If it were not for the "father of history" Herodotus (5th century BC), then we would not know anything about many peoples who lived in ancient times. It was he who wrote about the Budins, an ancient nomadic people who lived across the Tanais (Don) river. The inhabitants of the Black Sea Greek colony of Olbia told Herodotus about these people. They conducted an active exchange of goods with nomadic peoples and knew very well both the Savromats (Sarmatians) and Budins.
Boudins lived in the middle reaches of the Dnieper (Borisfen). They were a large people with blue eyes and red hair. Their way of life was nomadic, and the main occupations were hunting and fishing. Herodotus wrote about Budins: “Their whole land is covered with forests. In the middle of the thicket there is a large lake, surrounded by swamps and reed thickets. In this lake they catch beavers, otters, and with the fur of these animals the boudins turn off their fur coats."
The ancient Greeks lived along the tributaries of the Dnieper.
Presumably in the 7th century BC. e. on the lands of Budins, farmers began to settle. They were the Hellenes, expelled by the Scythians from individual coastal colonies. Over time, these people formed a single community, and neighboring peoples began to call them Gelons. Herodotus argued that the Gelons were originally Hellenes. They spoke in a mixed language, which included Scythian and ancient Greek words and expressions. In appearance, the gelons did not at all resemble Budins.
This new people settled on a hill and surrounded it with a high wall of logs. Residential buildings appeared under the walls, which were also wooden. All buildings in the fortress were erected from wood, as there were not enough stones. Even temples dedicated to the ancient Greek gods were built of wood. And the inhabitants called the city Gelon.
Here it should be clarified that in the mythology of the ancient Greeks Gelon was considered the son of Hercules, born of the Echidna mother - a woman-snake. She gave birth to many creepy monsters. The son has absorbed the qualities of a monster mother and a thunderer father. The Gelons considered him extremely powerful, and therefore the well-fortified city of Gelon appeared on the hill.
I must say that Herodotus in his famous treatise "History", describing the lands located north of the Black and Azov Seas, mentions only the city of Gelon in the country of Budins. The "father of history" does not talk about any settlements anymore. Apparently, the information received from eyewitnesses shocked Herodotus with wooden structures and scales.
Such structures made of wood were unusual for the Greeks, and the area they occupied did not indicate an ordinary settlement, but a large city, in no way inferior to other cities of the ancient world. Herodotus wrote that the length of each side of the fortress wall reached 30 stadia (1 Greek stadia = 178 meters). That is, it reached almost 5.5 km. And the total length of the fortress walls was 35 km. Such majestic dimensions were not much inferior to the fortifications of ancient Athens.
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Such Herodotus represented the Earth. Budins on this map are located above the Black Sea (their land is circled in red).
It should be noted that after Herodotus there was not a single mention of either Budins or Gelons. The ancient historians of Greece and Rome simply did not know about them, and therefore did not write anything in their writings. Accordingly, this ancient civilization has sunk into oblivion without a trace and disappeared from historical memory. However, modern archaeologists have made their own adjustments.
In 1980, specialists from Kharkiv State University under the leadership of Professor Boris Shramko began to study the ancient settlement. It was located on a hill between the rivers Vorskla (left tributary of the Dnieper) and Sukhaya Grun near the village of Belsk in the Poltava region.
After excavating, experts came to the conclusion that 2.5 thousand years ago, in the area of the village of Belsk, there was the city of Gelon, described by Herodotus. The picture of life, everyday life and defense arrangement of the ancient settlement was recreated. Archaeologists have unearthed more than 10 thousand square meters. meters of the city square and declared that in terms of its size and functions the ancient city is fully comparable to the ancient Greek settlements.
The city was surrounded by high earthen ramparts, over which defensive walls of wood towered. The entrances were guarded by gate towers with stone foundations. Inside there were houses cut from wood, workshops, cellars, barns, grain storage. There was a forge with a stone anvil, tools ranging from simple knives to sickles, swords and axes.
The city was rebuilt several times, had traces of fires. This indicates an attack by enemies. During the military threat, residents of nearby settlements hid behind the city walls. Of these, detachments were formed to provide protection for a long defensive line. The city was surrounded by a moat 5.5 meters wide and the same depth.
But these are military affairs, but in peacetime the city of Gelon was the largest political, trade, cultural and handicraft center in the south of Eastern Europe. It contained fragments of Greek amphorae, black-glazed vessels, glassware, bronze, gold jewelry.
It is assumed that bread was brought from the city to Olivia, and in exchange they received amphorae with wine and oil, luxury goods. The pier and trade warehouses were located on the banks of the Vorskla River. This is indicated by the found warehouse with antique amphoras.
Belskoe settlement - it is assumed that these ruins were once the city of Gelon.
However, it remains unclear how the ancient Greeks, having fled from the colonies on the shores of the Black Sea, were able to unite in the lands of Budins, located extremely far from the coast. They had to overcome long distances, covered with dense forests, and build a city that is fully consistent with the ancient.
In favor of the fact that the found Belskoe settlement is the city of Gelon, described by Herodotus, the size speaks. They completely coincide with those indicated in his work by the "father of history". According to Herodotus, the area of fortifications alone reached 30 square meters. km. The total area of the Belsk settlement reaches 80 sq. km. The length from north to south along the Vorskla River reaches 17 km. Remains of walls up to 12 meters high have been preserved. And the total length of the ramparts is 33 km. Inside the settlement there are separate fortifications with walls up to 16 meters high.
At the time, it all looked majestic and fundamental. And the total population of the ancient city reached 80 thousand people. It is assumed that this settlement existed until the end of the 4th century BC. e. It was inhabited not only by the ancient Greeks, but also by the Scythians, and Budins, and people from other peoples.
However, not all experts agree that the Belskoe settlement and the city of Gelon are one and the same. It is believed that the settlement described by the "father of history" was located on the site of modern Saratov. The location is also indicated near the Don River towards the Volga. And in the bend of the Dnieper, where there were once rapids, a powerful system of earth embankments with a total length of about 40 km was found.
So it's too early to put an end to this issue. The only thing that remains unchanged is the fact that the ancient Greeks on the Dnieper really lived and built settlements, just copying the ancient cities.
Leonid Serov