Map of the territory of the settlement of the Scythians. Russians are not Slavs. What are the causes of mass migrations of the population

Chapter 4 “To the sound of swords and the singing of arrows”: the political history of the Scythians Born in the snows for the horrors of war, There are fierce sons of cold Scythia, Hiding behind Istr, waiting for prey And every moment they threaten the villages with a raid ... A. Pushkin The Scythians in Western Asia In one of their books

Chapter 6 Economy and life of the Scythians He loved the dark nights in the tent, The bay mares of the steppe neighing, And before the battle the howling of the wolf, And kites on the gloomy hillock. Struggling to quench the passion of violent power, He galloped after the enemy like a frenzy, To chase with insolence

Chapter 7 Power and a Warrior in the Kingdom of the Scythians As if from childhood I was accustomed to battles! Everything in the expanse of the steppes is dear to me! And my voice is right in tune With the deafening swearing howl... V.

The social structure of the Scythians Political dominance in Scythia belonged to the royal Scythians, who considered all the tribes subject to them to be their slaves, but, apparently, they were rather tributaries. Power in the country belonged to the family of Scythian kings, who shared their control

Military affairs of the Scythians Nevertheless, the main support of the power of Scythia and its kings was a numerous and well-armed army, consisting mainly of cavalry. Starting from the moment the Scythians entered the arena of world history, they act as a powerful military association,

Origin Initially, general education was all-class. Whoever the parents of a smart boy were, who wanted to send him to study, he could shave his tonsure on the top of his head and dress himself in a black cassock, because in the Middle Ages all students were clerics. In the future, this

30. Ancient origin To indicate an ancient origin, draw a bundle of papyrus. In this way they show the first food, for no one can find the beginning of food.

The attempts of the Persians and Greeks to subdue the Scythians failed each time. When in 331 BC. e. one of the governors of Alexander the Great, Zopirion, with 30 thousand soldiers undertook a campaign in Scythia, he was destroyed along with his entire army. And yet the 4th century - the heyday of Scythia - became the prelude to the decline of Scythian power. But the decline period lasted 500 years.

From the east, the Sarmatians were advancing on the Scythians, little by little they began to cross over to the right bank of the Don. And in the II 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 the Crimea, to the site of the current Simferopol. The Greeks called it Naples - "New City". By this time, the life of the Scythian nobility had undergone strong Hellenization, the Scythians by that time had lost their former passionarity, the elite was mired in luxury and debauchery, the common people hated the elite.

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

Egyptian monuments brought to us the appearance of the "peoples of the sea" - the Kimmerin warriors who fought with Pharaoh Ramesses. They are depicted "with shaved beards and heads, with long, protruding mustaches and a forelock, which our Cossacks wore in the 16th-17th centuries; their features are severe, with a straight forehead, a long straight nose ... On their heads are high conical lamb hats; shirts with a border along the hem and something like chain mail or leather jackets... On the legs are trousers and large boots with tops to the knees and narrow socks... The boots are real, modern, the kind ordinary Cossacks wear even now. Mittens on their hands... Armament: short spear, bow and ax".

It should also be noted that the Egyptian sources called the "peoples of the sea" Gita (Get), and this name was one of the most common in the Scythian environment since ancient times; So, 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 medieval Cossacks. Isn't that why the Cossack leaders bore the title "Hetman"?

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

Representatives of many modern peoples want to call themselves descendants of the Scythians. The legendary Iranian-speaking tribe that lived in the Northern Black Sea region from the 8th century BC to the 4th century AD created a vast empire. These people left many monuments of a unique culture, the Scythian gold alone is worth something. However, despite all its power, this ethnic group has long sunk into oblivion. And yet, he could not disappear without a trace. What peoples are the successors of the legacy of the ancient Scythians?

Scientists call the Sarmatians, Saks and Massagets close relatives of the Scythians. But all of them also disappeared in the mists of time, like the Alans - Iranian-speaking tribes that are of Scythian-Sarmatian origin. However, even now there are people whose ancestors were these same Alans. We are talking about the Ossetians.

At the end of the 4th century, a union of local tribes founded a feudal state in the territory of the North Caucasus, which lasted until the Mongol invasion that occurred in the 13th century. This mountainous country was called Alania. The troops of the Horde forced many of its inhabitants to flee to Transcaucasia. Ossetians are their direct descendants, this fact has been proven by many scientific studies.

Thus, having studied the language of the highlanders, the famous French linguist Georges Dumézil (1898–1986) came to the unequivocal conclusion that the heritage of the Scythians did not disappear without a trace, it passed to the Ossetians through their ancestors of the Alans.

In 1995, the name of the republic, in which the descendants of the legendary warriors live, was corrected. Now it is North Ossetia-Alania.

A small people lives in modern Hungary - the Yasses. In the XIII century, fleeing the Horde invasion, one Alanian tribe moved to the Danube coast. Now the historical area where this group of people settled is called Yasshag, and their city is Yasberen.

Unfortunately, the Yases are practically assimilated by the Hungarians; they began to lose their language as early as the 17th century. However, some representatives of this people are trying to revive the original traditions and customs: they hold festivals of the Yas culture, establish ties with their kindred Ossetians.

And although the oral language of a small ethnic group has not survived to this day, the records of Yassian words that scientists have at their disposal clearly confirm their almost complete coincidence with the speech of the Ossetians. The similarity is so clear that linguists speak of two dialects of the same language.

Although the origin of the Ossetians from the Alans is a scientifically proven fact, the Ingush dispute with their neighbors the right to be called the only descendants of the ancient warriors. The fact is that the territory of Alania in the era of its heyday extended to many republics of the North Caucasus. And it was a union of tribes, so not only Ossetians can claim kinship with the Alans.

Wishing to emphasize historical continuity, in 1998 the Ingush named the new capital of their republic in honor of the main city of Alanya - Magas. Local historians claim that the roots of their people go back to legendary warriors. And it was not by chance that the Ingush authorities gave the name “Alan Gates” to the entrance arch to Magas built in 2015.

Karachay-Balkarians

Despite the fact that Karachays and Balkars live in different republics of the North Caucasus, these peoples are so related that many researchers classify them as a single ethnic group. Especially since they speak the same language. And although linguists call it Karachay-Balkar, the speakers themselves always called their language Alan. Of course, they also claim the right to be called the heirs of the ancient people, like the Ingush.

Karachay-Balkarians cannot use political methods to officially secure the status of the descendants of the legendary Alans, since they do not live in mono-ethnic republics. But they consider themselves the successors of the ancient heritage.

The well-known Karachay-Balkarian linguist Umar Aliyev (1911-1972), after conducting research on his native language, in 1959 directly declared its Alanian origin.

As you know, the inhabitants of Scythia were not a homogeneous tribe. The population of Crimea, for example, was called the royal Scythians, the European part of the vast empire was inhabited mainly by farmers, and the eastern representatives of the ancient ethnic group were engaged in nomadic animal husbandry. Many burial mounds and graves were found in Altai, where noble Scythians were buried. Therefore, the inhabitants of these places are also considered to be the descendants of the legendary people.

In 1865, during the excavations of the Katandinsky and Berelsky mounds located in the Altai Mountains, the so-called Pazyryk culture was discovered for the first time, unequivocally related to the early Scythian Ust-Kuyum group of tribes.

According to the conclusions of historians, the Pazyryk people (the name is conditional - in honor of the Pazyryk tract, where excavations took place) lived in the VI-III centuries BC in Altai, in Southern Siberia, Northern Kazakhstan and Mongolia. In the features of these pastoral nomads, anthropologists have discovered the influence of two races - Caucasoid and Mongoloid. It can be said that it was a mixed people, to whose ethnogenesis the Scythians were also related.

Most scientists consider the version of the Scythian origin of the Russian people to be very controversial. However, some researchers are sure that representatives of the ancient ethnic group, who lived in the European part of the vast empire and were engaged in agriculture, could at some period of their history mix with the Slavs.

For example, in his book "Herodot's Scythia", the famous archaeologist Boris Rybakov (1908-2001) outlined the version that the long geographical proximity of the Scythians and Slavs should have affected the ethnogenesis of the Russian people.

It is interesting that some Byzantine chroniclers sometimes call representatives of the Rus tribe Scythians. Perhaps due to the geographical proximity or historical continuity of these two peoples.

Tatyana Alekseeva (1928-2007) in her work "Ethnogenesis of the Eastern Slavs according to anthropology". It was based on the study of the so-called Chernyakhov culture that existed on the territory of Ukraine, Romania and Moldova in the II-IV centuries.

Archaeological excavations near the village of Chernyakhiv in the Kyiv region began in 1900. Most scientists believe that the ancient inhabitants of Ukraine were the descendants of the Iranian-speaking Scythians and Sarmatians, mixed with representatives of the Ants tribe - the ancestors of the Slavs. Archaeologists and anthropologists call the Chernyakhovians the ancestors of the glades, from which modern Ukrainians descended. Various sources rank many peoples among the descendants of the Scythians. The eastern branch of this tribe could participate in the ethnogenesis of the Kirghiz, Kazakhs, Khakass, and Hungarians, Serbs, Albanians, Romanians and Moldavians are suspected of being related to the western Scythians.

We are those about whom they whispered in the old days,

With involuntary trembling, Hellenic myths:

A people who love violence and war.

The sons of Hercules and Echidna are the Scythians.

In heavy burial mounds, sitting on a horse.

Among the riches, as the grandfathers bequeathed.

Sleep our formidable kings; in a dream

They dream of feasts, battles, victories.

V. Bryusov

Scythia! How much does this beautiful name contain. This is the history of our fatherland, and the land of our ancestors. These are beautiful legends, riddles and secrets.

ORIGIN AND TERRITORY OF SETTLEMENT OF THE SCYTHIANS

The question of the origin of the Scythians is controversial. So far, several versions have been discussed, of which two are the most popular. According to the first, the Scythian culture was formed in the eastern regions of the Eurasian steppes. At the same time, the Scythian genealogical legends emphasize the local origin of the Scythians.

Probably, the reports of Herodotus that all the Cimmerians left the Crimea and the steppes of the Black Sea region and the Scythians occupied an empty country is a clear exaggeration. Of course, a significant part of the Cimmerians was assimilated by the Scythians. This is convincingly evidenced by the continuity of a number of forms of material culture, as well as legends about the origin of the Scythians.

LEGEND: HERCULES AND THE SCYTHIANS:

Hercules pastured a herd of bulls near the Pillars of Hercules. From his mighty shoulders hung the skin of a Nemean lion, he held a club in his hand.

Time passed, and the grass on the pasture melted. Sitting in a chariot, Hercules drove the herd to the east, beyond the Pont Euxinus, where there were vast steppes and a lot of lush grass.

It was cold in the steppe. Wrapped in a lion skin, Hercules lay down on the grass and fell asleep. And when he woke up there were no horses or chariots.

Distressed, Hercules set off in search of the missing chariot. He walked around the entire vast steppe, but did not meet a single person whom he could ask about the loss. Finally he found himself in the mountainous country of the Taurians. In one of the caves, Hercules saw a strange creature: a half-maiden, half-snake.

He was startled, but he didn't show it.

Who will you be? - asked.

I am the goddess Apa, - the snake-footed woman answered.

Goddess Apa, have you seen my runaway horses?

I have your horses and your chariot. But I will return them to you when you become my husband.

Hercules did not want to return on foot to his homeland, to the other side of the world. He agreed and stayed with the goddess Apa. The snake-footed woman was in no hurry to return the chariot and horses, for she fell in love with Hercules and wanted to keep him longer.

This continued until they had three children. Then Apa brought Hercules his horses harnessed to the chariot, and uttered these words:

I do not want to part with you, but you yearn for your homeland. I will keep my word to you. Take your horses and chariot. Just tell me what to do with my sons when they grow up. Send to you or leave in my domain?

Hercules reasoned as follows: he took off his belt with a golden bowl on the buckle, took a bow with an arrow and showed how he pulls the bowstring. After that, he gave the bow and belt to the goddess Apa and said:

When the sons grow up and mature, let them put on a belt and try to string my bow. Which of them will fit my belt, which of them will be able to string my bow the way I do, let him stay. And whoever fails to do this, they moved away.

Years have passed. The sons of Hercules grew up, matured. Then their mother, the snake-footed goddess Apa, gave them their father's belt and bow.

The eldest son Agathyrs and the middle Gelon could not fulfill the father's covenant: the belt was too large and heavy for them, and they did not have the strength to pull the bowstring of Hercules' bow. They were expelled from the country.

And for the third son, the belt of Hercules fit, and he pulled the bowstring like his father. It was the youngest son named Skif. He remained in the country, and a glorious Scythian tribe descended from him, settling in the Taurus and Dnieper steppes, where Hercules once herded bulls.

Trying to find out the origin of the Scythians, Herodotus wrote down the following legend: “According to the Scythians, of all the tribes, their tribe is the youngest. And it arose in this way: the first to appear on this land, which was deserted at that time, was a man named Targitai. And the parents of this Targitai, as they say ..., Zeus and the daughter of the Borisfen river. This was precisely the origin of Targitai. He had three sons: Lipoksai, Arpoksai and the youngest Koloksai. During their reign, golden objects dropped from the sky fell on the Scythian land: a plow with a yoke, a double-edged ax and a bowl. The elder, seeing first, approached, wanting to take them, but at his approach the gold caught fire. After he left, a second one approached, and the same thing happened to the gold. The burning gold rejected these, but at the approach of the third son, the youngest, it went out, and he carried him away to himself. And the older brothers after that, by mutual agreement, handed over the entire royal power junior.

From Lipoksai came those Scythians who are called the genus Avkhats. From the middle Arpoksai came those called catiars and traspians. From the youngest of them - the kings, who are called paralats. All together they are called skolots by the name of the king: the Greeks called them Scythians.

The Scythians are a numerous people who united various tribes that differed in the forms of housekeeping and life. The Greeks called them Scythians, they themselves were called Skolots.

Anthropologically, the Scythians belong to the Caucasoid race. Researchers refer the Scythian language to the Northern Iranian languages ​​of the Iranian group of the Indo-European language family.

Scythian tribes dominated from the 7th century. BC e. in the steppe regions of the Northern Black Sea region, in the Crimea, in the territory of Southern and South-Eastern Ukraine. Herodotus compares the territory of Scythia with a huge quadrangle: “Scythia, since it has a quadrangular shape, and two sides reach the sea, all sides are equal in size: both the one that goes inland and the one that extends along the sea. For from Istra (Danube - ed.) to Borisfen (Dnepr - ed.) ten days of travel, from Borisfen to Lake Meotia (Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov - ed.) other ten; and from the sea inland to the melanchlens living above the Scythians - twenty days' journey.

ETHNIC COMPOSITION AND SOCIAL ORDER

According to Herodotus, this vast territory was inhabited by numerous tribes, the dominant position among which was occupied by the nomadic Scythians and the tribes of the royal Scythians, who considered other Scythians their slaves. The royal Scythians and the nomadic Scythians were nomadic pastoralists. They inhabited the lower reaches of the Dnieper, Crimea and further east to the Sea of ​​Azov and Tanais (Don - ed.). In the lower Bug region lived kalipids (Helleno-Scythians), who were mainly engaged in agriculture. To the north were the Alazon tribes. In the forest-steppe part of the Right Bank lived the Scythians-plowmen, on the Left Bank - the Scythians-farmers, among whom Herodotus identifies Gelons and Boudins.

Obviously, by the 7th c. BC e. Scythia represented a rather complex political association headed by the royal Scythians. They considered themselves "the best and most numerous" and constituted the main force during military campaigns. Subjugated tribes paid tribute to them. The dependence of the tribes was far from the same and depended on numerous factors. The degree of ethnic kinship could have a direct impact on the nature of relationships, when tribes close in ethnicity and culture were in a more privileged position than "distant relatives".

Probably, in the early stages of their history, the royal Scythians represented an alliance of tribes, each of which had its own territory and was under the rule of its king. Such a division of the tribes is reflected in the story of the three formations of the Scythian army during the war with Darius I. Moreover, the leader of the largest and most powerful military formation of the Scythians, the king - Idan-Firs was considered the oldest.

Subsequently, in the IV century. BC, power over all the Scythian tribes was concentrated in one king - Atey. The concentration of power was an important step towards turning the tribes into a single people, united by one ruler. The power of the king was strong enough and was inherited. The Scythians had an idea of ​​the divine origin of the royal family. The kings also performed judicial functions. Disobedience to the order of the master was punishable by death. The closest royal entourage was his team, consisting of the best warriors.

In the social structure, the tribal organization played the most important role, and the basis of the Scythian society was a small individual family, whose property was cattle and household property. Moreover, the material level of families was different. Some owned herds, but there were also those who could not maintain an independent nomadic economy due to the small number of livestock.

An important role in the management of the tribes and their military units was played by the tribal elite and elders. To a certain extent, the power of the king was limited precisely by the institutions of the tribal system. The highest legislative body was the people's assembly - the "Council of the Scythians", which had the right to remove the kings and appoint new ones from among the members of the royal family, to solve the most important "nationwide" issues.

EARLY HISTORY OF THE SCYTHIANS

The first mention of the Scythians dates back to the 70s of the 7th century. BC, when they, having defeated the Cimmerians, rush to Asia Minor. Assyrian cuneiform sources report the invasion of the troops of the “king of the country Ishkuz”. To make such long-distance military campaigns was quite within the power of the sons of Great Scythia.

The main occupation of the Scythians, nomadic cattle breeding, allowed a significant part of the male population to be cut off from labor concerns and devote themselves entirely to military affairs. This made it possible to create a huge army, perfectly armed with the best iron weapons, the famous bows. Such an army was a formidable force for any enemy. The Scythians learned to skillfully use weapons from childhood. Born archers and excellent riders, they moved swiftly on horseback and were ideally suited to waging war far from their camps. Leaving everything that burdens a warrior on campaigns (families, property, herds) in the places of their main nomad camps, the Scythian detachments fought lightly. During this period, the offensive of the Scythian army was directed to the south, to the rich states of Transcaucasia and Asia Minor: Urartu, Manna, Lydia, Media, Assyria. The information of ancient authors that has come down to us tells about the swift attack of the Scythians, about their constant warriors, now with one, then with another state. Herodotus noted: “For twenty-eight years the Scythians ruled over Asia, and during this time they, full of arrogance and contempt, devastated everything. For, besides the fact that they took tribute from everyone, which they imposed on everyone, they also, going around the country, robbed from everyone what everyone owned.

The Asiatic epic of the Scythians lasted several decades (according to some researchers, more than 100 years). During this time, the Scythian army reached the borders of Egypt and Palestine. Such a long stay in Western Asia had a great influence on the Scythian society. Communication with peoples at a higher level of development allowed the Scythians to enrich their culture, social processes in the Scythian society began to develop faster. But the completion of this long campaign brought failure to the Scythians.

In 612 BC the troops of Media and the Babylonian kingdom managed to take Nineveh, and a few years later the Assyrian state itself ceased to exist. This allowed the Median king Cyaxares to concentrate his forces against the Scythians. However, fearing their power, Cyaxares, as legend testifies, invited “most of them” (obviously, the leaders of the Scythian tribes) to his place and, after getting drunk, interrupted. After that, at the beginning of the VI century. BC, the Scythians were forced to return to the Northern Black Sea region.

However, the "troubles" for the Scythians did not end there, despite the fact that they were already in their possessions. Herodotus in his “History” reports that the Scythians who returned from Western Asia “expected difficulties no less than the war with the Medes; they found that they were opposed by a considerable army. Let us now turn to one of the legends that eloquently describes these events.

THE RETURN OF THE SCYTHIANS:

Twenty years have passed since the Scythian warriors left their native Scythia. The Scythian wives, exhausted from the long wait and believing that their husbands had all died in battle and would never return, married their slaves. And when the wives heard that their husbands were alive and would soon return home, they were in indescribable horror. What to do? After consulting among themselves, they called together all the slaves, and also their sons, who were adopted with the slaves, and said:

We are all threatened with death at the hands of the avengers. Husbands will not forgive betrayal either to us, their wives, or to you, their slaves, or to you, illegitimate children. So protect yourself as much as you can!

And then the slaves and their sons took picks in their hands and went to where a narrow strip of land connected the Crimean peninsula with the mainland. Having dug a deep ditch, they armed themselves and settled there, deciding to die to one and all, but not to let the avengers through.

Knowing nothing of this, the Scythian warriors, proud and happy from numerous victories, approached their native land.

They looked forward to the joy of meeting their mothers, wives, children, and their excited voices carried far across the steppe.

And here is the isthmus, the only place through which the Scythians can cross the salt lakes to the peninsula to their home. But what is it? A deep ditch, which did not exist before, blocked their way, and some unknown people threatened them with weapons! Furious Scythians fell upon the unknown, and a fierce battle began.

For twenty days blood flowed on the narrow isthmus, for twenty days in a row people fell and died. The unknowns fought so fiercely, as if they were defending their native land, and it was impossible to defeat them.

After a twenty-day struggle, the Scythians retreated and retired to a meeting.

And the Scythians found out that they were fighting against their slaves and the sons of their wives, and then they realized that by force of arms they could not defeat the desperate, that they had to act differently.

Again, the Scythian warriors moved to storm the moat, only in their hands they had not swords and arrows, but whips and rods. Approaching the defenders, they unexpectedly showered them with blows, and they, seeing the whip and hearing the whistle of the rods, turned from brave warriors into obedient slaves and, throwing down their weapons, fled in panic ...

After that, the Scythians did not fill up the ditch, but, on the contrary, expanded it, deepened it and built a small fortification nearby. As experienced warriors, they realized that the ditch can be a reliable defense against enemy attacks.

Most researchers admit that the Scythians fought with their slaves in the Crimea. In their opinion, the ditch dug by the slaves could not be located on Perekop, since it is technically hardly possible and pointless to draw it from there to the Crimean Mountains. It was located, most likely, on the Ak-Moinak Isthmus, which separates the Kerch Peninsula from the rest of the Crimea. Traces of this moat have been preserved to this day.

WAR OF THE SCYTHIANS WITH THE PERSIANS

One of the most beautiful and at the same time dramatic events in the early history of Great Scythia is the Scytho-Persian war at the end of the 6th century. BC.

By this time, Persia had become a huge and powerful state. From 521 BC Darius I Hystaspes of the Achaemenid dynasty becomes its king. He manages to consolidate and significantly strengthen the army. Darius I strives to ensure that the whole world around him submits to Persia.

Around 514 BC a huge and multilingual (there were over 80 peoples in the Persian state) the army of the Persians invaded the territory of Scythia. According to Herodotus, the number of Darius's troops was 700 thousand soldiers, with him was the main strike force of the Persians - the 10,000-strong detachment of "immortals". Obviously, Herodotus significantly exaggerated the number of Darius' troops, but the danger to the Scythians was extremely great.

The reasons for such close attention of Darius to the Scythians among historians are controversial. Most researchers believe that the conquest of Scythia was part of a single strategic plan. Having mastered part of the islands of the Aegean Sea and the Greek cities in Asia Minor, Darius prepared for war with Greece. To this end, he needed to secure his rear, at the same time to take revenge on his old offenders, the Scythians (the memory of the Scythian invasion of Asia Minor was still too fresh). In the event of a Persian victory, Greek cities would no longer receive bread from the Northern Black Sea region.

The impending danger forced the Scythians to join forces and look for allies among their neighbors: "... in no way remain indifferent and do not let us die, but we will unanimously meet the advancing enemy." However, only "the kings of Gelon, Budin and Sauromat unanimously promised to help the Scythians." Others accused the Scythians of being the first to offend the Persians with their long-standing campaigns in Western Asia and refused to help, saying: “... if the enemy breaks into our land and offends us first, then we will not endure it; but until we see this, we will remain in our land.”

In such a situation, the Scythians used the tactics of retreat and luring the enemy deep into the country. On their way, they filled up wells and springs, destroyed the grass. Small detachments of the Scythians made surprise attacks on the Persians, inflicting significant losses on them.

Having exhausted his strength in fruitless persecution, Darius sent his messenger to the Scythian king with a proposal to stop the retreat and start a battle, or “if you recognize yourself as weaker, then also stop in your flight and come to negotiate with your master with land and water.” The answer of the Scythian king Idanfirs was immediate and stern: “Find out, Persian, what I am like: before I never ran away out of fear from any of the people, and now I don’t run away from you: now I have done nothing new compared to what is usually they do in peacetime: why am I not in a hurry to fight you, I will explain this to you too: we have no cities, no sown land because of which we would hasten to fight you for fear that they would not be taken or devastated. If it were necessary to speed up the fight at all costs, then we have the graves of our ancestors: try to find them and destroy them, then you will find out whether we will fight you because of the tombs or not; before we do not fight, if we do not please. It's about the battle; but I recognize only Zeus, my ancestor, and Hestia, the queen of the Scythians, as my masters. And instead of gifts of earth and water, I will send you such gifts as it behooves you to receive; finally, because you called yourself my master, you will pay me.

The "befitting" gifts received from the Scythians were a bird, a mouse, a frog and five arrows. Darius hoped that these symbolic "gifts" meant that the Scythians submit and give him their land, sky and water. However, his closest adviser Gobrius correctly understood the meaning of the Scythian gifts: “Unless you, Persians, fly into the sky, turning into a bird, do not hide in the ground, becoming mice, or jump into the swamp, turning into frogs, you will not come back, hit by these arrows."

Further events led Darius and his army into even greater despondency. According to Herodotus, when the troops of the Scythians and Persians lined up for a decisive battle, a hare ran between them. The Scythians, not paying attention to the enemy, rushed in pursuit of the animal. After that, Darius was forced to admit: "These men treat us with great contempt, and it is now clear to me that Gobryas correctly said about the Scythian gifts ... it is necessary to think carefully so that our return is safe."

On the advice of the wise Gobrius, the Persians lit fires at night, showing the Scythians that they were staying, and leaving the sick and wounded, they rushed out of the Scythian possessions. A significant part of the warriors of Darius forever "remained" in the steppes of Great Scythia, dying from wounds, diseases and exhaustion. Few returned to Persia. So ingloriously ended the campaign of Darius against the Scythians.

The wise Herodotus was right, stating: “Among all the peoples known to us, only the Scythians possess one, but the most important art for human life. It consists in the fact that they will not allow any enemy who attacked their country to be saved ... ".

Such a brilliant success brought the Scythians the glory of an invincible people, had a huge impact on the consolidation of Great Scythia, and established the complete superiority of the Scythians in the North Black Sea region.

ARMY OF THE SCYTHIANS

Already the earliest written sources speak of the Scythians as excellent warriors. The numerous, powerful and extremely mobile Scythian army posed a significant danger to any enemy. It is no coincidence that the most important events in the vast region, from Western Asia to the steppes of the Northern Black Sea region, could not do without the participation of the “kings of the country of Ishkuz”.

The Scythians during this period become literally “heroes” of numerous chronicles: “... the Medes, having entered into battle with the Scythians and were defeated in battle, lost power, and the Scythians took possession of all of Asia”, “from here they went to Egypt. When they reached Syrian Palestine, Psammetichus, the king of Egypt, met them with gifts and prayers, and persuaded them not to advance further.

The long and devastating invasion of the Scythians horrified the inhabitants of Transcaucasia and Western Asia. Biblical sources convincingly testify to this: “And a banner will be raised to the peoples far off, and will give a sign to the one who lives on the ends of the earth, and behold, he will come easily and quickly. He will not be tired or exhausted; not one slumbers or sleeps, and the belt is not removed from his loins, and the belt of his shoes is not broken. His arrows are pointed, and all his bows are taut; the hooves of his horses are like flint, and his wheels are like a whirlwind ... ".

No less terrible is the following information: “Behold, I will bring upon you ... a people from afar, a strong people, an ancient people, a people whose language you do not know, and you will not understand what he says. His quiver is like an open coffin; they are all brave people. And they will eat your harvest and your bread; they will eat your sons and your daughters and your oxen; they will eat your grapes and your figs; they will destroy with the sword your fortified cities in which you trust.”

What was such a formidable army, what was its strength? Obviously, the large number and power of the Scythian army was associated with the way of life and the main occupation. Ancient authors primarily speak of the cavalry of the Scythians. And this is no coincidence. The main occupation of the Scythians - nomadic cattle breeding - on the one hand, provided a large number of horses, on the other hand, continuous migrations on horseback "created" an excellent rider, who, if necessary, turned into an equestrian warrior. And despite the fact that the Scythian army had foot soldiers, its basis was always cavalry. Moreover, the heavily armed cavalry was the striking force of the Scythian troops.

The Scythians were considered the best archers, shooting equally well with both hands. The shape of the Scythian bow resembles a slightly stretched Greek letter "sigma" with asymmetrical arms. The ends of the bow were slightly bent outwards. A small (60-70 cm) Scythian composite bow was made from various types of wood, bone, tendons. The ballistic qualities of the Scythian arrows were also excellent, their tips had great destructive power. According to Ovid, they were often smeared with poison so that "the mortal wound of the enemy was twice as deadly."

An obligatory item of military equipment, characteristic of Scythia, was a special case - lit, in which both a bow and arrows were placed at the same time (arrows were also carried in quivers).

The Scythian warriors were armed with short swords - akinaki, battle axes, throwing darts, daggers. Metal weapons were made from the best grades of steel. The most common were akinaki about 50-60 cm long and much less often up to 1 meter. Such swords are extremely effective in all types of combat, both on horseback and on foot.

A reliable means of protection were shields and shells made of wood and rods, covered with leather (iron or bronze plates were sewn onto leather jackets). The head of the warrior was perfectly protected by the Scythian hood, sheathed with metal plates. The warrior's legs were also well protected. The Scythians paid much attention to the protection of the warhorse. The head was covered with bronze forehead plates, and the body was covered with breastplates and blankets made of thick leather, partially reinforced with a metal armor set.

An indispensable accessory of the Scythian warrior was a combat belt, on which he carried essentially the entire set of weapons and equipment: lit with a bow and arrows, a sword, a dagger, a battle ax, a whip, a grindstone, a bowl. Protective belts sheathed with metal plates were also used.

For a long time, the excellent Scythian weapons were considered a model not only for neighbors, but also for peoples who lived far from the possessions of the Scythians.

Numerous wars with different peoples allowed the Scythians to achieve perfection not only in the production of weapons, but also to gain tremendous experience in warfare, tactics and battles.

ECONOMY AND LIFE

The nomadic way of life left its mark on all aspects of the life of the Scythians and, above all, on life and housekeeping. One of the first researchers of the Scythian mounds, I. E. Zabelin, quite rightly notes: “A person’s home life is an environment in which the germs and rudiments of all the so-called great events of his history lie, the germs and rudiments of his development and all kinds of phenomena of his life, social and political or state".

The Scythians were not only excellent warriors, but they were also distinguished by their great industriousness. The historian Justin, noting these qualities, wrote: "They were a people in work - tireless, in soldiers - unbridled, and the strength of their body was extraordinary."

Speaking about economic activity, first of all, one should dwell on cattle breeding, agriculture and home production. For a long time, the main branch of the economy of the Scythians was nomadic cattle breeding. Herodotus noted that the Scythians “found neither cities nor fortifications. But all of them, being horse archers, carry their houses with them, getting their livelihood not from the plow, but from raising livestock. Livestock was of great importance: it was the main means of subsistence. The main concern of the nomads was to preserve and increase the number of livestock. The herds were dominated by animals capable of long migrations: horses, sheep; there were much fewer cattle. This is due to the fact that nomadic pastoralism was based on breeding and year-round keeping of livestock in the open. The Scythians, along with their herds, moved depending on the season from one pasture to another.

Horse breeding played an important role. Scythian horses were small, but distinguished by agility and endurance. In the most difficult time of wintering, horses broke snow with their hooves, extracting the preserved grass for themselves and other animals.

At the end of the 5th - beginning of the 4th centuries. BC. Significant changes are taking place in the economy of Scythia, associated with a number of factors, the main of which is a sharp reduction in good pastures. This was primarily due to human economic activity: pastures were trampled down by numerous herds, and the grass cover did not have time to recover.

In search of a way out of this situation, a transition is being made to semi-nomadic cattle breeding: in winter, cattle are kept in pens and fed with solid fodder. As a result, the number of sheep and even horses in the herds decreases, while at the same time cattle begin to predominate. More and more pigs were raised.

AGRICULTURE

The transition to semi-nomadic pastoralism contributed to the development of agriculture. Keeping livestock in pens in winter required a significant amount of solid fodder. The area of ​​cultivated land is increasing, on which grain crops have begun to be grown, primarily drought-resistant varieties of millet, barley and spelt. Farming technology was low. Most often, the fallow system was used: the herbage was burned on the virgin lands and, after processing with simple tools, they were sown. After two or three years, this site was left for several years and a new one began to be processed. This type of farming was focused primarily on providing solid fodder for the main branch of the economy - cattle breeding.

CRAFT. HOME PRODUCTION

The nomadic way of life of the Scythians influenced the development of handicrafts and home production. In order to provide themselves with everything necessary for housekeeping and everyday life, the Scythians skillfully adapted to the conditions of life and the environment. For the manufacture of the necessary things, they used their own raw materials: skins, bones, horns.

From the skins of animals, first of all, they sewed a wide variety of clothes, made felt, numerous equipment for cattle breeding (ropes, harness, belts).

Spinning and weaving were developed everywhere, wool, leather and, obviously, linen served as raw materials for them.

Gradually, the processing of wood and stone reached a fairly high level.

The set of dishes that the Scythians used in the household was also adapted to the nomadic lifestyle. Food from meat and milk was cooked in ceramic dishes. Over time, the Scythians mastered the methods of molding dishes well, making the required amount by firing it on fires.

There is no doubt that weapons, foundries, blacksmiths, jewelry and other workshops existed in the nomads of the Scythians. Their products are widely represented in a diverse composition of objects of Scythian material culture. However, the craft was mainly in the nature of home production.

Fairly well among the Scythians, trade and exchange were developed both within the tribes and with other peoples. Trade relations with the population of the Caucasus and with the ancient world were of great importance.

Cattle, grain, honey, wax, leather, as well as a huge number of slaves captured in military campaigns were exported from Scythia. They imported wine and olive oil in amphoras, fabrics, various products of Greek crafts, in particular dishes, jewelry.

LIFE

The life of the Scythians was extremely interesting and varied. It fully corresponded to the way of life and was perfectly adapted to the existing conditions, ideally suited to the nomadic way of life. Such perfection, obviously, could delight people leading such a way of life, at the same time, the life of the steppe-barbarians caused amazement among outside "civilized" observers. It is no coincidence that they were so keenly interested primarily in this aspect of the life of the Scythians.

HOUSING

The type of Scythian dwelling was formed under the influence of an extremely mobile lifestyle. In the poem "Prometheus Chained" Aeschylus writes: "Go forward through the lands unplowed to the nomadic Scythians, who are used to living in tall wicker boxes, on wheels with long-range bows without parting." Indeed, in order to follow their herds over a vast area, the Scythians needed housing made of light building materials. In such a situation, the only possible type of habitation was covered carts, discovered by archaeologists in a number of Scythian burials. An ancient author describes them in sufficient detail: “Here the Scythians live; they are called nomads because they have no houses, but they live in wagons, of which the smallest are four-wheeled, and others are six-wheeled, they are covered with felt around and arranged like houses, some with two, others with three compartments; they are not permeable to water (rain), nor to light, nor to winds. Two and three pairs of hornless oxen are harnessed to these wagons. Women move in such wagons, and men ride horses; they are followed by their flocks of sheep and cows and herds of horses. They stay in one place as long as there is enough grass for the herd, and when there is not enough, they move to another area.

Gradually, a certain territory is assigned to tribes and clans, as a result, the distances of migrations are significantly reduced. Winter huts appear on winter pastures. Subsequently, there is a transition to semi-nomadic pastoralism.

Undergoing changes and housing. “Boxes on wheels” retain their significance, while at the same time, during long stops, the tops of the wagons were used as ground dwellings. Later, settlements appeared from dugouts and semi-dugouts, which had a main room round in plan and a small entrance located to the south or southwest. Such housing was heated with the help of an open hearth, and suspended clay lamps illuminated it. The edges of the semi-dugouts were probably used as beds and benches.

CLOTH

The clothes and equipment of the Scythians were perfectly adapted to the conditions of nomadic life. Women were mainly engaged in its manufacture, using leather, felt and wool as material.

Scythian clothing was very comfortable - short, tightly drawn leather (with fur inside) caftans, tight-fitting leather pants or wide woolen trousers, soft half boots (Scythians) tied at the ankle, pointed hoods that protected the head well. The clothes were decorated with embroidery, and the ceremonial attire was embroidered with many gold ornaments.

The basis of women's clothing was a shirt dress with long sleeves, over which a sleeveless cloak was worn. The headdress was in the form of a kokoshnik. Both clothes and headdress were decorated with sewn-on gold plaques. With pleasure, the Scythians wore jewelry such as necklaces, hryvnias, earrings, rings made of gold, silver or bronze, beads.

UTENSIL

The utensils of the Scythians were also closely connected with the way of life and way of life. The quantity and quality of household items directly depended on the social and financial position occupied by the Scythian. This is confirmed by the finds found in the burials. The burial of an ordinary Scythian was accompanied by the following inventory: a tray or a wooden dish with a part of the carcass of a ram or a cow, one or two iron knives, and a molded pot. In the burials of rich Scythians, there were much more items and the quality of their manufacture was much higher. They even prepared special household niches for them, in which they put dishes for cooking and eating meat (a cauldron, a bowler hat, iron hooks for meat and tongs, various bowls, trays, dishes), dishes for drinking wine (amphora, kanthar or kylix, oinochoe or jug, ladle, strainer), milk or milk vodka (leather, wooden or metal vessels).

With the transition to a semi-nomadic lifestyle (partial settlement), Scythian women begin to master the technique of making hand-made dishes. Most often these were bowls and pots. The quality, form, and design of ceramic products were strongly influenced by the art of ancient Greek masters. On the other hand, Greek dishes and containers are becoming more and more popular among the Scythian environment. Gradually, they occupy a leading place among the goods imported into Scythia.

In the life of nomads important role played wooden utensils, which were used in the processing and consumption of dairy products. Shallow hemispherical bowls for milk and broth were common. Meat dishes were served on wooden trays.

There were significantly fewer metal utensils. Silver or bronze cups, goblets, kiliks, rhytons were used to drink wine. Special meaning had huge, cast, bronze cauldrons. Their volume is impressive, reaching 100 or more liters.

FOOD

Without a doubt, the dominant role of nomadic, later semi-nomadic cattle breeding in economic life turned out to be a decisive factor in the food system of the Scythians. The basis of the diet was meat food, especially in autumn and winter (before wintering, old and weak animals were slaughtered, whose meat could be stored longer in winter). In the burials, bones of cattle, sheep, and horses are found first of all; in later ones, bones of a pig. Boiling was the main method of preparing meat. Herodotus described in sufficient detail the preparation of meat during migrations in the open steppe: “Since the Scythian land is completely treeless, they invented the following for cooking meat: as soon as they peel off the skin from the sacrificial animal, they clean the bones from the meat and then put the meat into boilers (if they have them) of local manufacture, most of all similar to Lesbos craters, except for many large ones. Throwing meat into them, they boil it, setting fire to the bones of sacrificial animals from below. If they do not have a cauldron at hand, they put all the meat in the stomachs of the sacrificial animals and, adding water, set fire to the bones. The bones burn beautifully, and the stomachs can easily accommodate deboned meat. And in this way the bull boils itself, and the rest of the sacrificial animals each boils itself.”

To a much lesser extent, plant foods were present in the diet of the Scythians. The Scythians prepared dishes from crushed grains of barley and millet. Sun-dried grain was ground on grain graters and boiled in a small amount of water or milk. The Scythians also knew how to bake bread from unleavened dough. The question of whether they used flour for making them is controversial among researchers.

Gathering replenished the food of the Scythians with garlic, field onions, stalks of oxalis, sorrel. Celery was used as a seasoning for meat. The description of the Pontic onion was preserved by Geophrastus: “... it is obvious that there are many types of onions, they differ in size and color, species and juices. In some areas they are so sweet that they are eaten raw, as, for example, in Tauric Chersonesus.

Close contacts with the ancient world contributed to the spread of Greek wine among the Scythians. At the same time, the "disciples" - Scythians quickly surpassed their "teachers" - Greeks in terms of the scale of drinking this drink. And soon the Greeks have the expression "Scythian", "pour in Scythian", that is, "make the wine stronger." The fact is that even before Greek wine, the Scythians “got acquainted” with alcoholic beverages, such as milk vodka, araki or koumiss. By strength, they are much higher than grape wine, therefore, unlike the Greeks, the Scythians drank wine undiluted.

DAIRY FOOD

Having a large number of horses, sheep, goats, cattle in their herds, the Scythians could not help but use dairy products in their food. “They themselves eat boiled meat, drink mare's milk and eat ippaku (mare's milk cheese),” an ancient author reports.

The Scythians made dry cheese from sheep's milk, which could be stored for a long time. With the transition of the Scythians to a semi-sedentary and sedentary life, the role of cow's milk increased.

Of particular importance was mare's milk, an indispensable product in the manufacture of koumiss. It is rich in sugar and at the same time its fat content is not high. Due to the specific microflora, the fermentation process takes place quite easily in it, as a result of which a drink with a high calorie content, excellent taste and a high content of vitamins is obtained. Herodotus describes the preparation by the Scythians of a drink similar to koumiss: “as soon as milk is milked, it is poured into wooden vessels and, placing blind men (slaves - ed.), froth milk. That part of the milk that rises to the top is removed with a scoop, it is considered more valuable, and the milk that has settled down is considered the worst.

To other ancient peoples who lived in different conditions, the life and many customs of the Scythians seemed strange. In particular, the "Scythian bath" caused great amazement among the Greeks. Herodotus reports: “... the Scythians take the seeds of this hemp, enter under the felts and throw the seeds on hot stones. Such smoke and steam rises from the thrown seeds that no Greek steam bath will surpass this Scythian. The Scythians admire such a bath and howl with pleasure; this replaces their ablution, since they do not wash their bodies with water at all. Their women rub cypress, cedar and lilac wood on a rough stone, pouring water on them, and smear their whole body and face with the resulting thick mass; this gives the body a pleasant smell, and when the ointment is removed the next day, the body is clean and glossy.

Yes, much in the life of the Scythians may seem strange and incomprehensible. But this is only until you get acquainted with the history of this amazing people, when you deeply learn the life, culture and way of life of Great Scythia, you see the wisdom of this people, admire their hard work, vitality, courage and devotion.

RELIGION OF THE SCYTHIANS

Along with the development of society, the religious ideas of the Scythians developed, a religious ideology was created that united numerous tribes. The Scythian civilization was at such a level of development and in such a historical period when the deities were "intermediaries" between man, the surrounding world and society.

Having arisen in the early stages of the development of the Scythian ethnos, religious ideas absorbed the beliefs of their ancestors, neighboring peoples, and subsequently were strongly influenced by the beliefs of the local population of the Northern Black Sea region, as well as the religions of Greece and Asia Minor. As a result, the Scythians formed a kind of pantheon of gods. Herodotus reports: “They propitiate only such gods: most of all Hestia, in addition, Zeus and Gaia, believing that Gaia is the wife of Zeus, after them Apollo and Aphrodite Urania and also Hercules and Ares. These gods are revered by all the Scythians. Hestia among the Scythians is called Tabiti, Zeus is quite correctly, in my opinion, called Papai, Gaia - Api, Apollo - Goito-sir, Aphrodite Urania - Argimpasa, Poseidon - Tagimasad. It is customary for them to erect neither images, nor altars, nor temples to any of the gods, except Ares. To him they raise up."

It is quite unexpected that the main and most revered deity among the Scythians is Tabiti, Goddess of the Hearth. Indeed, in many religions, the pantheon is headed by male deities. This can be explained by the fact that the fire and the hearth enjoyed special reverence among the Scythians. Tabiti embodied the idea of ​​family and tribal unity. The oath to the "deities of the royal hearth" was considered the greatest oath of the Scythians. The image of Tabiti probably did not exist.

Popeye (Zeus) considered the progenitor of the Scythians. Translated from Iranian, his name means "protector", "father". It is no coincidence that in the most difficult moment the Scythians turned to him. According to the legend about the origin of the Scythians, Papai and the daughter of the river Boris-fen became the parents of the first Scythian - Tar-gitai. The Scythian king Indanfirs, in response to Darius during the Scytho-Persian war, proudly declares: “I recognize only Papai, my ancestor, and Api, the queen of the Scythians, as my masters.”

Many researchers believe that the most likely image of Papai is a pommel from the Lysaya Gora tract near Dnepropetrovsk.

Api (Gaia) personifies the wet earth, fertilized by the sky, and in translation from Iranian her name means “water” (“river”), one of the main generative principles. And the marriage bond of Papaya and Api is the union of heaven and earth.

It is very likely that Api was a deity of the local population and was subsequently inherited by the Scythians. In the legend “Hercules and the Scythians”, the progenitor of the Scythians is called the half-maiden-half-snake Api, probably, it was her image that was preserved on the horse headband found in the Tsimbalov Mogila barrow.

This triad - Tabiti, Papai, Api headed the pantheon of the highest Scythian deities. According to legend, the ancestors of the Scythians had three sons: Lipoksai, Arpoksai and Koloksai, which in translation means “Mountain-King”, “Water-King” and “Sun-King”, respectively - the owners of the three main elements of earth, water and sky.

In Goytosir(Apollo) explorers see a cattle keeper, a monster slayer, an archer and a wizard. Obviously, Goytosir was the deity of the sun. He was called to witness at the conclusion of treaties. Those who violated the terms of the contract, he severely punished, striking with arrows from his solar bow or sending madness.

The intercessor and patroness of the human race was one of the most revered goddesses - Argimpas (Aphrodite Urania), i.e. Heavenly. She was considered the mistress of the dead, the great deity of life and death. Argimpasa was depicted as winged, with two griffins or cat predators on the sides.

Ares is the god of war. The bloody cult of this deity played a particularly important role in the life of the Scythians, in accordance with how great was the role of war and the military class in Scythian society. This is clearly evidenced by at least the fact that of all the deities, the Scythians erected sanctuaries to only one - Ares.

What did these shrines look like? And how did the sacrifices take place? Herodotus eloquently writes about this: “All of them, in the districts of their regions, arrange the sanctuaries of Ares in this way: bundles of brushwood are piled up, approximately three stages in length and width, but less in height. At the top, a flat quadrangular platform was made, three of its sides are steep, on the same side it has access. Every year they pile up one hundred and fifty wagons of brushwood. On top of this heap, an ancient iron akinak has been erected in all districts; he is the image of Ares. Small cattle and horses are annually sacrificed to this akinak; in general, unlike other gods, they also bring such sacrifices to him, such as “no matter how much they capture enemies, they sacrifice one husband out of every hundred ...”.

In honor of the god of war, festivities were held annually, at which warriors who especially distinguished themselves in battles were awarded an honorary cup of wine. At such festivities, wrestling and archery competitions were organized.

A number of rituals among the Scythians were associated with agriculture. Annual great festivities were held in honor of the "sacred gifts": a plow, a yoke, an ax and a bowl that fell from the sky. It was a holiday associated with the awakening of nature. Among the Scythians, a significant place was occupied by the cult of ancestors and the veneration of the dead, based on the belief in the immortality of the soul and the existence of the other world.

The Scythians, like other Indo-Iranian peoples, had many priests. It was a separate social group, certain categories of which occupied a rather high position. Herodotus reports the following about the Scythian priests: “The Scythians have many soothsayers. They divinate with the help of a large number of wicker twigs in the following way: having brought large bunches of wicker twigs, they put them on the ground, separate them and lay out the twigs one at a time, broadcast, uttering divinations, at the same time collect the twigs again and put them back one by one. They have this art of divination, coming from their fathers, and the Enarei are effeminate men, they say that Aphrodite gave them the art of divination ... ".

The Scythians revered their priests, but if the predictions did not come true, the priests risked a lot, sometimes even their lives. Herodotus very colorfully tells about divination during the illness of the king: “When the king of the Scythians falls ill, he sends for the three most famous soothsayers. They prophesy in the manner indicated; and they most often say the following: as if this or that person falsely swore by the royal hearths, while naming the one of the inhabitants about whom they speak.

Among the Scythians, it is customary most often to swear by the royal hearths, every time they want to take the greatest oath. The person who is said to have sworn falsely is immediately seized and brought in. Soothsayers expose the arrival ... He refuses, arguing that he did not swear by a false oath, and is indignant.

Since he refuses, the king calls on other soothsayers, twice as many as before. And if they, considering what fortune-telling gives, admit that he took a false oath, they immediately cut off his head, and the first soothsayers divide his property by lot among themselves.

If the soothsayers who have come justify this person, then a decision is made to execute the soothsayers themselves, who were called first ... ".

The priests died a terrible death. Herodotus reports: “They are executed in this way: having loaded a wagon with brushwood, they harness bulls to it. Having bound the soothsayers by the legs and tying their hands behind their backs and shutting their mouths, they are thrown into the middle of the brushwood and, setting fire to it, drive the bulls, frightening them ... ".

In the beliefs of the Scythians, an important place was occupied by animism - the cult of ancestors and the veneration of the dead, associated with the belief in the immortality of the soul and the existence of the other world.

In a number of cases, original sculptures-steles were installed on the Scythian mounds. These are, as a rule, roughly processed granite or limestone slabs on which a Scythian warrior is carved. The eyes, nose, mouth, mustache and beard are marked on the face. Often, a belt was depicted on the stele, to which a lit with a bow is suspended on the left, and a short akinak sword in front.

On the right at the belt is a battle ax and a second long sword. The arms are bent at the elbows. In the left hand is a rhyton (horn-shaped drinking vessel) raised to the chin. Probably, these stone steles, erected in honor of the ancestors, embodied the image of the divine progenitor of the Scythians.

SCYTHIAN MOUNDS

Numerous attempts to force the Scythians to fight the Persians did not bring success. To Darius' proposal to accept an open battle, the Scythian king Idanfirs replied: "... we have the graves of our ancestors: try to find them and destroy them, then you will find out if we will fight you because of the tombs." The Roman historian Plutarch also speaks of the great veneration of the graves of their ancestors by the Scythians: "The Scythians are proud of their graves."

The real lords of the steppes - the Scythians made migrations over vast expanses. In order not to lose the graves of their ancestors under such conditions, they built mounds over them - barrows.

Their value depended on social status and material wealth of the deceased. Often the height of such mounds reached 20 meters or more. Quite a lot of Scythian burials are located on the territory of our peninsula. Among them there are mounds in which Scythian leaders and the highest nobility are buried. These include mounds Dort-Oba, Talalaevsky (near Simferopol), Chayan (near Evpatoria). But the mound Kul-oba (“hill of ash”), discovered in 1830 near Kerch, is especially famous. The burial was built of hewn stone, almost square in plan (4.6 x 4.2 m), with an entrance on the north side. A special corridor, the dromos, led to the crypt under the mound.

A wooden ceiling was built in the crypt, resembling a tent, decorated with a canopy with gold plaques. At the eastern wall of the crypt, a noble Scythian, possibly a king, rested on a luxurious wooden bed. The clothes and the headdress of the buried - the hood - are embroidered with gold plaques. The dress was complemented by a beautiful diadem. The neck was decorated with a golden hryvnia with figures of galloping Scythians at the ends, and arms and legs were bracelets with figured endings.

In a special compartment were weapons and ritual objects: an iron akinak with a handle overlaid with gold, burns, covered with a gold plate with the image of animals, a whip braided with a gold ribbon, a touchstone in a gold frame, a gold bowl.

The female burial, located nearby, was not inferior in richness and splendor. In a sarcophagus made of cypress wood and ivory, a woman in a rich funeral dress of the queen rested. She was adorned with an electric diadem with large gold pendants, a gold necklace, a hryvnia, openwork earrings and two bracelets. An electric spherical goblet was placed at the feet, decorated on all sides with images from Scythian life: a Scythian bandaging a comrade's leg, a Scythian pulling a bowstring, talking Scythians and two Scythians, one of whom probably plays the role of a "dentist". The images on the goblet are important in that they show with high accuracy the appearance of the Scythians, their “hairstyles”, clothes, armor.

At the southern wall of the crypt, another burial was found, possibly of a squire or bodyguard. In a special recess were spears, bronze greaves and a helmet, arrowheads and bones of a horse, bronze cauldrons, amphorae and so on. Under the floor of the crypt was a cache, which was looted. Later, they managed to redeem a gold plaque in the form of a lying deer from the robbers.

Quite a large number of plaques of various types were found in Kul-Ob. Among them, of particular interest are those that confirm the message of Herodotus about the wonderful rite of the Scythians - twinning. They depict two Scythians leaning against each other, drinking from the same horn. Herodotus reports the following: “The Scythians make an oath agreement with those with whom they conclude this: wine is poured into a large clay ladle and the blood of the negotiators is mixed with it, making a prick with an awl or a small incision with a knife on the body, then a sword, arrows are immersed in the bowl, ax and dart. At the end of this ceremony, they pray for a long time, and then drink the mixture.

The Scythians had a complex funeral rite, well known from the description of Herodotus and from numerous excavations of barrows.

The body of the deceased noble Scythian was embalmed in such a way that it could be preserved for the period of wires established by custom, which lasted for forty days. The deceased, dressed in luxurious clothes, was put on a chariot and taken to numerous relatives. The funerals of the Scythian kings were especially pompous. The body of the deceased was transported to all subject tribes. As a sign of grief, the Scythians cut off their hair and injured themselves. Then everyone went to the land of Herr, to the remote outskirts of Scythia. In this land was the cemetery of the Scythian kings.

Burials were made in large and deep pits. Together with the deceased, they put his weapons, clothes, food, expensive jewelry. The grave was closed with a log rolling and a barrow was poured over it, trying to make it as high as possible.

SCYTHIAN CULTURE

The peculiar culture of the Scythians was influenced by all spheres of life and activity of this people. The Scythians owned a huge territory, led an extremely mobile lifestyle, had constant contacts (peaceful and not peaceful) with numerous peoples of a significant part of the then world, and the Scythian culture, like a sponge, absorbed certain elements, nuances of various cultures. All this was transformed in an extraordinary way by the Scythian world, Scythian beliefs and ideology. As a result, over the course of many centuries, an extremely original, unique, peculiar and extremely deep culture of the Scythians has developed. It caused, and will continue to cause great interest and admiration.

Until now, we have no evidence of whether the Scythians had a written language. However, carefully preserved and passed down from generation to generation, the richest folklore traditions of this people have come down to us. With pride, the Scythians retold epic legends about their origin, about their ancestors, heroes and gods, about beautiful customs and rituals.

Obviously, the Scythians owned various arts, but few examples have survived to this day. Products made of wood, leather and fabrics are almost not preserved. Separate finds speak of a high level of applied art of wood carving, multi-color appliqué made of leather and fabrics, and embroidery.

Most household items made of metal, bone, and also, obviously, wood, fabrics, felt and leather were artistically designed with a certain originality. The motifs of such design were borrowed from the zoomorphic world and were embodied in the images of figurines or some parts of animals, birds or fish. This kind of fine art, which has become a kind of calling card art of the Scythians, was called "Scythian animal style".

At an early stage in the development of Scythian art, images of a deer, a ram, a panther, an elk, and a black goat were favorite. The motifs of the heads of an eagle, a horse, a vulture ram were often used. Usually the animals were depicted in a calm state.

Later, the Scythian style was strongly influenced by Greek art and lost its originality. At the same time, realistic scenes are gaining ground: scenes of the struggle and torment of animals and images of various animals.

Images in the animal style not only met the aesthetic tastes of the Scythians, but also, obviously, contained a deep philosophy and at the same time embodied a certain magical symbolism. They played the role of amulets, amulets, designed to protect their owners from hostile forces and attract the protection and help of benevolent gods.

ANACHARSIS

Great Scythia forever entered the world history not only thanks to the famous military victories, but also to the great industriousness of its people, the highest level of culture. The representative of the great Greek civilization Herodotus states: "... there is not a single tribe near Pontus, which was distinguished by wisdom, except for the Scythian."

A brilliant confirmation of the words of the Greek historian is that Great Scythia gave the world one of her best sons, Anacharsis. A large amount of the most diverse and extremely interesting information from ancient authors has come down to us about him. And this is no coincidence, because Anacharsis was recognized as one of the seven sages of the ancient world.

Anacharsis (born circa 638 BC, died 559 BC) lived a colorful and tragic life. The ancient author tells us the following: “Scythian Anacharsis was the son of Gnur and the brother of Kaduid, the king of the Scythians; his mother was Greek; so he was fluent in both languages. He wrote about Scythian and Hellenic customs, about means of cheap living, and eight hundred verses about military affairs. Distinguished by freedom of speech ... ".

A highly educated philosopher, Anacharsis traveled a lot, got acquainted with the best achievements of Hellenic culture. Around 594 BC he visited in Athens the famous Athenian philosopher Solon. Arriving at Solon's house, he ordered one of the servants to report to the owner that Anacharsis had come to him, wanting to look at him, and, if possible, become his guest.

The servant, having reported, received an order from Solon to convey to Anacharsis that the relationship of hospitality (friendship) is tied up by everyone in their homeland. Then Anacharsis said that Solon himself was now in his homeland and therefore he should enter into ties of hospitality. Such a brilliant, witty answer delighted Solon. He appreciated the intelligence and wisdom of Anacharsis, hastened to accept him and made him the greatest friend.

Anacharsis said that the vine brings three brushes: the first - pleasure, the second - intoxication, the third - disgust.

He expressed his surprise that the Greeks compete with artists, but they are not judged by artists.

When asked how one could avoid becoming a drunkard, he said: "If you have before your eyes the ugliness of drunkards."

When he learned that the ship was four fingers thick, he said that those who sailed in it were so far from death.

He called the oil a means to excite rabies because the athletes smeared with it rage at each other.

When asked which ships are safer, he said: "Drawn ashore."

To the question of what is good and bad in people, he said: "Language."

Reproached by one Attic citizen for his Scythian origin, he said: "I am a shame - the fatherland, and you are yours - the fatherland."

He said that it is better to have one friend who is worth a lot than many who are not worth it.

Signed under his image: "Restrain the tongue, stomach, all organs of the body."

Every civilized person should appreciate the depth of the following delightful aphorism: "Speech and words are beautiful only when they are followed by beautiful deeds."

We can appreciate the depth of the philosophical and worldly wisdom of Anacharsis by carefully reading one of his letters:

ANACHARSIS-CRESUS

In their creations, the Greek poets divide the world between the sons-brothers of Cronus: to one they attributed power over the sky, another - over the sea, the third - over the underground darkness. Such a division speaks of Hellenic self-interest. Not recognizing any joint use of property, they npunused their vice to the gods. True, they provided the land as an exception for general use. The poets wanted all people to honor the gods and consider them the givers of blessings and the averters of evil. The earth is the common property of the gods, and in ancient times it was the same for people who over time transgressed the law and dedicated the common property for all to individual gods, allocating a special lot to each of them. In return, the gods gave people the corresponding gifts - strife, pleasure and cowardice, a base way of thinking. Their mixing and separation gave rise to all the evil and all the troubles for mankind: plowing and sowing, work in the bowels of the earth and war.

Having sowed much, they reap little. They are engaged in various crafts, but they do not earn a living. They diligently extract the colorful treasures of the earth, causing only one surprise. The first who invented this miserable art is considered thrice blessed, but they do not know that in doing so, like children, they deceive themselves; at first without putting anything into something that was given with difficulty, then they become delighted with the work itself. As I heard from many people, this grief befell you too, and from it all other troubles. After all, neither great wealth nor vast possessions help to acquire wisdom. It is rightly said that the bodies of people, heavily overloaded with various unnecessary ballast, suffer from various diseases. Therefore, those who want to be healthy are advised to quickly get rid of everything superfluous. But if you have doctors for bodies suffering from immoderate pleasures, then you have no healers of souls.

It would be wise to get rid of the pleasures. When rivers of gold flow to you and the glory of the rich man comes, envy and the desire to take this gold from you come after them. If you were cleansed of this filth, you would be healthy and could speak and rule freely. This is the king's health. If these qualities became your inner property, then no one would be surprised that everything else in you is beautiful. But, having seized you without knowing the measure, the disease turned you from free into a slave. But do not lose heart and take as an example the fire that broke out in the forest, which turns into ashes everything covered by it, but feeds on what has not yet had time to burn. So your former vices have passed on to those in whose power you are now, along with your possessions. Be sure that then your torment will pass on to them. Now listen to a little story that I myself witnessed. A large river flows through the Scythian land. They call her Peter. Once, sailing along it, the merchants ran their ship aground. Unable to do anything, with complaints and weeping they left him. Knowing nothing about the cause of the misfortune, the pirates approached the injured ship on an unloaded ship and dragged all its cargo without a trace to their ship. But along with the load, unnoticed by themselves, they also suffered misfortune. The merchant ship, having lost its cargo, became light and surfaced, and the pirate ship, having accepted someone else's cargo, quickly went to the bottom along with the stolen goods of others. This can always happen to rich people. The Scythians are free from such troubles. All our land belongs to everyone. Everything that it brings by itself, we accept, but we do not strive for what it hides. Protecting our livestock from wild animals, in return we get milk and cheese. We use weapons not to attack others, but in case of need for defense. True, this has not happened yet. For those who would like to attack us, we are both warriors and a reward, but this reward does not appeal to many.

I advise you the same as the Athenian Solon - to keep in mind only the end. What matters is not what you have succeeded at the moment, but what will bring you a glorious end. True, he did not say this openly, since he was not a Scythian. You, if you agree with me, convey my advice to Cyrus and all tyrants, for it will bring more benefit to those who are still in power than to those who have already lost it.

Unfortunately, the return to his beloved homeland turned out to be tragic for Anacharsis. According to Herodotus, Anacharsis did not abandon the Hellenic customs in Scythia, he worshiped the Greek gods, which ruined him. Herodotus writes: “And one of the Scythians, noticed that he was doing this, reported to King Savliy. He arrived on his own, and when he saw that Anacharsis was doing this, he fired a bow and killed him.

These are the basic information about the Scythian sage, one of the greatest sons of Scythia. I would like to end the story about him with the words of Strabo: “Therefore, Anacharsis, Abaris and some other Scythians like them enjoyed great fame among the Hellenes, for they discovered the characteristic features of their tribe: courtesy, simplicity, justice”

THE FALL OF THE GREAT SCYTHIA

Scythia reaches its highest prosperity and power during the reign of the legendary king Atheus in the 4th century BC. BC. History has preserved the name of this king, since he largely personifies Scythia.

According to Strabo, Atey was at the head of all Scythia. All authors speak of him as a stern warrior hardened in numerous battles. The power of Atey is evidenced by the minting of coins with his name, as well as the rather formidable content of his letter to the inhabitants of the city of Byzantium: “King of the Scythian Atey to the demos of the Byzantines: do not interfere with my profits so that my mares do not drink your water.”

Not only military prowess, but also, obviously, the very extraordinary appearance of the powerful king aroused close interest among many. The episode described by Plutarch vividly characterizes Atey as a true Scythian king, deeply honoring the customs of his ancestors, their way of life. Once Atey, while cleaning his horse, asked the Macedonian ambassadors present at the same time if King Philip was doing the same. The same Plutarch describes a very characteristic episode: having captured the Greek flutist Ismenius, who became famous for his playing, the Scythians brought him to Atey. After listening to the wonderful play of the flutist, the king said that the best music for him was the neighing of a war horse. Obviously, this answer aroused great admiration among the Scythians for their king.

The following episode speaks of Atey's excellent leadership abilities, his vast experience as a military leader: “when he had to fight with the superior army of the Thracian Triballi tribe, he ordered women and children to drive donkeys and oxen to the rear of the enemy, while carrying raised spears, which forced the enemies who accepted this crowd for reinforcements for Atheus, to retreat.

In 339 BC there was a battle between the Scythians, led by Atheus, and the Macedonian troops, led by King Philip II. The Scythians were defeated, and Atey himself, who at that time was almost 100 years old, died in a cruel slaughter.

However, the power of the Scythians was preserved. In 311 BC they took a convincing revenge on the Macedonians, completely destroying the thirty thousandth army that invaded Scythia, led by the governor of Alexander the Great, Zopyrion.

However, after such a rapid rise, quite unexpectedly, a deep crisis sets in at the turn of the 4th and 3rd centuries. BC. According to many researchers, this is due to a number of unfavorable factors: a sharp change in natural and climatic conditions in this region led to frequent droughts, as a result of long-term grazing by numerous herds, the grass cover in the steppe deteriorated.

At the same time, nomadic tribes of Savromats (Sarmatians) approached the borders of the Scythians, who in the VI-IV centuries. BC. lived in the steppes of the Volga region and the southern Urals. Gradually moving west, towards the end of the 4th c. BC. Sarmatians reached the border of Scythia along the Tanais (Don - ed.). The Scythians stand up to defend their land, their camps and winter camps, their hearths. However, they could no longer stop the numerous enemy and were forced to cede vast territories.

During the III century. BC. the Scythians were forced out of the steppe expanses between the Don and the Dnieper. Diodorus Siculus describes these sad events in this way: the Sarmatians “devastated a significant part of Scythia and, completely exterminating the vanquished, turned most of the country into a desert.”

From this moment a new stage begins in the history of Scythia.

SMALL SCYTHIA

Displaced from wide steppe spaces to a relatively small area, most of which was in Taurica, the Scythians were forced to adapt to new conditions. They gradually turned into sedentary farmers and pastoralists living in permanent long-term settlements. Fundamental changes in the economy led to significant innovations in the way of life, in material culture, in social relations and religious ideas, and in many respects influenced the further history of the Scythians.

Unlike the previous period, once in a "limited space", the Scythians begin to thoroughly develop the territory of the peninsula. They build their settlements within the Outer and Inner ridges of the Crimean mountains in river valleys, on fertile lands with springs. Archaeologists have discovered Scythian settlements in the valleys of the rivers Kacha, Belbek, Alma, Zuya, Western Bulganak, Biyuk-Karasu, Beshterek and Salgir. Since ancient times, these fertile lands have attracted farmers.

Archaeologists have discovered Scythian settlements of various sizes: from very small to a fairly large capital. Thanks to the evidence of Strabo, we know about the four largest and, obviously, strategically important fortified cities of the Scythians in the territory of Taurica: Naples, Khabei, Palakiy and Napit. Among scientists, the information of the ancient Greek geographer caused a long discussion about their location. As a result of archaeological research, significant Scythian settlements were discovered and explored: Kermenchik on the territory of modern Simferopol, Kermen-Kyr near the village of Mirnoye, Bulganakskoye near the village of Pozharskoye, 15 km from Simferopol, Ust-Alminskoye near the village of Pochtovoe on the Alma River.

It can be said with certainty that the Scythian city of Naples was located on the territory of Simferopol. The location of Palakia, Napit and Khabei has not yet been established.

The Scythians began to build their capital in the Crimea - Naples - in the III century. BC e. in the valley of the Salgir River, on the site of modern Simferopol on the plateau of the Petrovsky Rocks.

SKYLUR

Petrovsky rocks steep wall.

Take a look at the city. bird's eye view:

Below Salgir. And stone honeycombs

Domov. And distant mountains are blue.

As a boy, I often ran here,

He looked at the city that was walking on the hills.

And behind the hills I imagined the sea

And ancient cities dreamed.

It's still deserted here now

Only poppies and panicles of wild oats.

Steppe silence. But we'll start from here

Here is a story about the city from these rocks.

... I see sharp cheekbones Skilur,

Felt tent on strong stakes.

From here, from a height, he looked gloomily

On the distant spurs of the Crimean mountains.

He reached the long-awaited place.

Here the city will be bright and beautiful...

He waved his hand. And a thousand hoes

They crashed into dry earth according to.

Slaves shredded gray limestone,

Erasing sweat, looked: at the cliff

Palak fearlessly rode the horse,

One hand barely holding on to the mane.

What were you, holy Neapolis.

Militant rival of Chersonese?

I peer...

/Anatoly Milyavsky/

How the name of the city sounded in Scythian, we do not know. In Greek written sources, it is called Neapolis - "new city", which, obviously, is a translation of the Scythian phrase. In the historical and local history literature, the conditional name was fixed: Scythian Naples.

It must be admitted that the choice of a place for the future capital turned out to be very successful. The political situation on the peninsula and the geographical location were also taken into account. In addition, the Petrovsky Plateau made it possible to create a good defensive system for the future city, which could only be attacked from the south side, since the northern and western ones had very steep slopes, and the eastern one was cut off by a sheer wall. Residents fortified the city from the south side, erecting a fairly powerful defensive wall. Its lower part was made of large limestone blocks, and the upper part was made of mud bricks. The wall was reinforced with several towers.

What was Scythian Naples? Fascinatingly, in the form of a "journey into the past", but relying on archaeological data, the authors B. Chupikov and M. Petrovskaya told us about the capital of Lesser Scythia.

“The way to the settlement is blocked by a high fortress wall with towers. It stretched from the cliffs of the Petrovsky rocks to the Petrovsky beam and further along the beam to a sharp cape, which ends the plateau of Scythian Naples.

We are at the main double gate. Stern, bearded guards in gleaming helmets and scaly shells, rattling their spears in greeting, take hold of the gate rings. Slowly, with a creak, massive banners disperse. Behind the gate we find ourselves in a spacious square. On the other side of the square is a long building with porticos. Bronze statues of gods and kings rise between the columns of the porticos. The front wall of the building is decorated with marble reliefs. Among them we recognize the portraits of Skilur and Palak. They are depicted riding side by side on horseback. Further we see the relief of a matured Palak on a horse with a spear in his hands. Under each statue are carved inscriptions in the Greek international language of the time.

By the way, Naples also traded mainly with Greece. Greek merchants not only visited the city, but also constantly lived. On this square, they concluded deals for the export of the famous Tauride wheat.

Behind the "building with porticos" stands the palace of the Scythian kings. We cross the threshold of the main hall and stop, admiring the bizarre "vegetative" painting of the room, bright carpets on carved oak benches, hanging weapons, foreign black-gloss dishes standing in deep niches. From the main hall, a door hidden by drapery leads to the residential part of the palace, furnished with no less luxury, but no longer for outsiders.

To the west of the palace is another rich house (“building with a basement”). Probably the king's son or one of the people closest to the king. But we will go in the opposite direction, to the square where the sacred fire is smoking. Temples are located here. Let's take a look at one of them. If the painting of civil premises is dominated by green color, then in the temples the main decor is red. The planes of the walls are divided by semi-columns with carved capitals. The decoration of the temples - ritual decorations, statues ...

Tangled streets scatter from the square with temples, where ordinary people of Naples live in modest houses.

His life was not made up of peaceful everyday life. Scythian Naples had enough enemies. First of all, Chersonese is an independent Greek state, eager to spread, if not power, then influence over the entire grain Crimea, in order to concentrate the trade in Scythian bread with Greece in its hands. The Scythians, of course, could not come to terms with such a self-proclaimed intermediary. Wars broke out between the Scythians and Chersonesians. Enemies three times invaded the boundaries of the Scythian state, destroying and burning everything that came in their way, the same fate befell Naples.

It is time for us, however, to complete the imaginary journey through the Scythian capital. Through the echoing, cool tunnel of the gate fortification, we leave the city. Behind them, the gates creaked and slammed shut. We involuntarily slow down the step at the wall of the mausoleum. There, in a stone tomb, lies the tireless warrior Skilur. His hand clutches a short akinak sword. The stripes on the leather robe and the golden wreath at the head glisten.

Closer to the exit from the mausoleum stands the wooden sarcophagus of the Scythian queen, very strange by today's standards: it looks more festive than mourning. The sarcophagus is painted with bright red, blue and gold paints (there is no black at all). The lavish decoration is complemented by plaster statues of mythical beasts.

The white-stone structures of the Scythian capital melted away. Instead, we have a spacious grassy field in front of us, in some places hilly with the remains of buildings covered with earth. Only where the main gate and the mausoleum were, the protected field was opened by archaeological excavations.

At present, it is rather difficult to say when the Scythian capital ceased to exist. In 275 it was thoroughly destroyed by the Goths. However, even after this terrible disaster, life in the city continued to flicker for some time. Probably, only after the invasion of the Huns of Naples did the Scythian disappear.

As already noted, not far from Simferopol, archaeologists discovered and explored two more, fairly large Scythian settlements. One of them, called Kermen-Kyr, is located on the outskirts of the village of Mirnoye, on a hill overlooking the valley of the Salgir River. The second fortification was named Bulganak settlement. It is located on a hill in the valley of the Western Bulganak River near the village of Pozharsky. Both fortresses, obviously, are almost the same age as the Scythian Naples.

There is much in common in these fortresses. They are built on hills bounded on one side by river valleys and on the other two by deep gullies. This arrangement created a natural defense of the settlements. In addition, each fortress had two more lines of defensive structures.

One of the largest settlements of the Scythians, second only to Naples in terms of area, was a settlement on the high left bank of the Alma River at its confluence with the sea. This settlement was named Ust-Alma. It consisted of houses built of stones and mud bricks, as well as semi-dugouts sunk into the ground. Unfortified settlements were located outside the rampart.

Thus, from the III century. BC e. the final period of the history of the Scythians begins. According to Strabo, the territory of the Crimean Steppe, together with the area adjacent to it beyond the Perekop Isthmus, began to be called Lesser Scythia.

As the Scythians strengthened in the flat part of the Crimea, their trade relations with the Greek cities of the Northern Black Sea region, primarily with Chersonese and settlements on the western coast, revived.

Taking advantage of a favorable situation for themselves, the Scythian kings subjugate Olbia, force the Bosporus to pay tribute. They are more and more intensifying their foreign policy, striving to get the opportunity to trade directly with the Greek states of the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, to get rid of the mediation of Chersonesos. Therefore, the Scythians persistently attack the territory of the Black Sea cities on the western coast of the peninsula.

The onslaught of the Scythians was so strong that Chersonesos had to turn to the Sarmatian queen Amaga for help. She lifts the siege of Chersonese, kills the Scythian king and transfers royal power to his son, obliging him to stop attacks on Chersonese.

However, the Scythians soon manage to restore their power, and in the II century. BC e. Lesser Scythia reaches its highest peak. This happens during the reign of King Skilur, whose name is reported by written sources and epigraphic inscriptions. Sculptural portraits of Skilur and his son Palak have been preserved on a marble relief discovered in Scythian Naples.

Skilurus manages not only to gain a foothold in the Crimea, but also to expand the territory of Scythia Minor, having conquered convenient harbors: Kerkinitida, Kalos Limen and a number of other Greek fortified points. The territory on the Lower Dnieper was reclaimed, including the important trading center of Olvia, where Skilur began to mint his coin. After Skilur's death, his policy was continued by his son Palak, during whose reign relations with Chersonesos became much more aggravated and soon developed into open hostilities. The Scythian army laid siege to Chersonese. Unable to resist the enemy on their own, the inhabitants of the city turned to the Pontic king Mithridates Eupator for help. His troops, under the command of the talented commander Diophantus, managed to inflict a serious defeat on Palak and his Roxolani allies, capture a number of Scythian fortresses, and even capture Naples.

Scythia is in decline. At this time, Olbia comes out from under her influence. However, gradually the Scythians managed to restore their strength, and in the 1st century. n. e. they resume their attacks on Olbia, Chersonese and the Bosporus. The Scythians again gained dominance over Olbia, and during the reign of Farzoy and Inismey in 35-45. gold and silver coins were minted here. A number of evidence suggests that during this period there was an economic and political rise of Scythia Minor. A lot of fortified settlements are being built, the Scythian capital Naples is being restored and strengthened with new armored walls. Trade is growing significantly.

During the reign of Farzoy, the Scythians even managed to resume the attack on the possession of Chersonese and win back Kerkinitida and Kalos Limen from him. This time, Chersonesus turned to Rome for help. As a result, the city retained its possessions, but lost its independence, being under the rule of Rome.

The struggle of the Scythians with the Bosporan kingdom continued. However, the latter, having strengthened its borders, was able to push the enemy back, and subsequently inflict defeat. Suffering setbacks, the Scythians increasingly lost their influence. Once Great Scythia was fading away.

Millions - you.
Us - darkness, and darkness, and darkness.
Try to fight us!
Yes, we are Scythians! Yes, we are Asians, -
With slanting and greedy eyes!

Being interested in information about treasure hunting and archeology, I realized that the history of our region began much earlier than the formation of the Cossacks on the Don. Since childhood, we have seen mounds, heard legends. But now, when I know that the peoples of the Scythians and Sarmatians lived in the North Caucasus, I look at the world around us differently. It is not known for certain who these people were, how they lived and what they did.

Belgorod region is the northeastern outskirts of Scythia. The Scythians are a nomadic people related to the Slavs by blood and culture. Cohabitation with Slavic tribes. VI - III centuries. BC

Photo 1.

The Slavs-Skolots (west of the Belgorod region) were a settled people, engaged mainly in agriculture, mastered the smelting of iron, built cities (fortified settlements). They traded with the Greeks grain, cattle, furs in exchange for jewelry, wine, expensive dishes. According to Herodotus, the neighbors of the Scythians, living in the forest-steppe, call themselves skolots - "children of the Sun". Border settlement of the Slavic tribes of the Skolots, from which the names of the rivers Oskol and Vorskla (Vorskol) have been preserved.

"Voronezh Scythians" (north-east of the Belgorod region) - a separate part of the Scythians.

Sarmatians (southeast of the Belgorod region). Here was the cutting edge of the pastures of the Sarmatians, the tribes that came from the South Ural steppes in the 4th - 2nd centuries. BC e.

Photo 2.

The Saltovo-Mayak culture is an archaeological culture of the Iron Age in southern Russia. It dates from the middle of the 8th - the beginning of the 10th centuries, the period of domination of the Khavzar Khaganate in this region. The name is given according to two large monuments - the settlement near the village of Verkhniy Saltov on the left bank of the Seversky Donets and the Mayatsky settlement near the confluence of the Tikhaya Sosna River into the Don.

Settlement near the village Koltunovka was discovered by G.E. Afanasiev in 1977 and studied by him in 1985. The fortress is located on the right bank of the river. Silent Pine, surrounded on all four sides by a rampart about 10m wide. Afanasyev's excavations in 1985 showed that at the base of the fortifications there was a wall made of mud brick, without a foundation, about 3 m wide. The outer part of the wall was lined with chalk blocks, which increased the total width of the wall to 4.4m. Judging by the surviving remains and the layer of collapse, the original height of the wall was no more than 1.6 m, i.e. the fortress was not completed.

Settlement at the confluence of the river. Quiet Sosny in the Don has been known since the 17th century as Mayatskoye. Where the name came from is not known for certain, there is an opinion that in the old days there was a lighthouse on the hill, or divas - the chalk pillars of Diva - acted as these lighthouses.

The fortress is located on the right high bank of the river. Quiet Pine at its confluence with the river. Don. From the north-eastern side, the ancient settlement is surrounded by a narrow ravine, from the south-western and south-eastern side - by an artificial ditch 6-8 m wide and 2.5-5.7 m deep. The walls of the settlement are made of chalk blocks using the double-shell masonry method with internal backfilling of crushed stone and large stones. The width of the walls was about 4m, the height - no more than 5m

Runic inscriptions were found on the walls of the fortress. Some of them have been read. One of them reads: "Elchi and Ataach and Buka are three of them", the other - "Uma and Angush are our names." Most are not.

Reconstruction of the Mayatskaya Fortress There was a settlement around the Mayatskaya Fortress, here in semi-dugouts and yurts lived sentry warriors, cattle breeders, artisans and farmers who served the fortress. 44 residential and household buildings, 3 sanctuaries, catacomb burials, altars, funeral feasts and household pits were discovered. Part of the village was reconstructed on the same cape. In the Grand Canyon, on the southeastern outskirts of the settlement, a huge accumulation of fragments of ceramics was discovered. There was a potters' farm here. There were opened 4 pottery workshops with the remains of pottery kilns. These were semi-dugout buildings with an area of ​​14 to 17 square meters. m with a pitched roof. The building was divided into two parts: the northern one with potter's wheels and hearths for heating the building, the southern one, in which dishes were dried. Pottery kilns were built next to the workshops.

The necropolis was found during the expedition by chance. Local guys brought bronze items and beads found in a growing ravine in the south-east of the settlement to the scientists. The study of the site revealed a burial ground with an area of ​​about 3 hectares with a large number of burials. The burial structure of the Alans was a rectangular pit (dromos) leading to a cave (catacomb). The male skeletons lie stretched out on their backs in the center of the catacomb. Women's - crouching on their side, indicating a subordinate

position for men. Several catacombs were previously plundered, only in some archaeologists found knives, belt buckles, arrowheads, bronze mirrors, beads, amulets, and other jewelry, including beautiful gold earrings with pearls. All burials belong to the Saltov-Mayak culture.

Thus, research in 2008 on the territory of the archaeological complex found a soil burial ground.

Of the studied Scythian settlements, the Belgorod - Streltsy settlement stands out as a kind of fortification. With their outlines, these fortifications resemble a medieval fortress and have an impressive appearance. Residential buildings were above ground, rectangular in shape, they were based on a wicker frame, which was covered with clay.

The bulk of the finds in the settlements of the Scythians is handmade pottery. Local craftsmen made jugs similar to Greek amphoras. Less common than ceramics are tools made of iron, bronze, bone and stone - knives, axes, awls, sickles, etc. Archaeologists also found weapons (swords, iron and bone arrowheads) and women's jewelry. A special group of finds are articles of cult purpose. Among them are unique stone figurines of people found at the Belgorod settlement Krugloye.

Of great interest are the burials of the Scythians. The burial mound was, as a rule, built for one buried person. An obligatory element in the funeral ritual was a funeral feast with fires in the graves and in the mound, an indispensable position of farewell food in the form of parts of the carcasses of domestic and wild animals, along with iron knives. Horse burials were replaced by the placement of bridle sets in the graves, symbolizing a riding horse.

Among the artistic products found in the burials of the Scythians, the most interesting are items decorated in the animal style: quiver and scabbard covers, sword hilts, details of the bridle set, plaques (used to decorate horse harness, quivers, shells, and also as women's jewelry), mirror handles, buckles, bracelets, hryvnias, etc.

Along with images of animal figures (deer, elk, goat, birds of prey, fantastic animals, etc.), there are scenes of animals fighting (most often an eagle or other predator tormenting a herbivore). Images were made in low relief using forging, embossing, casting, embossing and carving, most often from gold, silver, iron and bronze. Ascending to the images of totem ancestors, in the Scythian time they represented various spirits and played the role of magical amulets; in addition, they may have symbolized the strength, dexterity and courage of a warrior.

The burial structures were very diverse. The size of the grave and the height of the mound depended on the nobility of the buried. And although the barrows in the Belgorod region are much smaller than the steppe ones, even after almost two and a half thousand years, taking into account the regular plowing of the fields on which the barrows are located, they even now reach 3-5 m.

And I believe that in places of large accumulations of mounds, there should be temporary settlements of the Scythians. No matter how nomads they are, you can’t get wives and children anywhere.

There are reliable facts that many women of the Scythian tribes were warriors. It is believed that the notorious Amazons were an offshoot of the Scythian people. Maybe they got fed up with the men and separated. Evidence of the life and way of life of the Scythian peoples is not easy to find, it is necessary to find a settlement or a Scythian camp.

The first coins of the Scythians were bronze arrows. They could buy household items.

The clothes of the Scythian men consisted of short leather caftans (tightly tied with a belt) and long tight-fitting leather pants or wide wool trousers. Caftans were worn with fur inside. Patterns were located along their edges, and there was an ornamental strip on the back. The caftans of noble Scythians were decorated with bright embroideries and various appliqués, and ceremonial clothes were embroidered with many gold ornaments. Pants were worn either for release, or were set into low, soft, low boots (“Scythians”) tied with a strap near the ankle. Often, leather pants were decorated with stripes and various embroideries. A leather belt served to hang a quiver (on the left side) and a sword or dagger (on the right side). The belts of noble Scythians and warriors were covered with metal plaques. Scythian women wore clothes made of wool, hemp and leather. The outfit of the Scythian women largely depended on their social status. The clothes of ordinary women most often consisted of a long dress, over which a cape was worn. The outfits of noble Scythian women were usually embroidered with many gold plates and plaques.

Scythian mythology is diverse, much was adopted from the Greeks. And from this follows the conclusion that the Scythians were pagans.

According to many historical sources, it is indicated that the Scythians are pro-Russians, our distant ancestors, who were both plowmen and sedentary hunters and fishermen. It was these peace-loving peoples who lived on the territory of the Belgorod region. Most of the Scythian burial mounds were found in the Krasnensky and Alekseevsky districts.

Oskol is, according to one of the versions (one of the two most likely the second after the grinning chalk shores) is in the Old Turkic dialect the Osos river (oskol and Kol-river) and the wasps, these are the Alans, this is one of the Scythian-Sarmatian tribes, Iranian-speaking and from the fact that northerners (ancestors of Chernigov Kuryans of Belgorod and Kharkovites) apparently a tribe that became Slavic but also has an Iranian Scytho-Sarmatian origin, for the very name of the northerners Sevura (hence the Kursk ethnonym Sevryuk) is also a Scythian word ....

Traces of the Scythians have been preserved on the territory of our region. The center of the Scythians was the settlement of Gorodishche (not far from the Kirovo farm, Alekseevsky district). Of the 23 registered burial mounds, the main part (19) was located in a triangle formed by the villages of Repenka, Verbnoe, and the Kirovo farm. From 1964 to 1989, a group of Moscow archaeologists carried out excavations near the village of Verbnoye from 1964 to 1989 under the guidance of Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor Pyotr Dmitrievich Liberov. The need for excavations was due to the fact that many historians doubt the population that lived in our area in the 1st century BC. Some archaeologists believe that the Middle Don was inhabited by the Scythians. Others adhere to the idea that Budins lived here - Gelons - the founders of the early Slavic peoples, who led a more sedentary lifestyle.

Thus, we can confidently say that in the era of the early Iron Age, people lived in our region who established close trade ties with the Greek colonies of the Black Sea region, and archaeological finds testify to this.

We see many similar things in the life of the Slavs, in appearance dwellings, household items.

Traditional art culture Oskol region absorbed the cultural, economic, social, ethnic phenomena of the large territory of the Kursk, Belgorod and Voronezh regions.

Housing is one of the most essential and extremely complex elements of culture. According to archival data, log dwellings predominated on the territory of modern Belgorod region. And earlier, in the Slavic settlements, dwellings in the form of a rectangular semi-dugout prevailed. Semi dugouts with a hearth inside are known.

Our region is famous for its abundance of handicrafts. This was facilitated by favorable natural and climatic conditions.

The main occupation of the inhabitants of the county is agriculture. They sowed winter rye, oats, millet, barley, buckwheat, and a small amount of wheat.

Thus, the following handicraft specialties are recorded in the region: turners, blacksmiths, potters, potters, coopers, carpenters, saddlers, thick goods, chebotari, etc.

Many crafts associated with the processing and processing of wood, in their technology from ancient times, have reached the beginning of the 20th century. practically no changes.

Combs, axes, gimlets, scissors, knives, pokers, etc. were made in large quantities.

An amazing phenomenon of pottery in the Cossack was a clay toy. They made it for the joy of children, for themselves and for the fair. And even in ancient times, according to the assumptions of archaeologists, the toy was an accessory of pagan cult rites. Clay rattles, whistles were used in the burial rite. They made noise over the deceased, whistled, driving away evil spirits and calling for good ones.

Folk clothes are a bright, original and peculiar phenomenon of traditional artistic culture.

The traditional costume of the region was quite diverse, first of all it refers to the women's costume. In Oskolye, almost all the main complexes of women's clothing identified by ethnographers on the territory of Russia existed: pony and sarafan complexes, with a homespun skirt and a "couple" (jacket - skirt). They decorated clothes in different ways, with different colors, embroidery, lace weaving, patterned weaving.

A women's suit is a shirt that served as both underwear and weekend wear. Homemade linen and hemp canvas served as the main material for the shirt.

Linen fabric has wonderful properties: it is hygienic, durable, pleasant to wear and therefore ideal for summer clothes. Well, in hot weather, linen clothing is simply irreplaceable, as it easily absorbs moisture (up to 80% of its own weight) and at the same time does not become wet to the touch and passes air well. From the old Russian flax was called "northern chalk". Egyptian priests wore clothes only from linen. IN ancient greece linen garments trimmed with purple were highly valued. The art of flax cultivation originated almost 9 thousand years ago in the mountainous regions of India. Flax was known in Assyria and Babylon, from where it penetrated into Egypt. Well, how did a blade of grass with blue flowers get to us? This culture came from the Scythians, who knew how to cultivate flax. In Rus', flax has long been the subject of national craft and trade.

Men's clothing consisted of an archaic tunic-shaped shirt with long sleeves. Sewn from thin canvas. The shirts of young men were decorated with embroidery. Shirts were worn with ports (trousers) made of homemade linen dyed black or dark blue.

In Stary Oskol there was a swing outerwear: a vest, a caftan, a vest, a zipun, a zipun, a sheepskin coat, a fur coat, a short fur coat, an armyak, a dressing gown and others.

Bast shoes woven from bast and rope bast shoes-chuns were an ancient type of footwear of our ancestors, and from the 19th century - leather boots. Shoes, in some places shoes and "a sign of prosperity - galoshes." In winter, felted wire rods (felt boots) were worn. Women - peasant women, in addition to bast shoes and chun, had boots, shoes, boots, cats.

The funeral rite was a complex of ritual actions. They believed in the existence of the soul after death. Women were buried in headscarves, Young boys and girls were dressed "like a wedding". The grave is still being dug by 6 people, who are called kopochs only in the morning on the day of the funeral. After burial, a wooden cross was placed at the feet.

Thus, having studied the sources, we can say that the Scythians who lived on our territory are not a myth, they are an objective reality. And this means that they could not but have a significant impact on our Slavic domestic and military culture.

Links
1. Volnaya G.N., Narozhny E.I. Settlements of the Scythian time // Materials and research on the archeology of the North Caucasus. - Armavir, Vol. 3, 2004
2. Danilov A.A., Kosulina L.G. History of Russia: 6th grade. - M., 2007
Krupnov E.I. Ancient history of the North Caucasus. - M., 1960