Ancient Peoples of the Russian Steppes
Author: Linda DeLaine
Publication: Website
Date:
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Summary: Scythians, Sarmatians, Amazons; all ancient inhabitants of Russia's southern steppes. These Mesopotamic, nomadic tribes were feared warriors and accomplished horsemen who warded off the mightiest rulers including Darius and Alexander.
The first people of Russia, as far back as we can account (ca 7th c. BC), were the Scythians. Scythia was the region to the north and northwest of the Black Sea. Mount Caucasus, is where Prometheus, of Greek legend, was bound. The people called themselves Skoloti; is was the Greeks who named their three primary clans, "Scythians." The Scythians were of Iranian (Mesopotamian) descent and considered barbarians by the Greeks.
These ancient people were excellent horsemen and warriors. They managed to repel Alexander the Great's army, as well as the Persian invasion of Darius' troops. The setting was the 5th century BC. The Greek historian, Herodotus (ca. 485-425 BC) wrote extensively about the Scythians. They fade from history by ca. 200 BC.
There is evidence that, as early as the 6th century BC, another Mesopotamian group, the Sarmatians, appeared in this Black Sea region, also known as Colchis. Herodotus reported that they were the offspring of the Scythians and Amazon women. Legend suggests that the Amazons came ashore at the Sea of Azov, after escaping from their Greek captures. There is no proof that they originated in Egypt, however, there is evidence that African communities did exist in this region.
Every civilization or group has its own creation story. It seems to be human nature to need to know where you came from. This is true of the Scythians. Legend and oral tradition holds that the Scythians came from the three sons of Targitaus, a supernatural being who lived around the Black Sea. The three sons ruled the region jointly until one day when a plow, battle ax, cup and yoke fell from the sky in a ball of fire. The youngest son, Colaxais, was the only one of the three able to touch these implements without being burned. As a result, he became the single ruler of the Scythians.
Ancient Greek historian, Diodorus Siculus (late 1st century BC), wrote that Scythians lived in very small numbers at the Araks River....that they gained for themselves a country in the mountains up to the Caucasus, in the lowland on the coast of the Ocean (Caspian Sea) and the Meot Lake (Azov Sea) and other territories up to the Tanais River (Don River). Born in that land from the conjugal union of Zeus and a snake-legged goddess was a son Scyth who gave the name Scythian to the people. The descendants of Scyth went on to obtain the lands behind the Tanais River up to the Egyptian Nile River (Diodorus II, 43).
Placing the beginnings of the Scythians in history is problematic because they did not present any known distinguishing characteristics until ca. the 700s BC. Some historians have speculated that they were, in fact, descendants of the Srubnaya who appeared in the Volga Ural steppes and the region to the north of the Black Sea as far back as 2000 BC.
The first recorded evidence of Scythian existence came in the 800s BC. Scythians allied with the Assyrians and their king, Partatua, too an Assyrian princess as his wife in ca. 675 BC.
The Greek historian, Herodotus, tells of an event which occurred in ca. 512 BC. Darius I, king of Persia, led some 700,000 troops on to the Russian steppes in an effort to conquer the area. Outnumbered, the Scythians refused to meet their intruder head on and kept retreating, leading the Persians further into the region. Finally, Darius demanded a confrontation. According to Herodotus, the Scythians replied, There is nothing new or strange in what we do. We follow our mode of life in peaceful times. We have neither towns nor cultivated lands in these parts which might induce us, through fear of their being ravaged, to be in any hurry to fight you. But if you must needs come to blows with us speedily, look about you, and behold our fathers' tombs. Attempt to meddle with them and you shall see whether or not we will fight with you.
Darius was definitely bewildered. You can't do battle with people who won't fight. Besides, there was nothing for him to conquer; just the seemingly unending steppe. Darius did the only thing he could do and that was turn around and head for home. The Scythians heckled Darius and his troops the whole way to the Danube. Persia never again attempted to take the southern Russian steppe and the Scythians flourished for the next 100 years.
The Scythians lived on the steppe reaching from north of the Black Sea, the Don to the east and the Danube to the west until ca. 400 BC, reaching its peak in the 500s BC. They developed a tribal hierarchy with the most important group being the Royal Scythians. Lesser tribes included the nomadic and agricultural groups. The nomadic tribes roamed the steppes around the Azov Sea and both banks of the Dnieper. The Royal Scythians, also nomadic in nature, occupied the area to the southeast to the Don. Still other nomadic groups populated Siberia's Altai region and were known as Kindred or Eastern Scythians.
Next Page The Sarmatians Page 1, 2, 3, 4
