Scythians
According to the PWN Encyclopaedia, the Scythians were a name given by the ancient Greeks to Iranian nomadic peoples inhabiting, from the 8th century BC to the early centuries CE, the steppes north of the Black Sea. The most extensive historical information about this enigmatic people comes from the Greek historian Herodotus (5th century BC), who in his monumental work Histories provides numerous accounts of the life and customs of Scythian tribes.
Central Asia is regarded as the cradle of the Scythians, from where they set out on their great migrations. In the Pontic region, they appeared in the 8th and 7th centuries BC, forming a cohesive tribal organization (Fig. 1) specializing in warfare and the conquest of neighbouring peoples.
Scythia extended between the Ister (Danube) and the river Tanais (Don), reaching inland to a distance of 4,000 stadia (approximately 700 km?), or about twenty days’ march.
Its inhabitants included: (I) the “Royal Scythians,” the bravest and most numerous, who regarded other Scythians as their subjects; (II) nomadic Scythians (north of the Royal Scythians), who neither sowed nor ploughed; (III) Scythians-ploughmen, who cultivated grain not for subsistence but for trade; and (IV) Scythians-farmers.
The economy of Scythian tribes was based on animal husbandry, agriculture, hunting, fishing, as well as beekeeping and forest beekeeping. An important branch of activity was also craftsmanship—practiced professionally mainly in fortified settlements. The Scythians produced leather goods, engaged in metallurgy, and manufactured tools. A distinct category is formed by jewellery and objects of applied art, cast in gold and silver, demonstrating the remarkable skill of their makers (Figs. 2–3).
The Scythians undertook numerous military campaigns (including against the Persians, Macedonians, and Sauromatians), and their warriors were regarded as some of the finest mounted archers in military history (Fig. 4). The standard equipment of a Scythian warrior included a composite bow and various types of arrows, among which the most characteristic were those with trilobate heads and large, flat barbed forms. Arrows were carried in a quiver, while the bow was kept in a special bowcase (saadag). Other important weapons included a javelin or spear and a short sword (akinakes). Elements of weaponry were often richly decorated, enhancing the symbolic power of the arms (predatory animals such as eagles and griffins, their claws and talons). A warrior’s armour consisted of a helmet, a leather chest armour reinforced with copper or iron plates, greaves, and a round shield.
Traces of Scythian raiding activity in the Polish lands are marked by burnt fortified settlements where characteristic trilobate arrowheads have been found (e.g., Wicina, Witaszkowo in Lubuskie Voivodeship; the Chełmno Land; the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland). In contrast to the western parts of present-day Poland, south-eastern regions were not targets of Scythian aggression. The local population maintained peaceful, even neighbourly relations with the Scythians, as evidenced by recent discoveries at Chotyniec (Jarosław district), where the westernmost fortified settlement associated with the Scythian cultural circle was located.