists Alexander Martinovich, Vladimir Yazykov and Stefan Zverev found there a sword with a gold handle decorated with animal figures, arrowheads, a quiver, 200 gold plaques, a gold spiral ring, and an iron bracelet covered with gold. But the most important thing is a silver bowl with relief images of men in Scythian clothing with bows and axes, now it is in the Hermitage.

Adult men wore long hair, mustache and beard, dressed in short leather caftans tied with a belt, long narrow leather trousers or wide woolen trousers, and pointed felt hats on their heads. Women wore long dresses and capes.

The Scythians had neither full-fledged statehood nor writing, but they cannot be considered barbarians - they owned the advanced technologies of their time: they made fabrics and leather goods, and used a potter's wheel. They were excellent metallurgists: they extracted iron from ore and turned it into steel, mined gold, silver, and copper.

The Scythian “animal style” is widely known: horses, deer, birds and other animals were depicted on gold and silver vessels - always in motion, sideways, but with their heads turned towards the viewer. However, these vessels were imported items - at the request of the Scythian nobility they were made by Hellenic jewelers from the Greek colonies located in the Black Sea region.

However, it is wrong to imagine Scythian society as so humane and progressive.

“In one of the burials of the Scythian era, skeletons of people with fused vertebral discs were found,” notes the local historian. - This means that people were subjected to torture or extreme physical labor from early childhood. Whether these were representatives of conquered peoples or the lower class of society, we cannot yet say.”

In the imagination of their Greek neighbors, the Scythians were particularly wild. The expression “drinking the Scythian way” has survived to this day - meaning drinking undiluted wine. The Hellenes themselves usually mixed the intoxicating drink with water.

Deep into the steppes

At the end of the 6th century BC. e. A terrible danger loomed over the Scythians. Having crossed the Danube, a huge army of Darius, king, invaded their steppes. Persian Empire Achaemenids - the world power of that time. It seemed that the outcome of the struggle was a foregone conclusion, but the Scythians used unprecedented tactics. Realizing that a head-on collision did not bode well, they began to retreat deeper into the steppes, burning grass, filling up wells, and destroying Persian detachments that had separated from the main forces.

Darius reached Tanais (as the Greeks called the Don), but never defeated the Scythians. Exhausted by unusual cold, hunger, disease and minor skirmishes, the Persians turned back. The return journey was even more difficult - only the pitiful remnants of the army returned from the country of the Scythians. Later, Alexander the Great tried to conquer the Scythians, but also failed.

The Scythian domination of the Eurasian steppes ended at the end of the first millennium BC. Another Iranian people, the Sarmatians who came from the east, became the ruler of the Don region. The Scythians retreated to the Dnieper and Bug and eventually settled in the Crimea. There they were overtaken by one after another invasion of the Goths and Huns.

The previously formidable people disappeared, and most historians do not recognize the Scythians as the ancestors of the Russians. Nevertheless, Greek authors continued to call the Alans and then the Slavs Scythians. Ancient Rus', according to the Tale of Bygone Years, was known in Byzantium as Great Scythia. And for Western Europeans, our country remained for a long time a kind of “mysterious Scythia”. And therefore it is not at all surprising that Russian poets felt a deep - albeit not direct - cultural and mental kinship with a cheerful and creative people who knew how to appreciate beauty, loved open spaces and destroyed conquerors.

Scythians (Greek: Skythai), chipped, ishkuza

• V. Abaev compared the ethnonym skuta with the German *skut- (archer, shoot).
• K. T. Vitchak and S. V. Kullanda explain the Scythian self-name as follows: ancient Greek. Σκόλοτοι< *skula-ta < *skuδa-ta < *skuda-ta (то есть «лучники», с закономерным переходом *d >*l in Scythian). Moreover, the form *skuδa-ta existed in the 7th century BC. e., when the Greeks began to contact the Scythians (that’s why the other Greek Σκύϑαι). At the same time, the Assyrian campaign of the Scythians took place - that’s why the Assyrians. Ašgūzai or Išgūzai. By the 5th century BC. e. - the time of Herodotus’s visit to Olbia - the transition *δ > *l has already occurred.

Transition of Old Iranian *δ into Scythian *l as characteristic feature Scythian language is confirmed by other Scythian words.

Language

The Scythian language is part of the northeastern subgroup of Iranian languages. Very close in language and culture to the Scythians were the Sauromatians (Sarmatians), Sakas and Massagetae.

Lifetime

Actually, the history of the Scythians in the Northern Black Sea region - VIII century. BC e. – IV century n. e. From the beginning of the war with the Cimmerians to the defeat of the Scythian kingdom by the Goths in the Crimea.

Origin

There are several legends of the origin of the Scythians -

1. The Scythians had a legend that their people were younger than all others and that in their land, which was deserted, the first man Targitai was born from Zeus and the daughter of Borysthenes. Targitai had three sons: Lipoksai, Arpoksai and Koloksai. With them, golden objects fell from the sky: a plow, a yoke, an ax and a bowl. The elder and middle brothers could not grab these objects: they immediately ignited. The youngest son was able to safely take the miraculous gifts of heaven and therefore he was given royal power.

• the Avkhat family descended from his elder brother,
• from the middle - the genera of catiars and traspians,
• from the youngest - paralats.

Here Herodotus says that the general name of the people is called together; the Greeks called them Scythians, and the Persians called them Saks. It was the part of Scythia from the Danube to Maeotis, especially known in Olbia, that was called primordial Scythia. A thousand years passed from Targitai to the time of Herodotus.

1. The Black Sea Greeks told Herodotus another legend. Hercules, driving the cows of Geryon, entered Scythia, which was not yet inhabited. When Hercules fell asleep, his horses left the yoke. He found them in Hylaea with a half-woman, half-snake woman who lived in a cave and agreed to return the mares to him if he married her. Hercules lived with her for a long time and three sons were born from their marriage. Only after this did the hero get his horses back. When leaving, he left his beloved a bow and a belt so that the one of the sons who could pull this bow and girdle himself like a father would remain in possession of the land, and the other two would be removed. The task was completed by the youngest of them named Scythian, the ancestor of the Scythian kings. From the two eldest - Agathirs and Gelon - came the tribes of Agathirs and Gelons. In this myth one can clearly hear the Greek reworking of another native legend, which differed from the previous one. It clearly talks about the crossing of newcomers (Hercules) and local (snake-legged goddess) principles in the Scythians, while in the first the local element sounds stronger, although the newcomer may be manifested in the fact that the future land of the Scythians was empty when they arose .
2. Herodotus points out that there is, however, another story, which I myself trust most. According to this story, the nomadic Scythians who lived in Asia, being pressed by war from the Massagetae, crossed the Arak (Syr Darya) River and retired to the Cimmerian land.

At the moment, there are three versions of where the Scythians came from in the Black Sea region.

1. Grakov B.N. Autochthonous theory. Grakov believed that the direct ancestors of the Scythians were tribes of the semi-sedentary (shepherd) timber-frame culture of the Bronze Age, who penetrated into the Northern Black Sea region from the Volga region. The resettlement took place for quite a long time, from the middle of the 2nd millennium BC. and the Herodotus migration of the Scythians - this can be said to be one of the last waves of resettlement. The Cimmerians, whom the Scythians met, are also one of the waves of the Timber-frame culture, but an earlier one, which ultimately allowed related tribes to merge, forming a homogeneous ethnic element.
2. Artamonov M.I. Near Asian theory. Before the arrival of the Scythians in the Black Sea region, the timber-frame culture developed there and preceded the Scythian one. The Scythians themselves came from Western Asia and were associated with the developed civilizations of that era (as the main element of the Scythian animal style). In his opinion, the Cimmerians are representatives of the catacomb culture, who were forced out of the Black Sea region in the second half of the 2nd millennium BC.
3. Terenozhkin A.I. Central Asian theory. According to his version, there is no ethnic or cultural continuity between the population of the Northern Black Sea region and the newly arrived Scythians. The Scythians penetrate into the Black Sea region from Central Asia (Mongolia, Altai, East Kazakhstan) in an already culturally formalized form, which is based on the triad - characteristic type of weapon, horse harness, artistic animal style.
   In turn, their movement to the west was led to the attack of the Massagetae, who in turn were attacked by their eastern neighbors and, most likely, the great drought of 800 BC led to such a chain reaction.

Story

VII century BC The war between the Scythians and the Cimmerians, which allowed the Scythians to oust the latter from the Black Sea region and occupy their territory.

685 Under the leadership of Spargapithus, the Scythians moved from the North Caucasus and Kuban to the Northern Black Sea region. Most likely, Scythia at this time was divided into three regions -

• between the Don and Volga the Ishpakaya-Partatua clan rules.
• between the Don and the Dnieper the family of Spargapitha rules,
• between the Dnieper and the Danube, and perhaps all of Scythia, Ariant rules.

70s VII century BC A series of Scythian campaigns in Media, Syria, Palestine and Western Asia. As a result, the Scythians were able to establish themselves there.

Within the Eastern Transcaucasia (modern Azerbaijan and partly Iranian Azerbaijan), on the northern and partly on the southern banks of the Araks River, a Scythian state was founded, named Ishkuz in the sources, which existed until the 6th century. BC, when the Scythians were expelled from Transcaucasia by the Medes.

679-674/73 BC The Scythians, under the leadership of Ishpakai (one of the first historically known leaders of the Scythians), in alliance with the Medes, Urartu and the kingdom of Mann, participated in the war against the Assyrian kingdom under the leadership of Assarhadon, during which Ishpakai died.

673-654 BC The leader of the Scythians becomes Partatua (Prototius), under whose leadership the Scythians left the anti-Assyrian coalition. According to one hypothesis, this happened due to the conclusion of a dynastic marriage - Partatua married the daughter of Assarhadon.

Dyakonov I.M.

Piotrovsky B.B., Belyavsky V.A., Grakov B.N., Artamonov M.I.

654-625 BC The leader of the Scythians was Madai (Madiy), probably the son of Partatua. At this time, the Scythians made a series of predatory campaigns throughout the Mediterranean - to Syria, Palestine, Egypt. At the same time, they remain faithful to allied relations with Assyria. 653/52 BC The Scythians, helping Assyria, defeat the Medes. According to the legend of Herodotus, from that time and for 28 years, Media paid them tribute, while also being subjected to robberies. 645 BC The Scythians, under the leadership of Madai in Transcaucasia, again helping Assyria, defeat the Cimmerians. 625 Scythian campaign against Egypt. According to one version, Pharaoh Psammetichus I bought them off with gifts; according to another, the Scythians were still afraid to enter into open conflict with the Egyptian troops. After 612 BC The Medes oust the Scythians from all the Transcaucasian lands they had previously conquered. This was done thanks to the cunning of Cyaxares, the king of the Medes. After the destruction of Assyria, Cyaxares decided to get rid of the Scythians. He invited the Scythian kings to a feast, gave them drink, and then ordered them to be killed. Left without leaders, the Scythians left Transcaucasia.

650-584 BC e. The king of the Scythians was Madius. Long and quite successful campaigns of the Scythians in Transcaucasia and Western Asia begin. 624-585 BC Reign of Cyaxares. But he may have died earlier at the turn of the century. 616 BC Scythian invasion of Media. 614 BC Siege of Nineveh and Ashur by the Medes. Ashur was taken, the siege was lifted from Nineveh thanks to the Scythians, allies of Assyria. 612 BC Nineveh was taken by allied forces - the Medes, Babylonians and Scythians, who sided with the Media. The Scythians establish their dominance over Media for 28 years. 609 BC The Scythians defeated the Egyptian pharaoh. Turn of the 7th-6th centuries BC. Cyaxares (or his son Aliattes) decide to destroy the Scythians and kill their leaders at the feast. After this, some of the Scythians returned to the Black Sea region, and some submitted to the Medes. 590-585 BC The war between Media and Lydia, as a result of which peace was concluded, according to which the Scythians, who fought on the side of Lydia, had to leave Transcaucasia.

650 BC The Scythian leader Ariant conducts a “census” of the population in the Black Sea region. Orders each Scythian to bring a tip. After this he casts a large cauldron. Herodotus has a description -

“In this area (near the upper reaches of the Hypanis - Bug) there is a copper vessel, perhaps six times larger than the vessel for mixing wine, which Pausanias, the son of Cleombrotus, ordered to be dedicated to the gods and placed at the entrance to the Pontus (Black Sea). For those who have not seen this vessel, I will describe it: it can easily hold 600 amphorae, and the thickness of this Scythian vessel is six fingers. According to local residents, it is made from arrowheads. One Scythian king, named Ariant, wanted to know the number of Scythians. For this purpose, he ordered all the Scythians to bring one arrowhead and threatened everyone who did not obey with death. Then the Scythians brought so many arrowheads that the king decided to erect a monument to himself from them: he ordered this copper vessel to be made from the arrowheads and displayed in Exampeia. This is the information I received about the number of Scythians.”

As previously stated, there are opinions that Ariant owned the lands from the Dnieper to the Danube, but at the same time he could rule Scythia as a whole.

Settlement of the Scythians according to Herodotus (Grakov B.N. Scythians - Moscow State University, 1971, pp. 16-17.):

Many hypotheses have also been expressed about them, which, however, are divided on the exact localization of the five main rivers: Istra, Tiras, Hypanis, Borysthenes and Tanais. This allows us to outline the settlement of the tribes in accordance with the data of Herodotus. This is how this settlement appears to us. From the Danube to the Dnieper, the coast is occupied by the Scythians: their northern border with the Neuroi is somewhere on the upper Dniester. The Hypanis and the Dniester bring their flows closer together in the land of the Alazons: this convergence begins immediately above Nikolaev. Along the Bug up the closest people to Olbia are the Callippidae, otherwise the Hellenes-Scythians. Later, in the Olbian decree in honor of Protogen (3rd century BC), they were called “mixellines,” that is, “mixed Hellenes.” This confirms the accuracy of Herodotus' data. Above them lives the Scythian tribe of Alazons, at the convergence of the Bug and the Dniester. Even higher are the Scythian plowmen, somewhere in the interfluve of the same rivers. Near Exampey their border with the Alazons passed. The fourth Scythian tribe, the Scythian farmers, lived along the Dnieper and beyond the Dnieper to Panticap (Ingulets). One must think that the Scythian farmers lived on both banks of the Borysthenes, just as the Scythian nomads, located behind Panticap and further behind the farmers, obviously partly lived within the right bank. In other words, both tribes lived interspersed to some extent. The Scythian nomads on the left bank of the Dnieper lived in the steppes, divided in half by Hypakiris, and reached the Gerrosa (Konki) River. Further to the east and south lived the royal Scythians across the Gerros River. They occupied the steppe to Meotida and Tanais and the northern Crimea to the mountains where the wild Taurians lived. Immediately above the Scythians along the Dnieper lived androphages (cannibals). Herodotus says that they are the only cannibals of all the peoples of Scythia. They wear Scythian clothes, are nomadic, but have their own special language, different from the Scythians.

To the north of the Scythian plowmen and androphages, according to Herodotus, between the fantastic lake from which the Dniester flows and the Dnieper, the Neuroi live immediately to the west of the Dnieper. In other words, the Neuroi occupied a vast space no longer in the steppes, since the upper reaches of the Dnieper and Bug, as well as the adjacent right bank of the Dnieper, are already in the forest-steppe zone. At the same time, they somehow neighbored the Budins located to the east. They told a lot of amazing things about the Neuroi, like werewolves and sorcerers. The Neuroi, according to Herodotus, had Scythian morals.

To the north of the royal Scythians, on the left bank of the Dnieper and further to the east, lived the melanchlens, that is, people wearing black cloaks. Their eastern border is unclear, but somewhere closer to the Don they must have come into contact with the Budins and, perhaps, the Sauromatians. This is a special, non-Scythian tribe, but its way of life is Scythian. Perhaps the Melanchlens were called a non-Scythian people because they had their own language, or because they were not part of the Scythian political group.

Above the Meotians, who occupied the delta and the very lower reaches of the Tanais-Don, three days' journey from its confluence with the Meotida, fifteen days' journey to the northeast on the right bank of the river lived the Sauromatians in the treeless steppe. They allegedly originated from the marriages of the sons of free Scythians and warlike Amazon women. Therefore, their women were warlike, and their language was spoiled Scythian due to the fault of the Amazons who did not understand it. They maintained political independence and were pure nomads.

Above the Sauromatians along the Don, beyond their steppe, but already in heterogeneous forests, that is, in the forest-steppe, lived the Budins - a very large, according to Herodotus, and nomadic people. Their country, somewhere in the west, adjoined Nevrida (the country of the Neuroi), since a generation before Herodotus the Neuroi moved to the land of the Budins. The Budins spoke their own language. They apparently did not border with the Scythians and were undoubtedly politically completely independent. In their country there was a large wooden city, Gelon. It was inhabited by certain Gelons, who spoke either Scythian or Hellenic, and worshiped the Greek gods, in particular Dionysus. They were settled and engaged in agriculture. Other writers, according to Herodotus, were in vain to consider the Gelons and Budins as one people.

Con. VII - beginning VI centuries BC e. The king of the Scythians in the Black Sea region became Gnur, the son of Lik, the grandson of Spargapith.

90-50s VI century BC. Savlius (Kaduit, Kaduin, Kalvid - in some sources) - the son of Gnur - becomes the king of the Scythians. According to Herodotus' version, the murderer of his brother, Anacharsis, one of the seven wise men.

End of the 6th century BC Idanfirs, the son of Savlius, becomes the king of the Scythians, who participates in the war against Darius I. One of the leaders in this war was Skopasis, whose detachment (most likely the Azov Scythians and Sauromatians) was the most combat-ready and mobile. Another leader known from Herodotus, Taxakis, led the army of Gelons and Budins.

514/12 BC War of the Scythians with the Persian king Darius I.

Darius gathered a huge army of 700 thousand people - motley and multilingual, consisting of representatives of 80 nations. With this army, the Persian monarch crossed Asia Minor, crossed to the European side through the Bosporus Strait, and crossed Thrace. And finally, having crossed the Danube along a bridge of ships built for him by mercenaries (Asia Minor Greeks), he entered the Northern Black Sea region - the borders of Scythia. The trip was planned for two months.

The Scythians, well aware of the enemy's actions, also knew about their colossal numbers. They themselves, together with the allied tribes, could field no more than 200 thousand warriors. Realizing the full depth of the danger hanging over them, the Scythians nevertheless decided to fight to the end. To do this, they developed an overall strategic plan for the campaign:

• avoid big battles;
• lure the enemy deep into your territory;
• attack his supply lines;
• destroy with attacks mobile cavalry detachments and small groups of Persians separating from the main forces in search of food and water.

At the same time, retreating, the Scythians filled up wells and springs and burned vegetation - steppe grasses, which served as feed for livestock.

The army of Darius with its huge baggage train, pursuing the Scythians, managed, according to Herodotus, to reach Tanais (Don) and Maeotis (Sea of ​​Azov) in a short time, after which it turned back. From hunger, deprivation, disease and continuous attacks by the Scythian cavalry, the Persians suffered huge losses, without winning a single battle and without capturing any booty. Fortunately for Darius, the Greek mercenaries did not dismantle the bridge on the Danube after the agreed 60 days, and the remnants of his troops and he himself, having avoided death, returned to Persia.

480-460s V century BC Ariapif, the father of Scylus, Octamasad and Orik, became the king of the Scythians. Several important events took place during his reign:

• regulated relations with the Odrysian kingdom (through a dynastic marriage),
• established a protectorate over Olbia (although there is an opinion that this is not so).

He himself was killed by the king of the Agathyrsians (most likely a Thracian tribe) Spargapiths. After the death of the Scythian king, Opia, the wife of Ariapith and the mother of Orik, ascended the throne. The question of whether this character is a real historical figure remains debatable.

OK. 465-447/45 BC After the short reign of Opia, Scylus, the son of Ariapith, comes to power. He was the son of a Greek mother and almost completely adopted Greek culture and, becoming king, settled in Olbia, promoting the commercial interests of Istria. As a result of palace intrigues, he was executed by the Scythians themselves.

50s V century BC Octamasades, also the son of Ariapiths, became the king of the Scythians. He was a relative of the king of the Odryssians - Sitalka. Perhaps with his support for power in the Bosporus in 438 BC. Spartok has arrived. Orik, the brother of Octamasad, most likely ruled Olbia at the same time.

Con. V-beginning IV centuries BC King Atey destroys the other Scythian kings and usurps power.

The Kamensk settlement appears (located near the town of Kamenka-Dneprovskaya and the village of B. Znamenka, Zaporozhye region). From the side of the steppe, the settlement was protected by an earthen rampart and ditch, and from the north and west - by cliffs above the Dnieper, the river. Konka and Belozersky estuary. In the southwestern corner there was an acropolis where the Scythian nobility lived. The main occupations of the inhabitants were the manufacture of bronze and iron tools, weaving, pottery, as well as agriculture and cattle breeding. Craftsmen lived in dugouts and pillared above-ground buildings, the nobility lived in stone houses. The settlement was a large craft and shopping center, closely related to Greek colonies Northern Black Sea region and the local population of Scythia. At the end of the 3rd century. BC the territory of the settlement was abandoned (with the exception of the acropolis, where life continued until the 3rd century AD).

358 BC Istria on the Black Sea coast was subordinated to the Scythian power.

344 BC The Scythians wage a successful war with the tribals who lived on the territory of modern Bulgaria.

343 BC Subordinated to Callatis on the Black Sea coast.

40s IV century BC King Atey, having eliminated the other kings, united the Scythian tribes from the Sea of ​​Azov to the Danube.

339 BC e. War of the Scythians with Philip II of Macedon. According to legend, it was in this war that King Atey died at the age of 90.

It is known from the source that “both sides became irritated, a battle ensued in which the Scythians, despite the superiority of their spiritual prowess and numbers, were defeated by Philip’s cunning; (the victorious Macedonians) took 20 thousand children and women, a lot of cattle, but there was no gold and silver at all, which was the first evidence of the poverty of the Scythians; 20 thousand blood mares were sent to Macedonia for breeding” [Justin. Epitome from the work of Pompey Trogus. "History of Philip" (IX, 2-3)].

On the way back, the Macedonian army was ambushed by tribals.

331 BC Zopyrion was left by Alexander the Great as governor of Thrace, Pontus (or Scythia). Wanting to prove himself, he collects 30 thousand. the army goes to war against the Scythians. Most likely, he reached Olbia, but then he had to flee. As a result, he was overtaken by the Scythians and defeated, losing almost his entire army. He himself dies somewhere in Bessarabia.

313 BC Lysimachus, the ruler of Thrace, inflicted a strong defeat on the Scythians beyond the Danube.

310-309 BC e. Dynastic war in the Bosporan kingdom. Agar, the leader of the Scythians, supported Satyr, but as a result of the battle on the Fat River, another contender for the throne, Eumelus of Bosporus, Satyr’s brother, won.

280-260 BC The Sarmatians invade Scythia and actually completely take over the northern Black Sea region, destroying and expelling the Scythians. Subsequently, part of the Scythians remained at the mouth of the Dnieper and on the Crimean Peninsula. The other part crosses the Danube and settles there, the territory is called Lesser Scythia (Istria-Dobrudja).

Con. III - beginning II centuries BC Great changes are taking place in Scythia. Sarmatian pressure intensifies, as mentioned earlier, the Kamensk settlement ceases to exist (except for the acropolis, which continues to function) on the Dnieper. Throughout the Northern Black Sea region, archaeologists have noted the change from Scythian culture to Sarmatian culture. At the same time, the Scythians in Crimea began to settle, engage in agriculture, fishing, crafts.

130-114/13 BC The reign of the Scythian king Skilur in Crimea. He was able to unite the entire territory of the Scythians in Crimea, right up to the mouth of the Dnieper and South. Buga. He turned Scythian Naples (near modern Simferopol) into the capital. To fight Pontus, he began to attract the Sarmatians (Roxalans) led by Tasius. Skilur managed to capture Kerkinitida, Beautiful Harbor and Fortifications, cities on the western coast of Crimea, which until then were part of the Chersonesos republic.

114/13-111 BC(110-107 BC) Reign of Palak - son of Skilur. In three expeditions, Diophantus successively defeated Palak, conquered the mountain Tauri, occupied the Scythian fortresses of Habaea and Naples in the Crimea and subjugated the Scythians to Mithridates of Pontus.

Later, the Scythians revolted again and Diophantus again went against them, liberated Kerkinitis and the Fortifications and began to besiege the Beautiful Harbor. Palak moved towards him, but was defeated in such a way that, according to the Chersonesos inscription in honor of Diophantus, “no one escaped from the infantry, and only a few escaped from the horsemen.” In the spring, Diophantus marched on Chabaea and Naples and forced the Scythians to sue for peace.

The Scythians living in the Bosporus rebelled against Perisad, the last nominal king of the Bosporus from the previous dynasty, who transferred power to Mithridates VI, but retained his title. The uprising was led by the Scythian Savmak, perhaps the slave-foster of Perisad. The king was killed, Savmak seized power, but Diophantus liquidated this uprising, subjugating Chersonesos, Bosporus and the Steppe Crimea to Mithridates of Pontus.

Through these wars, Tauroscythia was divided into several possessions and no longer represented a single kingdom.

Ser. I century BC The Getae, led by Birebista, cross the Danube and destroy Olbia. The city ceased to exist. Later, the Scythians persuaded the fleeing residents to rebuild the city, but it never recovered from such a blow. This very seriously affected the trade of the Scythians with the Greeks.

80 BC The Pontic stategius Mithridates Neoptol defeated the Scythian fleet and took Thira and Olbia from them. And a little later, in the Kerch Strait, he also defeats the Scythian fleet, and in winter on the ice he defeats the allied forces of the Bosporus and the Scythians. The power and authority of the Scythians has been shaken, but they continue to influence the politics of their region.

I century BC - II century AD According to archaeological data, a strong mixture of Scythians and Sarmatians begins, fortunately their cultures actually coincide, and it is already quite difficult to separate one culture from another.

257 AD The arrival is ready for Crimea. They attack the Bospro kingdom. From that time on, the Scythian kingdom as such ceased to exist.

70s IV century Invasion of the Huns. They sweep away the remnants of the Scythians both in the Crimea and in Istria on the Danube. The Scythians, one might say, completely dissolve in their surrounding ethnic environment.

Social structure

Traces of Scythian presence are also noted in the North Caucasus. The main area of ​​Scythian settlement is the steppes between the lower reaches of the Danube and Don, including the steppe Crimea and areas adjacent to the Northern Black Sea coast. The northern border is unclear. The Scythians were divided into several large tribes. According to Herodotus, the dominant ones were the royal Scythians, who lived in the steppes between the Dnieper and Don. Scythian nomads lived along the right bank of the lower Dnieper and in the steppe Crimea. Between Ingul and the Dnieper, Scythian farmers lived interspersed with nomads. In the basin of the Southern Bug, near the city of Olbia, lived the Callipids, or Hellenic-Scythians, to the north of them were the Alazons, and even further to the north were the Scythian-plowmen. The boundaries of the settlement of individual tribes of Scythia (especially the Scythian ploughmen) are unclear (see map above).

Close relations with the slave-owning cities of the Northern Black Sea region, the intensive Scythian trade in cattle, grain, furs and slaves intensified the process of stratification in Scythian society. It is known that Scythia had a tribal union, which gradually acquired the features of a unique slave-owning state headed by a king.

From the end of the 7th century. BC e. Scythian society knew different gradations of social status:

• slaves of different origins and exploited in different ways;
• “hippotoxots” (mounted riflemen) - free community members;
• the poor, who had the opportunity to fight only on foot;
• different levels of aristocracy from the heads of rich families to nomarchs-skeptuchs;
• kings from local to three leading ones with the eldest in position at the head.

By the beginning of the 6th century. BC social stratification reaches large sizes. The grounds for saying so are provided by the burials of that era. Grandiose royal burial mounds with murdered servants and concubines and simple burial pits with a minimum of grave goods. The majority of free community members fought on horseback and had some property, but already at that time “eight-legged” appeared. These were Scythians on foot who only had a couple of oxen to harness to the cart, hence the name. There were also poor people who had nothing. From these the Scythian infantry was formed, which, over time, grew more and more in numbers.

A layer of slaves also appeared, initially foreigners. In the legends and descriptions of Herodotus, slaves were the local population in the territories captured by the Scythians.

The royal power was hereditary, but there were several kings. This can be seen, for example, from the wars with Assyria, when one or another king could be an enemy and ally of Assyria. We see the same thing during the invasion of Darius, when the Scythians formed three detachments, each headed by its own king. At the same time, power apparently belonged to one dynasty.

Until the 5th century BC royal power was limited to the council of kings or a military assembly. In other cases, the king's power was unlimited. An attack on her would result in beheading or death at the stake.

Already in the 4th century. Atey ruled Scythia solely, subordinate to other rulers, named in one of the Olbian inscriptions as basileus, i.e. kings.

Farm

Herodotus points out that some of the Scythian tribes were engaged in cultivating the land. Wheat, barley, millet, beans, onions, and garlic were grown. It also indicates hemp, from which linen was made, and some kind of drug for smoking.

The bulk of the Scythians were engaged in nomadic cattle breeding. It was year-round. In winter, tebenevka was widespread (the cattle themselves obtained food from under the snow). Some of the nomads migrated to the Azov region to the river estuaries, where tall grass remained. Felt yurts were on wheels and were harnessed to a pair of oxen. Such caravans of wagons were accompanied by mounted male warriors.

Judging by the excavations of the Kamensky settlement, the composition of the herds was as follows:

• horses - 40%
• cattle - 40%
• small cattle (sheep, goats) - 18%
• dogs, game: deer, saiga, beaver - 2%

Interestingly, the Scythians did not breed pigs even in the sedentary centers of their state.

Accordingly, not only meat was used, but also skins and wool. They sewed sheepskin coats, made felt, and tanned leather. Milk was also used for food; it was not for nothing that the Scythians were called mares milkers and milkeds.

A large number of iron-smelting workshops were discovered in the Kamensky settlement. Copper was mined in small quantities near Donetsk, and also most likely came along trade routes from the Caucasus and the Southern Urals. Zinc for bronze was mined on the Lower Dnieper, the origin of tin is still unclear.

Iron was in sufficient quantities in the swamps of the Dnieper flood plains. Iron smelting was extremely uneconomical; 40-60% remained in the slag. Judging by the excavations, large patriarchal families were engaged in ironworking - about 900 hectares in the Kamensky settlement were dotted with large houses (150-300 m³ each), in which there were forges for the production of various weapons and equipment.

Next to the metallurgists lived carpenters, whose tools (chisels, axes, adzes) were also found in large quantities, both in the settlement and in the mounds. The fact that carpenters were, after all, a specialization is indicated by the fact that yurts on wheels have many wooden parts. In addition, there were permanent dwellings - winter roads, which also had to be maintained by carpenters.

Pottery was developed. The potter's wheel was little used; the dishes were molded by hand from clay strands. We find analogies of Scythian dishes to the late Srub culture. The dishes are basically round-sided pots with a vertical, slightly flared neck or with a gently bent edge. Narrow-necked dishes with a spherical body are also found.

Weaving was also common in the Scythian environment. a lot of clay and lead spindle whorls are found. They are found in settlements and as an obligatory element in women's burials. The material for the fabric is sheep wool and hemp. In addition to fabrics, mats were woven, and felt was also used.

Since the 7th century. BC Trade between the Scythians and the Greek cities of the Black Sea region became regular. The main goods that the Scythians supplied to markets were bread and slaves. Moreover, the scope of the grain trade was large. Even on the coins of the Scythian kings an ear of wheat was depicted. It was on such trade that the Bosporan kingdom rose (the export of grain accounted for the lion's share of exports). The grain trade was developed until the 3rd century. BC until the Sarmatian invasion, then it began to gradually subside, giving way to the cattle trade. Along with livestock, furs were also exported, which came from the forest-steppe zone, through the lands of the Scythians. Honey and wax were also exported.

A significant share in the trade also belonged to the export of slaves. Since the 6th century. BC The names of Scythian slaves appear in ancient inscriptions. At the same time, Scythians arrived in large numbers in Greece to participate in wars. In addition to the Scythians, a large number of slaves came from the tribes of the Getae, Triballians, Sarmatians and Maeotians. At the turn of the 3rd and 2nd centuries. BC the flow of Scythian slaves weakened.

As for imports into Scythia itself, it is worth highlighting wine, which came in huge quantities from Greece. As a result, Greek dishes became widespread - not only amphoras for wine, but also vessels for incense, ointments, and perfumes, which were often found in the graves of rich and simple Scythians.

Fabrics and clothing also arrived in the steppe - Greek writers report this. Jewelry came in large quantities - mirrors, glass and paste beads, earrings and various jewelry. The Scythians also often acted as intermediaries in trade with more northern forest-steppe and forest tribes.

Sources

• B.N. Grakov. Scythians. Popular science essay. M.: Moscow State University Publishing House, 1968.
• Archeology of the USSR. Steppes of the European part of the USSR in the Scythian-Sarmatian period. M.: Publishing house "Nauka", 1989.
• M.I. Artamonov. Cimmerians and Scythians. L.: Leningrad State University Publishing House, 1974.
• V.I. Gulyaev. Scythians: the rise and fall of a great kingdom. 2006

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

In ancient times, approximately from 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 there lived a freedom-loving and warlike tribe, or rather tribes that went down in history under the common name of Scythians. Who were the ancient Scythians, what is their history, religion, culture, read on about all this.

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 the answer to who these Scythians are. The fact is that different historians included a variety of tribes and peoples among the Scythians, including our ancestors the ancient Slavs. And in some medieval manuscripts even Kievan Rus is called Scythia. But, in the end, historians came to a consensus that 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, Sauromatians, Saks, Meotians, should be called the peoples of the Scythian world, since they have many common features in their way of life and culture, tribal way of life, rituals and worldview.

Map archaeological finds Scythian burial mounds. As we see, despite the wide territories where this ancient people, most of the Scythians lived in the Northern Black Sea region and there is reason to believe that this was where 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 information about them from other peoples is very contradictory. The main source of historical information about them is the works of the historian Herodotus. According to one of the legends, which is mentioned by the “father of history,” the Scythian nomads came from Asia to the territory of the northern Black Sea region, expelling 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, and what does Her Majesty archeology say about the origin of the Scythians? Archaeological excavations also, unfortunately, do not provide an exact answer to the question and the origin of the Scythians. Thus, most Scythians led a nomadic lifestyle and could move long distances in a relatively short period of time. And it is also very difficult to single out 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. Supporters of another theory argue that the Scythians, on the contrary, from ancient times lived in the steppes of the Black Sea region, and acquired some of their Asian features during their campaigns beyond the Caucasus ridge, into Mesopotamia and Asia Minor, which took place in the 7th century BC. e. Unfortunately, we don’t know how it really happened.

History of the Scythians

The heyday of Scythian civilization occurred in the 7th century; it was at this time that the Scythians dominated not only the steppes of the Black Sea region, but also all 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 BC. that is, all the Scythian tribes rallied to repel the conquest undertaken by King Darius I. The 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 back into the steppes of the Black Sea region.

Around the III-II century BC. e. Scythian civilization begins to decline. The territory where the Scythians lived also shrank significantly. In the end, the Scythians themselves were conquered and destroyed by their distant relatives - the nomadic tribes of the Sarmatians. The remnants of the Scythian kingdom continued to exist in the Crimea for some time, but from there they were soon forced out by the Gothic tribes.

Scythian culture

The entire culture of the Scythians, their life, their way of life is literally imbued with military affairs; obviously, there was no other way to survive in the harsh conditions in which they lived. Not only all men, but also most women were warriors in Scythian society. It is with the stern Scythian warriors that ancient legends about the tribe of Amazons, brave female warriors, are associated. At the head of the Scythian society were 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 more likely to be first among equals than a ruler with unlimited power. The functions of the king included command of the army, he was also the supreme judge, resolved disputes between his subjects and performed religious rituals. But the most important matters were discussed at democratic public assemblies, known as the “Council of the Scythians.” Sometimes the Scythian council even decided the fate of their kings.

An objectionable king could also easily be overthrown 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 the king’s betrayal of Scythian customs and the punishment for this was death king

Speaking of the Greeks, the Scythians conducted intensive trade with them for centuries, especially with the Greek colony cities in the Black Sea region: Olbia, Chersonesos. The Scythians were frequent guests there, and, of course, some of the cultural influences of the Greeks did affect the Scythians; Greek ceramics, Greek coins, Greek women's jewelry, and even various works of art by Greek masters were often found in their burials. Some particularly enlightened Scythians, like the already mentioned Scythian king Anarcharsis, were imbued with the ideas of Greek philosophers and 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 works of Herodotus one can find many references to the harsh Scythian customs, like the Scythians themselves. So, when killing the first enemy, the Scythian was supposed to drink his blood. The Scythians also had, like the American Indians, bad habit remove scalps from defeated enemies, from which they then sewed cloaks for themselves. To receive his share of the spoils, a Scythian had to present the severed head of an 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.

Fortune telling was popular in Scythian society; special soothsayers used bundles of twigs or linden sponges to tell fortunes. Friendship Ties The Scythians secured it with a special ritual - the blood of both friends was poured into a cup of wine, then after the vows were pronounced, this wine with blood was drunk by both friends.

Most interesting works Art objects discovered by archaeologists in Scythian burial mounds are objects decorated in animal style. These include 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 various animals fighting. These images were made using forging, chasing, casting, embossing and carving, most often from gold, silver, bronze or iron.

All these objects of art were indeed created by Scythian craftsmen; 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 have their heads turned towards the viewer. For the Scythians themselves, they served as the personification of animal totemic 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 of arrows were intended to symbolize the strength, dexterity and courage of the Scythian warrior.

Scythian warfare

All Scythian warriors were excellent horsemen and often used cavalry in battle. They were also the first to successfully use strategic retreat in the war against the Persians, significantly exhausting the Persian troops. Subsequently, the military art of the Scythians became significantly outdated, and they began to suffer military defeats, either from the united Macedonian phalanx or mounted Parthian archers.

Scythian religion

The religious life of the Scythians was dominated by the cult of fire and the Sun. An important ritual was the veneration of the royal hearth. Religious rituals were performed by 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 a major role, whose main task was to search for the enemy of the king and to prevent the magical machinations of enemies. The illness of both the king and any other Scythian was explained precisely by the magical machinations of some enemy, and the task of the soothsayers was to find these enemies and eliminate their machinations in the form of illness. (This is a kind of ancient Scythian medicine)

The Scythians did not build temples, but they 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 sacrifices.

Scythians, video

And in conclusion, we suggest watching an interesting documentary about the Scythians.

When writing the article, I tried to make it as interesting, useful and high-quality as possible. I would be grateful for any feedback and constructive criticism in the form of comments on the article. You can also write your wish/question/suggestion to my email. [email protected] or on Facebook, sincerely the author.

1.4. Scythians and Russians

Yes, we are Scythians...

Alexander Blok

The Sarmatian Alans, direct descendants of the Scythians, “populated the endless wastelands of Great Scythia” in the 4th century. n. e., still maintaining political independence; in sources they are mentioned back in the 5th–7th centuries. Material culture of the southern Russian steppes of the 1st millennium AD. e. also reveals continuity in relation to the previous era. The same mounds, the same treasures... the last of which, Pereshchepinsky, dates back to the end of the 7th century. n. e. In the same century, on the territory of the East European Plain, over a vast area, cultures appeared that archaeologists attribute to the Eastern Slavs - the Russians; from this time on, the name Rus appears constantly in modern sources.

It would seem that the simplest considerations are enough to understand: the Sarmatian Alans inhabited the same region as before in the early Middle Ages, but... until recently it was believed that at that very time they “disappeared in an unknown direction.” The whole point is that it was the “era of the great migration of peoples”; So the Alans “moved” somewhere - so they assured us.

Where did the Scythians = Sarmatians = Alans, a numerous people who, back in the 4th–5th centuries, actually “go” to? (testimony of Ammianus Marcellinus) inhabited the vast expanses of Great Scythia from the Danube to the banks of the Ganges? Of course, they haven't disappeared anywhere. Anthropological studies have shown that in the formation of the modern Russian type, it was the steppe, Scythian-Sarmatian component that was of main importance. According to Academician V.P. Alekseev, “UNDOUBTEDLY, THAT THE LARGE PART OF THE POPULATION WHO LIVED IN THE SOUTH RUSSIAN STEPPEES IN THE MIDDLE OF THE 1st MILLION. BC, ARE THE PHYSICAL ANCESTORS OF THE EAST SLAVIC TRIBES OF THE MIDDLE AGES.” And “the Scythian anthropological type, in turn, reveals continuity since the Bronze Age (III-II millennium BC) 47 .

We emphasize that this conclusion was obtained on the basis of modern scientific methods, which make it possible to distinguish the anthropological type not only of two different peoples, but also of different tribal groups within one people. And all the data speaks about one thing: modern Russians are direct descendants of the early medieval Alans, “ancient” Sarmatians, Iron Age Scythians, Cimmerians of the Late Bronze Age and the Aryans of the ancient Yamnaya culture.

There is nothing strikingly new about this. The similarity between the ancient Scythians and modern Russians is striking both in the surviving images and in the descriptions of contemporaries. All these descriptions speak of one thing: quite tall, slender and strong build, light eyes and light brown hair, that is, typical features of the Nordic white race.

Claudius Galen (2nd century BC) wrote about the Germans, Sauromatians and “the entire Scythian tribe” that their hair was moderately growing, thin, straight and light brown, their skin was soft, white and hairless. Ammianus Marcellinus on the Alans, 4th century. n. e.: “Almost all Alans are tall and handsome, with moderately blond hair”... Procopius of Caesarea about the Slavs, VI century: “they are all tall and strong, their complexion is not quite white, their hair is neither light brown nor completely black, but reddish”... Ibn Fadlan about the Russians, 10th century: “And I have not seen people with more perfect bodies than them. They are like palm trees, ruddy and red." 48

The images of the Scythians that have come down to us are even more eloquent. Mithridates the First, founder of the power of the Parthian Empire, in 141 BC. e. recognized as the king of Babylonia, judging by his image on coins, had Russian facial features 49 . Not only that: he also wore a well-known bowl hairstyle with a narrow bandage and a beard (this is how Russian men are usually depicted). Who was this Mithridates, “a man of extraordinary valor” (as Pompey Trog wrote about him), and why the name is still so loved in Russia Dmitry?

During excavations of the palace in Nisa, the ancient capital of the Parthian kingdom (Turkmenistan), the “head of a warrior in a helmet” was found, which was part of an unpreserved statue 50. He has the face of a Russian hero from a fairy tale - this is how Dobrynya Nikitich is usually painted... On the relief portrait of the Scythian king Skilur and his son, found on the ruins of Naples in the Crimea back in 1827 (then mysteriously disappeared and preserved only in a copy), you can see the same thing : Russian faces!

In Nisa, a female sculptural portrait of outstanding artistic merit was discovered, supposedly depicting the “Amazon” Rodogunda, a Parthian princess who became the wife of one of the Seleucid princes 51 . According to Polnen, at the moment when Rodogunda was washing her hair, a messenger came to her, reporting the uprising of one of the subject peoples. Without washing her hair, Rodogunda mounted her horse and led the army into battle, vowing to do her hair only after the victory, which she did. Since then, on the seals of the Parthian kings, an image of her with flowing hair was minted, with which the sculptural portrait from Nysa also shows similarities.

The Greek author Philostratus wrote about Rodogunda: “She makes a sacrifice to the gods and gratitude... she prays that the gods will continue to let her defeat her enemies, as she defeated them now... Her eyes, changing their color, turn from blue to dark blue, receiving his gaiety from a given mood, his beauty from nature, his commanding gaze from the consciousness of power” 52.

This is exactly the image of the woman in the portrait from Nisa: a realistic manner of execution, refined beauty and... purely Russian, and Great Russian, facial features. But the portrait of the round-faced Dynamia, queen of the Bosporan kingdom (Crimea-Taman) at the turn of our era, represents a slightly different type, rather close to the modern Ukrainian, but also Slavic...

In one of the mounds in Southern Siberia (in a cenotaph that did not contain the body of the deceased, probably “missing in action” on the battlefield), a medallion was discovered with a portrait of the deceased, who had a Caucasian oval face and a prominent nose, but at the same time some “cheekbones” and “squint” in the eyes. These features are characteristic of the indigenous Russian inhabitants of Siberia to this day...

The portraits of the Scythian era that have reached us convey not just the Russian anthropological type, but also its characteristic local subtypes that exist to this day. And the clothes of the Scythians were not too different from those worn by Russians almost until the 20th century. A man's costume, judging by the surviving wall frescoes, images on gold jewelry, and vases, consisted of a long shirt, a caftan with a belt and often long folding sleeves, a cape with a fastener on the chest or one shoulder, wide trousers or narrow pants tucked into soft leather boots. Men's hairstyle: a mandatory beard, rather long hair among the Black Sea Scythians, but a short haircut among the Sarmatians and a bowl haircut among the Central Asian Sakas and Parthians. It would seem a simple costume, found among many nations; but in fact, in ancient times, few people wore such a now familiar item of men’s clothing as “ordinary trousers.” It is enough to remember the “civilized” Romans and Greeks, walking around in short tunics (and it’s not hot in Italy in winter) to understand why neither the Greek nor the Roman armies were able to break into the Russian steppes... For comparison, it is worth recalling that “Long, ordinary pants” have been worn in Western Europe only for the last two centuries (in the Middle Ages they preferred stockings, and since the 16th century, stockings with short shorts).

As follows from the Scythian way of life and as sources testify, women often wore the same “trouser suit” as men (this is how the Amazons were depicted on Greek vases). But for beauty, Scythian and Sarmatian women still dressed in long dresses. These dresses were decorated with embroidery, beaded trim on the chest, sleeves and hem, beads, and buttons; were sewn from home-grown wool and imported brocade 53.

Scythian faces. Drawings from gold objects by G. Tomm. Over the millennia, the anthropological type of the Boreals of the Northern Black Sea region, the Rus-Indo-Europeans, the Cimmerians, the Scythians, the Sauromatians, the Sarmatians and the Russians has remained virtually unchanged. Now, having the entire amount of information, we can say with confidence that we are dealing with one ethnos (ethnologically more accurately called a superethnos), which historians “inscribe in the annals” under different names. Even in our memory, we Russians have already been Great Russians, Soviets, and Russians... And in Europe, right up to the 19th century, we were called either Scythians, or “Tatars,” or Huns...

An ordinary dress: what’s surprising about it?.. But again, it should be recalled that in the southern countries of antiquity they did not wear tailored dresses, but draperies made from a single piece of fabric - clothes like an Indian sari or a Greek chiton. People in eastern Asia have long dressed in robes. Northern and Western Europe I had a passion for shirts with skirts and sundress-type clothes. It turns out that no one except Sarmatian women wore real dresses... until the Middle Ages.

But is the traditional Russian women's costume related to the Sarmatian dress? In the north and west - no, the sundress and skirt have taken root there. But in the south, in the Cossack regions... It is well known that the South Russian (Cossack) women's costume is precisely a dress decorated with embroidery, beads, braid, etc. The most ordinary dress, the cut of which arose much earlier than “Western” fashion This type of clothing reached Moscow (XVIII century). It must be assumed that the SOUTH RUSSIAN TYPE OF WOMEN'S DRESS dates back BACK TO THE SARMATIAN ERA...

The ancient Scythians and Sarmatians not only looked like Russians - they combed their hair and dressed the same way, and the Sarmatian type of clothing was better preserved in the southern Russian steppe regions.

In the same way, other household items and works of applied art show continuity. Something that cannot be faked, something that cannot be borrowed coincides: not so much the technique as the unique style and patterns. “In the living quarters [of the Scythian capital of Crimea, Naples], beautiful plates of carved bone were found, which were used to decorate Scythian caskets. THE PATTERNS, WITH LOVE, MADE BY SCYTHIAN FOLK CARVERS, VIVIDLY REMEMBER IN THEIR CHARACTER OF RUSSIAN WOOD CARVING” 54 .

The connection with the Sarmatian era is especially clear in the material culture of the population of the medieval Chernigov-Seversky principality. Here ancient traditions were preserved intact. Thus, women's jewelry - temple rings - in the Severn principality, unlike other regions of Kievan Rus, were made in the shape of a spiral. It is known that spiral-shaped jewelry, rings, and bracelets were widely used by the Sarmatian “Amazons.” Temporal rings (which served to support the hairstyle in the form of long braids laid around the head and a headdress) are considered characteristic, typically Slavic things of the early Middle Ages. But we should not forget that the same rings were found among the Sarmatian treasures of the ancient era 55. The oldest temple rings in Southern Russia date back to the Bronze Age - the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC. e.

Scythian fine art had the most significant influence on the culture of medieval Rus' as a whole - not only its southern part. This influence affected not so much the technique as the deeply original style, which is almost impossible to repeat outside of tradition. Thus, the portrait reliefs found at the site (of Naples), especially the image of the young Palak (son of King Skilur) on a horse, are distinguished by their original character. They are somewhat reminiscent of LATER IMAGES OF GEORGE THE VICTORIOUS IN ANCIENT RUSSIAN ART... One of the military leaders (buried in the mausoleum of Naples) had a carved stone made of dark red carnelian in the shape of a scarab... On its reverse side there is a skillfully carved portrait head of a bearded Scythian in a high hat. HIS APPEARANCE IS CLOSE TO THE IMAGES OF ANCIENT RUSSIAN PRINCES” 56.

The most important ethnographic criterion is housing. Peoples are able to maintain its type constant, even after moving to completely different natural conditions. Judging by the excavations, in cities like Naples - the capital of the Crimean kingdom - the Scythians lived in solid stone houses with tiled roofs; their images are preserved on paintings. A Scythian house is “a dwelling with a gable roof, the awnings of which protect the walls from water runoff. On the ridge of the roof there is a vertical arrow, on its sides are the heads of two horses carved from wood, with their muzzles facing in different directions. All this vividly reminds us of a RUSSIAN HUT WITH THE SAME CARVED SKATES ON THE SAME ROOF” 57.

Far from the sunny Crimea, at the other end of Great Scythia - in Altai - houses of the same type were built, only not from stone, but from wood. The classic log hut was the main dwelling of the ancient Siberians. Already one type of dwelling presupposes sedentary life and completely excludes continuous nomadism. What about the famous steppe yurt? It turns out that it was also invented by the Scythians, but was used only during the summer season, as a kind of camping tent*.

* These details are noted very accurately. The Scythians were not nomads. They led a “Cossack” way of life: they were farmers and cattle breeders; when threatened, they gathered an army, mounted horses, and took up arms. Young people were constantly on patrol and at outposts. When the lands were depleted, the Scythians left them and moved to new lands and pastures. Huge carts were pulled by oxen, and people spent the night in the carts and in “yurt” tents. Detachments of armed horsemen guarded the clan. Sometimes the nomadic journey was very long. This is exactly what the real Aryan, Indo-European way of life was - not the “blond beasts” from the pseudo-Germanic poems composed in the 19th century, but great workers-creators, grain farmers and cattle breeders, fearless warriors. Moving from the Northern Black Sea region in search of arable land and pastures, the Aryan Rus settled Europe, Siberia and Asia, right up to the Indus and Ganges valleys, Altai, Sayan, and Inner Mongolia. Strict adherence to traditions and caste allowed them to preserve themselves as Caucasian Rus for a very long time, for thousands of years. And yet, assimilation among the autochthons has done its job - and therefore we cannot always immediately recognize our ancestors among the peoples and nationalities of Eurasia. - Note Yu. D. Petukhova.

One of the most reliable criteria for the belonging of a particular archaeological culture to any ethnic group is ceramic. Simply put, the shape of ordinary household pottery remains unchanged if a people retains its cultural tradition at all. It is easy to see that the molded ceramics of the Sarmatian era show striking similarities with Russian medieval ones. However, what is medieval - even now you can still find its most common types: an ordinary jug (with convex sides and a neck that widens upward, the so-called glacier), an ordinary pot (hemispherical, egg-shaped), an ordinary bowl. The traditions of Sarmatian ceramics go back thousands of years. In essence, its main type, the egg-shaped pot, has remained almost unchanged since the time of the Dnieper-Donetsk culture of the 5th millennium BC. e.

On the one hand, the constancy of the anthropological type of the population of the steppes of Southern Russia, on the other, the same stable continuity of material culture. And all this can be clearly traced, starting from the early Middle Ages to the Bronze and Neolithic Ages (IV–V millennia BC). No breaks! Could it be that the southern Russian steppes were inhabited by different peoples all this time?

Of course not. There is reliable evidence that the inhabitants of the southern Russian steppes remembered kinship, maintaining contact with their ancestors. It is well known that, starting around 3000 BC. e., in Russia the ritual of burial under mounds was adopted. Despite the change in details, this ritual was preserved until the early Middle Ages (when it was known among the “historical” Slavs), and disappeared only with the adoption of Christianity.

But that's not the main point. Kurgan burial grounds of different eras were erected, as a rule, in the same places, one next to the other; This is how entire “cities” of the dead arose, striking in their antiquity and continuity more than the Egyptian pyramids. Or “inlet” burials were made in the same mound - and this continued for thousands of years! Thus, in the group of mounds on the Ponur River (Kalininsky district of the Krasnodar Territory) burials from the Early Bronze Age (Yamnaya culture of the 3rd millennium BC) to the Polovtsy inclusive are represented, and in the Malaya 1 mound there are successive burials of the Early and Late Bronze Ages, and in mound Greeks 1 - from early iron and Sarmatian catacombs to the Cumans. In the “Tsar’s Mound near the Lebedi farm (of the same area), erected during the Yamnaya culture era, inlet burials of the Iron Age and the Middle Ages were made.

The group of mounds near the village of Grushevskoye (Stavropol Territory) represents the Bronze Age (starting with the Yamnaya culture), Scythians, Sarmatians, and Polovtsians. In the mounds on the Bystraya River (between the Don and the Seversky Donets), erected in the Middle Bronze Age (Catacomb culture), inlet burials of the Sarmatians were made. Among the mounds near the Krasnoarmeisky farm (Rostov region) the most ancient are pit mounds (Early Bronze Age), then catacomb, Sarmatian, and Pecheneg ones. In one mound near the Cherkasy site (Pavlovsky district of the Voronezh region), three burials of the pit, seven catacomb and four timber-frame cultures were discovered; The burial ground functioned continuously for almost two thousand years. Groups of mounds have been found in the Kursk region, which represent successive burials from the Bronze Age to medieval Slavic 58.

The constancy and continuity of the funeral rite over thousands of years confirms that the inhabitants of the southern Russian steppes considered their predecessors as direct ancestors. If the ethnic composition of the population changed, or even simply with a strong cultural “gap” (the adoption of Christianity), such constancy would be impossible. The same religious beliefs and traditions were maintained in Russia for at least four thousand years, including the "historical" Slavic era of the early Middle Ages.

Scythians on a vessel from the Kul-Oba mound. Here we see two different renderings from one original. Artists often, in order to create more “colorful images,” coarse the features of the original types, making them more “oriental.” In order to be convinced of the complete similarity of the Scythians with the Rus, it is better to look at the originals - they are widely represented not only in Moscow and St. Petersburg, but also in the cities of the Northern Black Sea region. When archaeologists of the 19th century. for the first time they saw “Scythian gold”, they were simply amazed - “local Russian men,” according to them, were “the spitting image of the Scythians”

For thousands of years, not only have they been supported cities of the dead, but also cities of the living. Thus, multi-layered settlements in the Oskol valley reveal layers from the Bronze Age to the Middle Ages and even... XVII-XVIII centuries. The Vorgol settlement (Eletsk district of the Lipetsk region) represents materials from the Bronze Age, Early Iron Age, Slavic-Russian time, a settlement in the Seim basin (Kursk region) - from the Early Iron Age to the Slavic Romen culture 59. And so on, and so on...

All classic archaeological criteria indicate the continuity of the culture of the population of medieval Rus'(at least its southern regions) in relation to the steppe culture of the Bronze and Iron Ages.

It is not surprising, therefore, that the morals and customs of the Scythians, known from modern sources, surprisingly resemble Slavic ones. Judging by the descriptions of Herodotus (History, 4, 62–74), the Scythians loved to take a steam bath, worshiped the sword as a symbol of the god of war, and erected mounds over the graves of deceased leaders; sealing the agreement, they drank wine with blood; predicting the future, they told fortunes on willow twigs and linden bast. All these rituals are also known among the medieval Slavs. True, Scythian custom scalp from a defeated enemy and finishing his skull in the shape of a bowl * went out of fashion in later times, but this can be attributed to the influence of Christianity (just like the cessation of burial mounds).

* Processing of skulls, the “cult of the dead head” is the oldest tradition of the Indo-European Rus since the times of Natuf and Jericho (Yaricho). From the cult of the “death’s head” the cult of the “good ancestor” - the “brownie” was born. Processing the enemy's skull and making cult bowls spoke of respect for this enemy. Among the Scythians, this cult was less developed than, say, among the Celts, a filial people isolated from the superethnos of the Rus-Indo-Europeans. The later “Scythians” - the Pechenegs and Cumans, contrary to popular belief, were not Turks. They were descendants of the pagan Scythians and therefore continued the traditions of their ancestors. We remember that Prince (“Khan”) Kurya made a cup from Svyatoslav’s skull; it was a tribute to the great commander. - Note Yu. D. Petukhova.

The social structure and peculiarities of the customs of the Scythians are practically indistinguishable from the Slavic ones (known from sources of the early Middle Ages). The same territorial community, consisting of personally free people with full rights, the same aversion to slavery. Equality of rights for men and women, up to the latter performing military service (back in the 7th century, Constantinople was stormed by “slavinki”; ​​back in the 10th century, there were women in Svyatoslav’s army). True, in the Middle Ages, Slavic women, like Sarmatians once, did not have to kill an enemy in order to gain the right to marry; and here, probably, the softening influence of Christianity affected.

Finally, the Scythian and medieval Slavic type of economy have great similarities. As archaeological research shows and as impartial sources testify, the Scythians were by no means barbarian nomads, but settled (albeit mobile) cattle breeders and farmers, skilled metallurgists, city builders, differing little in the way of farming from their descendants - the Slavs.

What is the conclusion from all this?

Let’s leave it to P.N. Shultz, the head of the Tauro-Scythian archaeological expedition of the Institute of the History of Material Culture of the USSR Academy of Sciences, who has been excavating Scythian Naples since 1945: “.. The Scythians seemed to many to be wild nomads who did not know cities and urban culture, who did not have their own states. Some pre-revolutionary and foreign scientists believed that the Scythians were nomadic hordes of either Mongolian or Iranian origin. It was believed that the Scythians existed for five to six centuries, and after the wars with Diophantus, the commander of King Mithridates of Pontus, they allegedly disappeared to no one knows where and how. How could such a large and powerful nation suddenly disappear, about whose numbers, courage and invincibility ancient authors wrote extensively and unanimously? The excavations of Soviet archaeologists on the Dnieper, Bug, Dniester, Don, Kuban, and especially the excavations of Scythian Naples completely refute these incorrect, pseudoscientific ideas about the Scythian tribes. The Scythians did not disappear or disappear anywhere... The Scythians created not only their own state, but also their own urban culture. In Naples we get acquainted with the monuments of Scythian architecture, with its powerful defensive walls and towers, with an exceptionally interesting mausoleum, ceremonial buildings decorated with sculptures, with its residential plastered houses covered with tiles... But what is especially important is that IN THE CHARACTER OF SCYTHIAN SETTLEMENTS AND HOUSINGS, IN THE FUNERAL RITE (the custom of burying in circles and slaughtering a war horse), in Scythian paintings, in handicraft objects, in particular in tableware, wooden carvings, ornaments, and in clothing, we find more and more common features with CULTURE AND LIFE OF THE ANCIENT SLAVS. It is becoming increasingly clear that the Scythian agricultural tribes, along with other peoples and tribes of Eastern Europe, played their role in the formation of the Eastern Slavs, and that the ancient Russian culture was not at all created by the Varangians or aliens from Byzantium, as foreign pseudo-scientists insisted.

The Russian nationality and culture have deep local roots that go deep into centuries, and it is appropriate to recall the words of M.V. Lomonosov that among the “ancient ancient principals of the current Russian people ... Scythians are not the last part” 60.

The Scythians and Sarmatians were the direct, physical ancestors of the Russians, and it is not surprising that the descendants wore the same clothes, built the same houses and sculpted the same pots as their ancestors.

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Attempts by the Persians and Greeks to conquer the Scythians failed every time. When in 331 BC. e. One of the governors of Alexander the Great, Zopyrion, with 30 thousand soldiers, embarked on a campaign to Scythia; he was destroyed along with his entire army. And yet the 4th century - the century of the heyday of Scythia - became the prelude to the decline of Scythian power. But the decline period lasted 500 years.

The Sarmatians were advancing on the Scythians from the east, and little by little they began to move to the right bank of the Don. And in the 2nd century BC, the Sarmatians launched a decisive offensive. The territory subject to the Scythians was significantly reduced and was cut in two. The capital of the Scythian kingdom was moved to Crimea, to the site of present-day Simferopol. The Greeks called it Naples - “New City”. The life of the Scythian nobility by this time had undergone strong Hellenization, the Scythians had by that time lost their former passionarity, the elite was mired in luxury and debauchery, and the common people hated the elite.

The Scythians mixed more and more with the peoples around them, and the Scythian culture gradually lost its unique features. In the 3rd century AD, life in Scythian Naples ceased, and the Scythians disappeared from the arena of history, where they had been one of the main characters for almost a millennium.

Egyptian monuments brought to us the appearance of the “peoples of the sea” - the Cimmerin warriors who fought with Pharaoh Ramesses. They are depicted “with shaved beards and heads, with long mustaches sticking out apart and a forelock, which our Cossacks wore in the 16th-17th centuries; stern facial features, with a straight forehead, a long straight nose... On their heads are high conical lambskin caps; on the torso there are shirts with a border at the hem and something like chain mail or leather jackets. On the legs there are trousers and large boots with knee-length boots and narrow toes... The boots are real, modern, the kind that simple Cossacks wear now. On the hands are mittens... Armament: short spear, bow and axe."

It should also be noted that Egyptian sources called the “peoples of the sea” Gita (Geta), and this name has been one of the most common in the Scythian environment since ancient times; Thus, in the time of Herodotus, the “getae” lived on the Danube, the “fissa-getae” on the Volga and the “massa-getae” in Central Asia... Judging by the images, these ancient Scythian-getae were surprisingly similar to the medieval Cossacks. Is this why the Cossack leaders bore the title “Hetman”?

The Russian Nikanorov Chronicle reports about the wars of the Scythians in Egypt; it mentions the campaigns against Egypt of the Russian ancestors, the brothers “Scythian and Zardan”. The "Zardana" from this message can be compared with the name of one of the "sea peoples" who attacked Egypt, namely the "Shardans"; these “shardans”, some time after the campaign against Egypt, invaded the island. Sardinia and gave it its name - Shardania, which later transformed into Sardinia. The mention of “Scythian and Zardan” makes it possible to attribute the message in the Nikanor Chronicle not to the Scythian campaigns of the 6th-7th centuries BC. but to the invasion of the "Sea Peoples", known from Egyptian sources, around 1200 BC. This is one of the earliest events in Russian history preserved in national historiography, an event that can be reliably dated.