Ancient Peoples of the Russian Steppes

Author: Linda DeLaine
Website: RL Online
Department:
Page: 3   ( 4) pages

Summary: Part III of this feature

Now that we know where they lived and died, the question remains; who were these people? Darius I surly wondered the same. A picture of the Scythians has eluded historians for centuries. Recent archaeology of countless burial grounds in southern Russia and Altai have helped to reveal what these people were all about, how they lived and what there communities were like.

It is safe to say that the Scythians were mysterious and feared in their time, and with good reason. A male warrior dominated society, they had this unsavory habit of using the body parts of their slain enemies for everyday utensils. For example, they would fashion a leather wrapped drinking mug from the skulls of their unfortunate victims. Often, such implements would be crusted in gold and proudly displayed as trophies.

The Scythian men, typically, had several wives. Excavation of burial sites overwhelmingly supports this. When a Scythian died, his eldest son or a brother would inherit his wives as their own. This practice was not at all unusual. Known as a levirate marriage, the widow would marry her late husband's brother or closest male next of kin. The reason was to keep the wealth and heirs in the immediate family. Such was the practice of ancient Israel prior to their captivity in Egypt (cf Gen 38:8). The practice of levirate marriage is put down in detail within the commands given to Israel during the Exodus (cf. Deut 25:5-10). So, this custom was not unique to the Scythians and, in fact, pre-existed them by several centuries.

Herodotus wrote an account of a tribe of warring females known as Amazons. According to this historian, these women did battle with the Scythians at the Sea of Azov. When the Sycthian warriors discovered that their enemy was a band of women, they seduced them in the hope of creating a super-human new race of mighty warriors. The seduction succeeded but the Amazons refused to comply with Scythian traditions when it came to the domestic role of women. Herodotus claims that the Amazons and their Scythian mates left the steppes and started a new tribe which became known as the Sarmations. This is largely considered to be myth. However, recent excavations in southern Russia have produced art which suggests that there was a place in Scythian culture, at one time, for warrior women.

Hunger was one thing the Scythians rarely had to worry about. Because of their geographical location across the fertile steppes and near the Black Sea, etc., fish and wild game were plentiful. Their diet consisted of stewed meat, fresh vegetables, cheese and kumis; fermented mare's milk still consumed in Central Asia. Cooking presented an unusual challenge to Scythian women because there was no wood to be had on the steppe. To stew meat, they would use the animal's stomach for the pot and burn its bones to create the needed heat.

Herodotus noticed many unusual things about the Scythians. One was the fact that they did not use water to clean themselves. A paste of cypress, cedar and frankincense was made, the body was plastered with it and left on for a day. When this cast was removed, the revealed skin was clean, shiny and possessed a most pleasing aroma.

Archaeologists believe that the Scythians were the first to wear pants and boots with heels. This probably evolved because the great amount of time their men spent on horseback. The frozen remains of an ancient Scythian in Siberia was covered in intricate tattoos. It is unknown if this form of body adornment was practiced by the Scythians of the southern steppes. elaborate tattoos.

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