The Scythian Empire during the 4-3. centuries B.C.
Scythians were nomadic herders of the steppes north of the Black Sea. Their origin, just like their mother tongue, is essentially unknown. They were among the first nomads riding domesticated horses, which gave them tremendous mobility and power. From the seventh century B. C. they dominated the Eastern part of Europe by conquering most other nomads and agricultural tribes.
The Scythian Empire during the 4-3. centuries B.C.
Herodotus (484-425 B.C.) gave an account of their origin, as they came from the eastern parts of the Eurasian steppes as nomadic herdsmen. Today it is believed that they were some Iranian speaking people who either migrated from the east to the northern shore of the Black Sea (the so-called Pontic region), or they developed there from local populations by the early seventh century. Though their origin is clouded, they appearance in the Pontic region left major historical marks. Herodotus describes that following the Scythians were devastation, and that these mounted warriors exterminated the local and also nomadic Cimmerians. These horsemen saved the lives of other only to take them as slaves, but even these slaves were ordinarily blinded.
Unlike the nomads of the Altai Mountains and Central Asia, Scythians did not use tents or yurts. Instead they spent moist of their time on horseback or on their chariots (waggons). They obtained corn and other agricultural products from neighboring tribes, and lived on these and animal products. They, just like their sccessors, favored the fermented milk of mares, which is still very popular in Kazakhstan. Even though they despised all those with a different way of life including the Greeks, they actively traded with them in the Greek cities and ports on the Black Sea. The increasing influence of the Greek culture is very noticeable with time, as evidenced by the artifacts.
By the early third century B.C., the Scythian empire reached its greatest extent from the Don (Tanais) at the east to the Danube (Ister) River to the west. They successfully defeated many of their enemies, and repelled mutiple attempts, including that of the Persian King, Darius, of conquering them. However, by the end of the third century, a new and equally fierce tribal confederation, the Sarmatians emerged in the east, who eventually drove the Scythians out of their homeland and forced them into their last retreat on the Crimean peninsula. Here, on the Crimean steppes, the remaining Scythians survived and established their new capital, Neapolis. They gradually became settled and turned to agriculture. Although their society and culture survived for a few more centuries, they slowly lost their tribal identity by dissolving into the other local populations. By the third century A.D., the Scythian Empire and culture disappeared.
Scythian art from Ukraine, Russia, and Hungary:
| Reeder E. D. (ed.) 1999. | Scythian Gold. Treasures from Ancient Ukraine. Abrams Inc., New York |
| Piotrovsky, B., L. Galanina, and N. Grach 1987. | Scythian Art. Phaidon, Oxford, and Aurora, Leningrad |
| Stoddert, K. (ed.) 1985. | From the Lands of the Scythians. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
| Charrière G. 1979. | Scythian Art. Crafts of the Early Eurasian Nomads. Alpine Fine Arts Collections Ltd, New York |
| Edwards, M. 1996. | Searching for the Scythians. National Geographic Magazine. 190/3/: 54-79. |