Ancient Peoples of the Russian Steppes

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

Summary: Part IV of this feature

Scythian spirituality was filled with the supernatural and superstitions. They did not worship any god(s), nor did they have altars, temples, idols or clergy. The caretaker of their spiritual lives was the shaman. Shaman was bestowed with the gift of communicating with nature, spirits and all things supernatural. In Scythian culture, shaman came from certain families and were said to be half- beings; men who spoke like women and wore women's clothing.

The Scythians had no written language. As a result, they left no written account of their existence. The only such accounting is that of Herodotus. Their spoken language is classified, by some, as a prehistoric dialect known as Safarik. Other scholars identify Scythian language as a branch of the Persian Indo-European family. The only thing language experts have to go on are words, alleged by Herodotus, to have been part of the Scythian vocabulary. These are pata (to kill), spou (eye), arima (one) and oior (man).

It is believed that the Scythians were some of the earliest, if not the first, culture to tame and ride the horse in Central Asia. Their success in battle was attributed directly to their equestrian skills. The horse gave them speed and tactical advantage, while saving the strength of the warrior rider. Scythian techniques were quickly adopted by peoples throughout the Middle East. The Scythians wore trousers and heeled boots and their horse's bridles were, of course, gold gilded. They never developed saddles, using only a cloth. Scythian skill depended on the development of individual balance and the ability to hang on.

Burial rites are often interesting and tell us a thing or two about what a certain culture deemed important. Scythian society was structured and material possessions, servants, etc., were signs of wealth and authority. When a king or tribal chief died, the tribes would commence forty days of profuse mourning. This was followed by the burial of the deceased under a 60 foot tall mound or kurhan. Not quite the pyramids of Egypt or the Ziggurats of ancient Ur, but, nonetheless, a marker that indicated someone important lay beneath. The dead king was not alone under his mound. He was accompanied in death by a concubine, cook, lackey, cup bearer, horses, weapons and other personal affects. It would seem, like the ancient Egyptians, that the Scythians believed in, at least the chance, of an afterlife. The burial of the average tribesman was not so elaborate. One thing that was the same was the long period of mourning.

Even though the Scythians disappeared from history over 2 millennium ago, their kurhan have been treated as holy sites. The largest mounds, likely those of kings, measure up to 60 feet tall by 300 feet across. Many are topped with figures carved of stone. These mounds are not just a big pile of dirt. Archaeology has shown that they were planned constructions which included layers of sod thought to be intended as food for the warrior's horses buried within. One mound excavated in 1898, contained 400 horses. Another included the remains of roughly 1,000 people lining the perimeter of the burial site. Long seen as a fanciful story teller, Herodotus' accounts of radical human sacrifice are being supported by archaeology.

The one thing that stands out in Scythian culture is gold. Archaeologists are continually shocked at the mass quantities of gold found in burial mounds and other excavated areas. It is believed that the gold came, primarily, from the Altai area. Virtually everything in everyday life was crusted with gold; utensils, weapons, belts, etc., not to mention all manner of personal adornments and decorative figurines.

Thanks to gold, we have some of our best images of what the Scythian warrior looked like. One example is a gold helmet, ca. 500s BC, unearthed in 1988, upon which detailed images of Scythian warriors are carved. The image shows a man with long hair wearing a belted, adorned tunic with leggings and boots. The craftsmanship of the ancient Scythian is impressive. One such artifact is a 4th century BC sword and scabbard, carved in incredible detail with the images of warring beasts. This was a favorite design of Scythian warrior artisans dating back to the 700s BC. Animals featured most included the horse, boar, bear, wolf, large cats, eagle and stag. Artifact examples of these carvings have been found at several sites in various locations including Altai mountains of southern Siberia and the Kuban basin area north of the Black Sea.

Many burial mounds were looted for their gold. This became quite a profession to the point that Peter the Great ordered the stop of this activity in the early 1700s. He had known looters arrested and their caches of gold donated to the Imperial treasure troves. Scientific exploration of the Scythian mounds began in the late 1800s. Excavations readily produced not just gold and weapons but pottery chards, pieces of fabric and other personal items. Most of the Scythian archaeological digs are located in modern day Ukraine. During the Soviet era, over fifty teams of archaeologists were digging and studying ancient Scythian history. Today, there are two such teams, lack of money being the primary curse. The biggest goal and dream of historians and archaeologist is to find the city of Gerrhi. Herodotus wrote about this place and said it was the center of Scythian wealth and included the most heavily gold laden tombs in all of Scythian history. Let's hope that medieval looters haven't gotten there first!