As the number of Hellenes increased, the issue of overpopulation arose. It should be noted that for two centuries the Greek colonial cities arose on the coasts of all accessible seas. In the figurative expression of the historian, the Greeks settled around the seas, "like frogs around a swamp." One of them is the Black Sea.
The northern Black Sea region also fell into the orbit of their colonization. On the Crimean peninsula, large cities-colonies - Bosporos, Feodosia, Chersonesos - were overgrown with smaller towns and villages. Inhabited there not only the Greeks, but also the local population, including the steppe Scythians, with whom the Greeks had a chance to come across closely. The Scythians were a great people. They widely and freely populated the belt of the Great Steppe - numerous and warlike Scythian tribes lived from the Dnieper to Lake Baikal. The Scythians belonged to the Iranian language group of the Indo-European family. Herodotus dedicated a whole book to the Scythians, and thanks to him we know so much about the Scythians, and his information, which at first seemed fiction, is confirmed by archeology.
The Scythians were excellent horsemen and archers. Most of all, the Scythians appreciated freedom, and therefore neither the Persian king Darius, nor Philip, the father of Alexander the Great, never managed to conquer them. King Atey, the creator of the Great Scythian kingdom, the most revered of the Scythian rulers, entered the war with Philip the Macedonian, being 90 years old, and fell in battle with a sword in his hand. The most noble and warlike tribe was the so-called royal Scythians, who later settled the Crimea. Later, in a fierce battle with the Sarmatians, the Scythians as a people left the historical arena, but were not destroyed. A particle of Scythian blood also flows in the veins of the East Slavic peoples.
The composition of the troops and the nature of the weapons of Scythia also determined the tactical methods of warfare. The Scythians never took part in long, positional battles. The most frequently practiced method was surprise attacks. The mobile Scythian detachments swiftly attacked the enemy army, rained down on it a hail of arrows, which they fired from their horses at full gallop, and also quickly disappeared. Before the enemy had time to come to his senses, the next wave of horse archers prepared for shooting rushed towards him - again shelling and rollback. The enemy's foot soldiers and heavy cavalry could neither reach the Scythians nor keep up with them. Repeated several times the attack in waves frustrated the enemy ranks. The defeat was completed by hand-to-hand combat.
In the war with Darius, the Scythians successfully applied the strategy of false retreat and "scorched earth". Dodging a general battle with the Persians, with the superior forces of the enemy, the nomads lured the Persians into the waterless steppes. On the way of the enemy, they destroyed wells and springs, burned out the grass and continually exhausted the aliens with sudden raids. The invincible conqueror of Asia Minor, Darius, was eventually forced to flee in disgrace from the Northern Black Sea region from the army of the Scythians.
The rulers of Egypt repeatedly rushed to the boundaries of the Scythian state. The historian Herodotus reported that the "Pharaoh Sesostris" went to the Scythians. The Roman priest and historian Orosius calls the name of another pharaoh - Pharaoh Vesos. Most likely, these names are a collective name referring to different eras. The Roman Tacitus gave a more definite name for the pharaoh, who had once won a victory over the Scythians. He writes: “King Ramses took possession of Libya, Ethiopia, the countries of the Medes, Persians and Bactrians, as well as Scythia, and that, in addition, he held in his power all the lands where the Syrians, Armenians and the Cappadocians neighboring them live …” From the inscriptions on In the ruins of Thebes, the Roman commander later learned that a huge army once lived here (the figure is said to be 700,000 people). With this army, the Egyptian king set out to conquer the peoples. Moreover, the inscription confirms the familiar truth,namely: all campaigns were carried out for purely conquest and economic purposes. We learn from Tacitus: “We read the inscriptions about the taxes imposed on the peoples, about the weight of gold and silver, about the number of armed soldiers and horses, about ivory and incense intended as a gift to temples, about how much bread and all kinds of utensils every nation had to supply - and this was no less impressive and abundant than what is now being charged by the violence of the Parthians or by Roman power. " The conquerors are always and everywhere the same.how much bread and all kinds of utensils each nation had to supply - and this was no less impressive and abundant than the one charged now by the violence of the Parthians or by Roman power. " The conquerors are always and everywhere the same.how much bread and all kinds of utensils each nation had to supply - and this was no less impressive and abundant than the one charged now by the violence of the Parthians or by Roman power. " The conquerors are always and everywhere the same.
A field of pyramids.
The Scythians were the harbingers of the first state (Cimmerian) in the Russian steppes at the turn of the 2nd and 1st millennia BC. e., and possibly earlier (according to the estimates of the scientist G. Vernadsky). Herodotus linked the origin of the Scythians with the Dnieper and considered them the most ancient inhabitants of the country, the children of the serpentine goddess-woman, who in her very image personified "the mother of the damp earth and her productive forces." In this case, it is not even the habitat of the Scythians that is important, but the fact that the entire Ancient World recognized their military merits and strategic talents.
Promotional video:
The Scythians had full-fledged state formations and a powerful army, which allowed them to carry out a grandiose expansion into Southwest Asia in the 7th century. BC e. They more than once defeated Assyria, Urartu, Lydia, Egypt, which were military first-class states. The Asian rulers, having experienced the onslaught of the Scythian hordes in the 7th century BC e., immediately appreciated the advantages of their troops, and it is no coincidence that since then the traditional war chariots for the Middle East were replaced by more mobile and swift detachments of horsemen-archers in the manner of the Scythian cavalry. According to Herodotus, the king of Media specially invited the Scythians to teach young people the art of archery. Scythian archers were in great demand in Greece. Athens during the war with the Persians in the 5th century BC e. bought hundreds of slaves in Scythia, adding them to the ranks of the Greek army,city police. The Scythians also influenced the armament of the Greek colonies of the Black Sea region, especially in Tavria. Scythian arrowheads, akinaki swords, and military tactics came into use. The Bosporus started a regular cavalry like the Scythian and, unlike the rest of the Hellenic states, made a major stake on it. It is known that the Thracians adopted many military techniques from the Scythians, having learned to shoot from a bow, without getting off their horse, on the move. They partly borrowed some of the religious rites of the Scythians, bringing themselves to a state of ecstasy, inhaling the smoke of burnt hemp. The Scythians passed on to the Dacians (North Thracian tribes) information about the existence of iron weapons and their beliefs.military tactics. The Bosporus started a regular cavalry like the Scythian and, unlike the rest of the Hellenic states, made a major stake on it. It is known that the Thracians adopted many military techniques from the Scythians, having learned to shoot from a bow, without getting off their horse, on the move. They partly borrowed some of the religious rites of the Scythians, bringing themselves to a state of ecstasy, inhaling the smoke of burnt hemp. The Scythians passed on to the Dacians (North Thracian tribes) information about the existence of iron weapons and their beliefs.military tactics. The Bosporus started a regular cavalry like the Scythian and, unlike the rest of the Hellenic states, made a major stake on it. It is known that the Thracians adopted many military techniques from the Scythians, having learned to shoot from a bow, without getting off their horse, on the move. They partly borrowed some of the religious rites of the Scythians, bringing themselves to a state of ecstasy, inhaling the smoke of burnt hemp. The Scythians passed on to the Dacians (North Thracian tribes) information about the existence of iron weapons and their beliefs.bringing himself to a state of ecstasy, inhaling the smoke of burnt hemp. The Scythians passed on to the Dacians (North Thracian tribes) information about the existence of iron weapons and their beliefs.bringing himself to a state of ecstasy, inhaling the smoke of burnt hemp. The Scythians passed on to the Dacians (North Thracian tribes) information about the existence of iron weapons and their beliefs.
King of the Scythians.
Scythian weapons, fighting techniques for centuries determined the style of war not only for the subsequent nomads of the Great Eurasian steppe, but also for the Eastern European knights, as well as the ancient Russian knights, then the Russian Cossacks. Well, the strategy of absorbing the enemy's armed forces by the endless Eurasian space saved not only the Scythians, but also our Russian state.
Let us emphasize that our distant ancestors had a sober view of the war. Being confident in their strength, they warned the aggressor that he might be defeated and lose everything he had before the war. Here is an excerpt from Orosius: “In 480 before the founding of the city (Rome), the Egyptian king Vesoz, either wishing to mix the south and north, separated by almost the whole sky and the sea, by war, or to annex them to his kingdom, was the first to declare war on the Scythians, sending envoys in advance declare the conditions of submission to the enemies. To this the Scythians replied: it is stupid that the richest king launched a war against the have-nots, because, on the contrary, he should be afraid lest he remain in view of the unknown outcome of the war without any benefits and with obvious losses. Then they do not have to wait for someone to come to them, but they will go to meet the prey themselves. They do not hesitate, and deed follows the word. First of all, they force Vesoz himself, in fright, to flee to his kingdom, while they attack the abandoned army and take all the military supplies. They would also have devastated all of Egypt if they had not been detained and repelled by the swamps. Returning immediately back, they conquered the whole of Asia with endless massacres and made it their tributary. " Many believe that the Scythians had a strong military influence on all the tribes of Eurasia. I would especially like to emphasize that the ancient Greek historian and geographer Strabo notes, referring to Homer and other sources, the indifference of the Scythians (ancestors of the Slavs) to wealth, luxury, gold. If the Europeans, loving wealth and money, were ready for a dishonorable act when concluding contracts, then the Scythians are least of all busy in their lives with transactions and making money, collectively owning everything except a sword and a drinking cup. They were called "wonderful" and "fairest" men. Strabo also draws an interesting conclusion regarding the nature of "Western civilization" (at the turn of the old and new era): "And this opinion still dominates among the Greeks. After all, we consider the Scythians to be the most straightforward, least capable of deceit, and also much more frugal and more independent than we are. Generally speaking, the way of life adopted by us has spoiled the mores of almost all peoples, introducing luxury and love of pleasure into their midst, and to satisfy these vices - vile intrigues and the manifestations of greed that give rise to them. This kind of moral depravity also affected the barbarian tribes, especially the "nomads." Indeed, after getting to know the sea, they not only became worse morally (for example, they turned to sea robbery and killed strangers),but contact with many tribes led to the fact that they borrowed from them luxury and commercial inclinations. " The ancient researcher adds that this, however, helps to soften the mores, but at the same time spoils the Scythians, since "honesty is replaced by cunning."
As the Scythians gain strength, they establish close trade relations with their neighbors. The emergence of a powerful state in the Black Sea regions increased the interest in them and the Greeks, which is also confirmed by the history of Odysseus. As a result, the Greeks of Asia Minor founded a number of colonies along the northern coast of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, which later became large trade centers (Olbia, Phanagoria, Panticapaeum, Feodosia). True, the historian of antiquity M. I. Rostovtsev argued that a priori it is not clear what kind of connection could exist between the Hellenes and the Iranians who were sitting in the south of Russia in that era, with our history and culture, when we know absolutely nothing about the Slavs and Russians. He wrote: "The appearance of the Greek colonies on the northern coast of the Black Sea was a decisive moment in the history of the Scythian state." Indeed, in the Kuban, in the Crimea, along the Dnieper, a number of burials of Scythian leaders were found,filled with numerous precious items of weapons, cult and everyday life, works of part of Iranian and part of Greek masters. Nevertheless, all this does not allow us to speak about the borrowed nature of the Scythian creativity. Moreover, many scientists, analyzing archaeological finds, give priority to the Scythians. Although one thing is certain - the basis of the Greco-Persian-Scythian relations was the centuries-old ties of the cultures of a number of peoples of these regions. Although one thing is certain - the basis of the Greco-Persian-Scythian relations was the centuries-old ties of the cultures of a number of peoples of these regions. Although one thing is certain - the basis of the Greco-Persian-Scythian relations was the centuries-old ties of the cultures of a number of peoples of these regions.
However, attacks by neighbors were also made on the Scythian territories. In the story of the ancient Greek writer Lucian "Toxaris or Friendship", the Scythians Dandamis and Amizok test the loyalty of their friendship during the difficult events of the Sarmatian invasion. “Suddenly, the Savromats, including ten thousand horsemen, attacked our land,” says the Scythian Toksaris, “and they say there were three times more footmen. And since their attack was unforeseen, they put everyone to flight, they kill many brave men, others are taken away alive … Immediately the Savromats began to drive away the prey, gather a crowd of prisoners, loot tents, took possession of a large number of carts with everyone who was in them. Constant raids led to the capture of Scythian territory by the Sarmatians. As a result, this culminated in the mass resettlement of the Sarmatian tribes to European Scythia - to the Northern Black Sea region and the Northern Caucasus,the resistance of the Scythians was broken, and the Sarmatians established domination in Scythia. The legendary Sarmatian queen Amaga freely exercised power in weak Scythia. According to legend, that the ancient Greek writer informs in his writings, Amaga saved the Greek city of Chersonesos, then besieged by the Scythians, returned it to its inhabitants, and entrusted the royal power to the son of the murdered Scythian king, ordering him to "rule justly."
The historian T. Rice writes in the book "Scythians: Builders of the Steppe Pyramids" that similar Scythian-Sarmatian tendencies (life, culture) reached Britain itself, where they were brought by the Vikings, as well as in a roundabout way through Germany. The Goth tribes, during their conquests of South-Western Europe, brought with them their multicolored jewelry, metal products, and, together with the Scythian-Sarmatian elements that underpinned them, a mixed cultural style ("animal", since most of the discovered items depicted animals) spread to many regions. The "animal" style was revived first in Romania, then in Austria and in the Rhineland, from where it came to England, having already absorbed elements of other cultures. Scythian-Sarmatian influence is especially noticeable in Central Europe. According to the researcher T. Rais,this was due to the infiltration of Eurasian elements into this region during the late Hallstatt and early La Tene periods, i.e., starting from about 500 BC. e. The Galiitan Celts led almost the same way of life as the nomads of Eurasia. And many elements of archaeological finds stored in the Natural History Museum in Vienna show an undeniable similarity with those found in the Chertomlyk barrow (vases) in Ukraine. The traces of the Scythians lead further. Eurasian elements can also be seen on the Abbotsford Cross, which is in the Museum of the Ancient World in Scotland (Abbotsford). It depicts a wild animal in a distinctly Scythian style. The Galiitan Celts led almost the same way of life as the nomads of Eurasia. And many elements of archaeological finds stored in the Natural History Museum in Vienna show an undeniable similarity with those found in the Chertomlyk barrow (vases) in Ukraine. The traces of the Scythians lead further. Eurasian elements can also be seen on the Abbotsford Cross, which is in the Museum of the Ancient World in Scotland (Abbotsford). It depicts a wild animal in a distinctly Scythian style. The Galiitan Celts led almost the same way of life as the nomads of Eurasia. And many elements of archaeological finds stored in the Natural History Museum in Vienna show an undeniable similarity with those found in the Chertomlyk barrow (vases) in Ukraine. The traces of the Scythians lead further. Eurasian elements can also be seen on the Abbotsford Cross, which is in the Museum of the Ancient World in Scotland (Abbotsford). It depicts a wild animal in a distinctly Scythian style. It depicts a wild animal in a distinctly Scythian style. It depicts a wild animal in a distinctly Scythian style.
The sensational finds of Scythian gold from the "royal" burial mound in the Republic of Tuva (2001), shown in the Hermitage, suggest that the areas of both Scythian and Greek influence are wider than previously thought. The Russian-German expedition, conducting excavations in the north of the Republic of Tuva, found in the valley of the river. Uyuk (local residents call it the Valley of the Kings) "royal" burial of the 7th century. BC e. Judging by the data received, this is how the Scythian tribes buried their dead. The treasures from the mound (the diameter of the mound is about 80 m), which scientists named Arzhan II (Arzhan I, plundered in ancient times, was excavated 30 years ago), after restoration, were shown at an exhibition in the Hermitage. The costumes of a man and a woman buried there in an elite burial among 5,000 gold plaques, jewelry, utensils and weapons are amazing in their elegance. All this,as well as the golden decoration from the barrow, as well as animals made in the Scythian animal style, admire … Scientists called the find the main archaeological discovery of the XXI century. If this is so, then the assertion that the ancestral home of the Scythians, as the ancient Greeks believed earlier, was only the Northern Black Sea region, may need to be revised. These observations also suggest that the course of history in the distant past could have been completely different from what it seems to some historians-novelists.that the course of history in the distant past could have been completely different from what it seems to some historians-novelists.that the course of history in the distant past could have been completely different from what it seems to some historians-novelists.
There are various assumptions about the time of creation of the found art objects. Some speak of an era dating back to the beginning of a new era or even earlier; gold items that were exhibited at the exhibition "Golden Deer of Eurasia" in Moscow (from the Don mounds, the Volga region, Crimea, the Northern Black Sea region, the Urals and Siberia), dated back to the first millennium BC. BC, the most recent dates are the first centuries AD. e. Finds from the Maikop kurgan date back to about the 3rd century BC. e.
The point of view of some scholars that the Scythian culture is only a few hundred years old does not stand up to criticism. Such dating, sometimes based on completely random manifestations, breaks the usual framework of world history, reducing it to an insignificant amount in time, belittling the achievements of great civilizations. Scientists from history tell us that they called Russia-Horde Egypt in the XIV-XVI centuries, that Russia under the name of Egypt is described in the Bible. In their opinion, gold Scythian jewelry in the "animal" style, which dates back to ancient times and is attributed to the mysterious ancient Scythians, were created in Moscow Tartary and these items allegedly belong to the Horde-Cossack-Tatar culture of the XIV-XVIII centuries. As you can see, new myths are being created in our time, and not without success.
Writing about Ancient Greece P. Ven in the book "Greeks and Mythology", speaking of such a "mythical creature", a certain Forisson, wrote not without irony: "I believe that this unfortunate man had his own truth. He was like those visionaries that historians of the last two centuries sometimes encounter: anti-clericals who deny the historicity of Christ, eccentrics who deny the existence of Socrates, Joan of Arc, Shakespeare or Moliere. " They are inspired by the search for Atlantis, and they unveil monuments erected by aliens on Easter Island. By invading the territory of opponents "with their mania for systematized interpretation," they question "everything," but they do it in an extremely one-sided way, thereby giving "a weapon against themselves." But they also have a definite purpose. The goal is to completely confuse science, deprive it of its support, and therefore,trust in oneself and thereby plunge people into a state of "intellectual lethargy".
All archaeological finds and scientific conclusions made on the basis of them testify to the venerable age of the ancestors and to the constant interaction, the influence of civilizations on each other.
Many peoples will glorify the battle as an extreme means of solving the most pressing issues of human existence. War and death will become part of the customs of many nations. For example, the Scythians had a custom according to which, at the annual meetings of warriors, the one who killed his first enemy was obliged to drink the blood of his victim in the presence of the ruler and a crowd of envious and admiring spectators. The Scythians believed that in this way they could add the fearlessness of a dead enemy to their own courage. Also, according to custom, after the battle, each warrior had to show the leader the severed head of the enemy, since only then he had the right to his share of the spoil. In wartime, the army, collected from all the parts into which the country was then divided, was divided into units, each of which had its own commander. Once a year, all the soldiers gathered at the king's place for a feast,and whoever killed the enemy in front of the king or who won the trial in his presence received the right to use the skull of a dead enemy in everyday life. According to Herodotus, the Scythians scalped their enemies, sometimes made napkins from leather and invariably turned skulls into circles, setting them in gold, some other valuable material, and worn hanging from their belt. They used similar "bowls" during the feast, when they drank, swearing an oath of brotherly allegiance, or sealed the oath taken, raising a cup full of wine mixed with blood. In this bowl they dipped the end of their sword. These habits are shocking today, but in those days they did not surprise anyone. Let us recall Blok's lines: “Yes, we are the Scythians! Yes, we are Asians. " And further: “We love the flesh - and its taste, and its color, / And the stifling, mortal smell of flesh. Are we guilty if your skeleton crunches / In heavy ones,our tender paws? " Each time has its own customs. However, it was not these customs, but the art of war and power that made the peoples respect the Scythians.
At the same time, the Scythians did not shy away from trade, having strong family relations with the south (Don, Kuban, the Black Sea coast). The southern Scythian peoples (Sarmatians) grew bread and organized large supplies of grain, oil, vegetables to the European side. Thanks to the control over trade routes, these peoples had a steady income, which could serve as a connecting thread for uniting into a federal state. So, the Scythian king Skilur united the Dnieper and Crimean lands within the framework of the Crimean Scythia, subjugated Olbia, fortified the capital - Scythian Naples (within the boundaries of modern Simferopol), created a powerful army and navy that destroyed pirates. The more we learn about the past of our peoples, the more we discover grounds for a certain pride. The Roman writer Pompey Strog wrote: “The beginning of their (Scythian) history was no less glorious than their dominion,and by the valor of men they were no more glorified than women; in fact, they themselves were the ancestors of the Parthians and Bactrians, and their wives founded the kingdom of the Amazons, so if we analyze the exploits of men and women, it remains unknown which sex they had more glorious … the Scythians achieved dominion over Asia three times; they themselves constantly remained either untouched or not conquered by alien dominion. Once two kings, who dared not to conquer Scythia, but only to enter it, namely, Darius and Philip, found a way to escape from there with difficulty. "they themselves constantly remained either untouched or not conquered by alien dominion. Once two kings, who dared not to conquer Scythia, but only to enter it, namely, Darius and Philip, found a way to escape from there with difficulty. "they themselves constantly remained either untouched or not conquered by alien dominion. Once two kings, who dared not to conquer Scythia, but only to enter it, namely, Darius and Philip, found a way to escape from there with difficulty."
Like Darius and Philip II, the heralds of official ("non-Russian") history are fleeing from the idea of unity or the well-known identity of the Slavs with the Scythians. Why "Scythians" run away from Slavic themes, why, with persistence worthy of better application, they say: "As for their (ie, Scythians) direct connection with the Slavs - as ancestors or opponents, this is pure fiction." The reason for this blindness is the reluctance to recognize for Great Asia not only the right to its cultural identity, but also the fear that the strongholds of Europeanism and Atlantism as the source of the primogeniture of knowledge, arts, cultures and civilizations will collapse. It is clear that then Asia will become the leader of the civilization process in the past and, probably, the leader of the world in the near future.
In the distant past, and even in later times, it was difficult for the West to understand the numerous tribes of Asia. The Roman Tacitus found it difficult to distinguish between the Sarmatians and the Wends, Ptolemy called a rather vast area Sarmatia, including the Dnieper region. The identification of Slavs and Sarmatians in the East European medieval tradition has become almost the norm. Some of the Sarmatians became part of the ethnic symbiosis formed by the Slavic-Iranians (actually the Sarmatians), the Slavic group of Rus-Rus who lived in the Meotida region (Sea of Azov), on the famous robber island of Rusia, described by Arab authors. The Slavic element, known as "roxolan", prevailed here. The word "roxolane" has come down to us in a Greco-Roman transmission. They themselves called themselves Rossalans (dew plus Alans, i.e., plus Iranians, Sarmatians). "Roksolany,- wrote the Russian historian D. Ilovaisky, - otherwise it was pronounced as Rossalans (as the Poles say “Sasy” instead of “Saxons”; in a similar way, Polesie in a Latin broadcast turned into Polexia, for example, in the bull of Pope Alexander IV). This name is complex - like Tavroscythians, Celtiberians, etc. " Later, the "minor" Scythians with the Sarmatians and Bosporians resisted the onslaught of the mighty Rome. The Scythian history is confused.
Late antique authors often use the word "Scythians" to refer to the northern barbarians. Let's say the Constantinople author of the 5th century. Priscus Pannian, speaking about the diplomatic relations of the Eastern Roman Empire with the Huns, often uses the term "Scythians" than "Huns", and the territory occupied by the state of Attila, as a rule, is called Scythia (Skuqikav). For him, "Scythians" is a collective term, denoting the mixing of several peoples, a kind of polyethnic association. Here it is perhaps worth emphasizing, as our historians do, that the main elements that hold together various nationalities within the vast Eurasian continent are - the territory, in this case "Scythia", and the power extending to this territory - in this the case is represented by the power of Attila.
Time passed. The former greatness is lost. The Scythian kingdom was on the decline. Its defeat was completed in the III-IV centuries. the Goths and Huns, who finally destroyed the once mighty empire. A new revival will come only after about two centuries with the integration of the Sarmatians into the Slavic ethnic massif. In the "Veles Book" the country of the Rossalans is called Ruskolanya (Russian Alania). She will soon play a significant role in the formation of Kievan Rus, this heiress of the Scythian empire.
