The Originator of Nomadism: A Brief History of the Thousand Years of the Scythians

The name of the Scythians has been used throughout almost the entire history of humankind in the classical era. Although not the origin of global nomadic culture, they were the first truly nomadic cultural group and had a huge impact on both ends of the Eurasian continent. So that in the thousands of years before the rise of Turkic culture, all tribes in the grasslands and surrounding areas were infected by their technology, culture and customs. Definition and Characteristics of Scythian Culture The image of Scythian warriors on ancient Greek vases. From an etymological point of view, the term Scythia may come from the two verbs of Proto-Indo-European ""shoot"" or ""wander"". Therefore, the original meaning of Scythia is archers or wanderers, which implies the nomadic warrior attributes of this group. The Scythians in the narrow sense are mainly Iranian-speaking nomads who live on the north coast of the Black Sea. They are relatively similar to the early Persians. Close contact. But in the modern broad definition, they cover most of the people from the 7th to 2nd centuries BC. The Scythians in the narrow sense mainly live in the Ukrainian plains. Therefore, except for the birthplaces of the Black Sea and the Caucasus Mountains, The people from Sarmatia, Massagetae and the earlier Cimmerians in the east were all included, including the nobles in the royal cemetery of Arzan, the tomb owners of the Yanghai Tomb in Xinjiang, and the Yu in the Western Regions. The rulers of city-states such as Khotan, Yarkand, and Dawan, and even the grassland-style bronze casters of the ancient Dian Kingdom in Yunnan can be regarded as the Scythian cultural group in a broad sense. In addition to weapons, the core artifacts of Scythian culture also include horses. Tools and animal-patterned art ornaments made of precious metals. Due to the popularity of the nomadic economy, exchanges between the eastern and western grassland areas have become more frequent. Animal ornaments and hunting ornaments are an intuitive reflection of the economic model in the art field. It is a common method for the Kitai people to show off and store wealth. The products such as horses and furs produced by the nomadic economic circle can easily exceed the consumption capacity of the local people, and extreme weather or plague will cause these assets to be greatly reduced. Therefore, the grassland society. If you need to find a safe and portable value-preserving item, gold, which is valuable and easy to process, is the best choice. The broad Scythian region includes Central Europe and the Mongolian Plateau. In the spiritual world of Scythia, there are also different opinions on its origin. Some people claim that their ancestor Targitaeus is the son of Zeus and the goddess of the Dnieper River. Others say that he is the descendant of Heracles and the half-snake goddess Skuses in their beliefs. , would worship thunder and lightning like the Greeks and Nordics in other Indo-European branches. Therefore, the thunder god known as Paios has a special meaning in Scythian culture. Other gods include A, who is similar to the earth mother Gaia. The characteristics of Bis, who are equivalent to the goddess Hitios, also reflect the influence of the Zoroastrian goddess Anahita, suggesting their cultural affinity with the Persians. Provided by the ancient Greek scholar Herodotus. The theory of origin is increasingly confirmed by archaeologists. Judging from a large amount of unearthed evidence, the Scythians and their close relatives, the Massagetae, originated from the Black Sea to the east of the Caspian Sea, just like the father of history. It is said that they arrived in Ukraine and other places as migrants and invaders. Scythia also occupied the Ukrainian region through wars and marriages. The Scythians were a very typical warrior cultural group as the first generation of nomadic overlords. The Scythian people have very complete weapons and equipment, including many common weapons of later generations of armies. For example, the Scythian bow has a snake-shaped appearance, with both ends bent inward, and it has the same shape as the Greek letter Sigma. Similar. They have been with this kind of bows and arrows all their lives, and they also give a large number of bows and arrows as gifts or take them into the underworld as funerary objects. Because in another world, the Scythians felt that the soul also needed to use bows and arrows to hunt and fight. Most Scythian bows are about 1.2 meters in length and are made of multiple layers of tough wood glued together. The outer layer is also wrapped with thin strips of beef tendon to glue the surface of the bow body. The bow strings hung at both ends were made of solid horns or bones, while the bow strings were made of horse hair or animal sinews. In battle, they could carry 30-150 reed or birch arrows and fire them at a rate of 10-12 per minute. In order to increase the lethality of bows and arrows, the Scythians would also poison the arrows. For targets with different characteristics, arrow types are specially designed for breaking armor, breaking helmets, and breaking shields. Therefore, in Greek tombs and Scythian tombs in the Black Sea area, arrowhead relics that penetrate deep into the skull or back are often found. The most complete Scythian bow at present was unearthed in the Western Region. In close combat, the Scythians used short spears of 1.8 meters and lances of about 3 meters. The former can be used to throw to kill enemies, and can be thrown up to 2 meters away. The latter is mostly used in horseback fights between cavalry, and can attack infantry formed in square formations. The Scythians also relied most heavily on short swords made of iron. The blade length is usually between 60-70 cm, and gradually widens from the tip to the hilt, like an elongated isosceles triangle. The scabbard and hilt are carved with gold foil to create complex and gorgeous patterns, which combine Persian, Median and its own artistic styles, including patterns of knights, bulls, griffins, stags and blue sheep. Ares, the god of war, was worshiped by the Scythians more than other gods and easily received more sacrifices. In the Scythian territory, the altar of Ares was a mound with an iron sword stuck in it. After each victory, the Scythians would execute the sacrifice in front of the mound and sprinkle human blood on the sword. The armor of the Scythians was also diverse.

The most commonly used style is scale armor, which is made of two small scales cut from iron or copper sheets and sewn onto soft leather. The scale armor of some nobles was even made of gold, and the shield was usually a wooden medallion covered with iron or copper sheets. Wealthy nobles often had pure copper or iron round shields with Gorgon reliefs on them. The first helmet was the Kuban style that protected the neck and cheeks. Its scope of influence is very far-reaching, and it even appeared in East Asia during the pre-Qin period. By the late Scythian civilization, they also began to use chain armor. Many people would replace themselves with Greek-style breastplates and helmets through trade and war seizures. Heavily armed Scythian noble warriors In terms of the composition of the army, the free tribesmen and noble groups of Scythia formed light archers and heavy armored cavalry respectively. In particular, the latter is equipped with a full set of fish scale armor, vest and neck guard, as well as equipment to deal with various near and far battles. This military combination model is also the first of its kind in world history. When necessary, women will also participate in battle as mounted archers or close combat infantry. The infantry of the Scythian army was mainly provided by conquered peoples, but also included the poorest classes at the bottom of society. These men often could not afford good horses and had to fight on foot. During long-distance migration and expedition, the Scythians must have more convenient mobile equipment to ensure mobility and agility. In addition to horses and camels, the main means of transportation are 4-6 wheeled caravans. Not only is it convenient for loading supplies, it is also an important place to rest at night. If a strong enemy attacks, it is the first choice carrier to directly form a defensive position. The Scythians would also use various types of carriages to migrate and compete with major civilizations. The Scythians had expanded to very wide areas. According to Herodotus, the Scythians were not native to the Black Sea. They may have been oppressed by the Sarmatians of the same system, so they came to the local area and defeated the Cimmerians with Thracian-Phrygian cultural characteristics. In the 8th and 7th centuries BC, a tribal alliance with the royal family being Scythians was gradually formed. For nearly a thousand years since then, they have continued to compete with various powers and left their mark in different languages ??and cultures. In the 7th century BC, clay tablets from the Assyrian Empire record that the Scythians and Cimmerians participated in the conquest of the imperial city of Urartu. In 670 BC, they invaded the Assyrian Empire again, forcing King Esarhaddon to negotiate peace and pay tribute to the Scythian king in the form of peace. By 645 BC, the Scythians even raided the borders of Palestine and Egypt. But he was eventually repulsed by the Egyptian Pharaoh Psammetik I. During this period, Scythian forces also captured the Mede Kingdom in Western Asia and introduced new cavalry technology to the local area. The Cimmerian light cavalry faced the Assyrian army. In 612 BC, the Scythians united with the Medes, who had gained independence, to attack Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian Empire. The turmoil of the war was so great that the Bible also left traces of this group of northern barbarians. In the eyes of the Jews, they came from a distant place, were brave and good at fighting, but spoke an incomprehensible language. At the same time, the Greeks, who were important recorders of Scythian history, also began to enter the Black Sea by ship and established many dotted settlements. Most of the time, both are trading partners and military collaborators. The former provided the latter with handicrafts, Greek-style weapons and coins, and also exported wine for inspiration in religious activities. The latter provided slaves, timber, grain, and other agricultural and pastoral products to the former. Later, there were even mixed-race Greek-Scythian tribes in the coastal areas as a fusion of the two. Scythia also quickly came into contact with the Greeks who traveled north. It was also at this stage that the Scythian philosopher Anacharses came to Athens. This man was good at studying the similarities and differences between ancient Athenian law and Scythian law, and often inspired the citizens of Athens with the barbarian wisdom of the Scythians. In the south of the great tribal alliance, there were even Scythian tribes with Greek ancestry. Some Greek city-states on the northern shore of the Black Sea also gradually adopted the full set of Scythian weapons and learned the cavalry tactics developed by their opponents. The Scythians also learned from the Greeks and developed their own hoplite troops. At the end of the 6th century BC, Darius I of Persia made an expedition to the Black Sea region. Through the construction of a cross-sea pontoon bridge, he conquered the scattered Thracian tribes and then entered the Scythian territory with swagger. The latter immediately strengthened the walls and cleared the country, and divided the army into two parts. A group of people kept a one-day riding distance from the main Persian force, attracting the other party to keep following them. The remaining part always threatens the Persian flank and attacks the increasingly long logistics lines. The Persian Empire also made a cross-sea expedition to the Scythian region. In the end, the Persians were not only unable to capture the Scythian nobles in a decisive battle, but their own supply lines were also repeatedly seriously threatened. They are also often deliberately attracted to the territory of surrounding tribes, thereby bringing more people on their opposite side. If the Asian Greeks who protected the pontoon had not insisted on rebelling, the Persian army might have been trapped in Europe and suffered the fate of annihilation. Because of their victory in this battle, the Scythians earned themselves a reputation as invincible. Although the Scythians were proficient in using scorched earth tactics, it does not mean that they were completely nomadic warriors. Similar to the later Huns, Turks, and Mongols, the royal Scythians as the core of the rule also had farming Scythians and Alazonese tribes that specialized in agricultural production. This is because the purely nomadic economy is actually very fragile. In order to ensure the continuation of the tribe in disaster years, a certain amount of extensive farming is necessary. The moist and fertile land in Eastern Europe is suitable for farming and grazing, ensuring the diversified economic operations of the Scythians here.

The Ukrainian plains have also been the main breadbasket of Europe since this era. The Scythian cavalry army that faced Persia was so powerful that many Scythians also participated in the Persian army's Greek expedition. After the wave of Persian invasion, some tribes that submitted to the empire also joined the coalition to attack the Greek peninsula. Their unique giant shields and metal battle axes were remembered by the Greeks who won the Battle of Marathon in 496 BC. When the naval battle of Salamis broke out in 480 BC, these people appeared as archers on Phoenician and Ionian warships. After the Greco-Persian War, Athens entered the golden age with the help of the Delian League. The city-state imported a large number of slave warriors from the Scythian region to serve as mounted police forces to maintain law and order. Although they are very brave and good at fighting, in the eyes of the Greeks, they would drink wine and engage in uncontrolled killing like wild beasts. In terms of political structure, their tyrant and monarchy systems were also regarded as unhealthy systems. As a Greek city-state A negative example of the system. Athens also imported Scythian slaves to serve as police officers. At this time, in the Thrace region, the Kingdom of Odrysia, which was gradually taking shape, had become very powerful. The Scythians separated themselves from them and frequently intermarryed among the nobles. Seeing that Persia coveted Greece and realized that the Greeks had too much to take care of themselves, they brought the Greek settlements along the Don River into their sphere of influence. They began to force them to pay tribute, engage in handicraft production, and accept their own protection. Over time, the Scythian nobles also accepted the Greek lifestyle and culture. However, many Greek cities in the Black Sea region formed an alliance under the leadership of Ponticapa to fight against the continued harassment of the Scythians. Eventually the alliance developed into the Kingdom of Bosporus in this city, and took advantage of the Scythians' internal strife to liberate the enslaved city. In the 4th century BC, the Sarmatians also began to rise in the east and expanded into the traditional Scythian rule. But the Scythians at that time still ushered in their final glory. King Aetias brought many of the tribes who immigrated to the Nau River Basin into his rule, and continued to encroach on the territories of the small Thracian countries. In addition, they also gained dominance over the Black Sea-Adriatic trade route, making their country's economy more prosperous. The Scythians have been committed to expanding into the Thracian region. However, the more terrifying Macedonian kingdom also emerged in northern Greece. During the reforms of Philip II, they organized a powerful army that later conquered most of the world. The two forces eventually clashed over the dominance of Thrace, and the famous Scythian king died tragically at the hands of the new Macedonian army. In the later stage of Alexander's Eastern Expedition, they naturally chose to form an alliance with the court of Pella. But in Central Asia, Macedonia is still suffering in the battle with its distant relatives in Scythia. When the former's troops were gradually dispersed and stationed in various fortresses, the nomadic cavalry regularly harassed the weak links between defense areas. They even annihilated a phalanx infantry battalion, causing the Macedonians to suffer the most terrible losses since entering Asia. Finally, Alexander led the main army north and shot them with ballistae in the Syr Darya River Basin. The Asian Scythians once caused a lot of trouble to the Macedonian army and entered their decline. The emergence of the Sarmatians put a lot of pressure on Scythia. In the Hellenistic era, Celtic forces began to penetrate into the Balkans, compressing the Scythians. The western territory of the Thai people. At the same time, the continued rise of the Sarmatians also threatened its development space in the east. Therefore, in the 3rd century BC, the Scythian regime had been compressed to a corner of the Crimean Peninsula. Their lifestyles tended to be sedentary and they mixed heavily with the local Greeks. The Scythian people at this stage were centered on Neapolis in Scythia, and their territory extended from Crimea to the mouth of the Danube. They attempted to annex the Greek cities near Cernesos, but the latter immediately also recruited the Pontic king Mithridates VI from the south. As a result, the Scythian regime was completely defeated and their capital was annexed by the Bosporan Greeks. In the Pontic War in the 1st century BC, the Scythians would appear as allies to fight for the anti-Roman cause of King Mithridates. However, compared with the eye-catching Hellenistic armored cavalry and various infantry phalanxes, their importance and presence are not as important as before. Although he fought hard in the Okmenas War as a powerful archer, he ultimately failed to stop the torrent of Roman infantry attacks. The Sarmatians would acquire Scythia and become the overlords of the Ukrainian plains. In the 1st century AD, the remaining Scythians made a last-ditch effort. They planned to attack the Greek cities in the Crimea, but were defeated by the Roman garrison stationed there. In addition to part of the southern population who were accompanied by the Greeks, more tribes scattered in the pastures were conquered by the Sarmatians. Over the next few hundred years, they would serve as cavalry under the latter. But in the eyes of recorders in the Greco-Roman world, they were still a relatively independent group. In the 3rd century AD, the Goths from Northern Europe marched eastward, conquered and destroyed Neapolis. Most of the Scythian and Sarmatian tribes were scattered, but some cooperated with the newcomers. With their help, the Goths were upgraded from a pure infantry army to the king of cavalry among all Germanic forces. The nomadic horse-drawn caravan also became an important tool for the Goths to carry out large-scale migration in the future. Its importance went far beyond the skills of navigation taught by native Greeks.

The new Goths will learn horseback riding skills from the Scythian remnants. When the wheel of history rolled into the 4th and 5th centuries AD, the internal fighting in the Gothic Kingdom attracted the intervention of the even more terrifying Hunnic army. The ancient nomadic groups of northern Iran, including the Scythians, were further devastated and divided by these conflicts. Some stayed in Crimea to participate in the local ethnic integration, while others were absorbed by the early Slavs and Baltic peoples. More people joined the wave of refugees, mainly Germanic people, seeking a place to settle in the Western Roman Empire. During the Battle of Chalon, which destroyed Attila's empire, an independent group of Sarmatians appeared and served as cavalry vanguard for the coalition forces. But after the various barbarian kingdoms established their territory, these people who adhered to the Scythian tradition were gradually absorbed by the new era. At this point, the history of the Scythians has basically come to an end. Those distant relatives distributed in Central Asia, North Asia and India also fell one after another during this stage. Although it no longer dominates the world as its previous name, it continues to maintain a long-term influence in the development of world history through cultural heritage, genetic continuity, and technological inheritance.