Scythia: Map & History
Scythia is mapped in the atlas for 650 BCE – 224 BCE, with a peak mapped extent of about 1,687,837 km².
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The Scythians or Scyths, also known as the Pontic Scythians, were an ancient Eastern Iranic equestrian nomadic people who migrated during the 9th to 8th centuries BC from Central Asia to the Pontic Steppe in modern-day Ukraine and Southern Russia, where they remained until the 3rd century BC.
Modern Countries Once Part of Scythia
At its mapped extent, Scythia covered territory in 5 present-day countries. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
- Moldova650–224 BCE · nearly all
- Ukraine650–224 BCE · most
- Romania650–551 BCE · a large part
- Russia650–224 BCE · a small part
- Kazakhstan650–551 BCE · a small part
States and Provinces
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside Scythia's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
Scythia in Depth
History
and Graeco-Roman sources which cover all of Scythian history, most prominently those written by Herodotus of Halicarnassus, which are less reliable because the information they contain is mixed with folk tales and learnt constructs of historians.
The arrival of the Scythians in Europe was part of the larger movement of Central Asian Iranic nomads, including Cimmerians, Sauromatians, and Sarmatians, westwards towards Southeast and Central Europe from the 1st millennium BC to the 1st millennium AD.
Like the nomads of the Chernogorovka-Novocherkassk complex, the Scythians originated, along with the Early Sakas, in Central Asia and Siberia in the steppes corresponding to either present-day eastern Kazakhstan or the Altai-Sayan region.
Economy
The dominant tribe of the Royal Scythians originally led a transhumant warrior-pastoralist nomadic way of life by spending the summer northwards in the steppes and moving southwards towards the coasts in the winter. With the integration of Scythia with the Greek colonies on the northern shore of the Black Sea, the Scythians also soon became involved in activities such as cultivating grain, fishing, trading and craftsmanship. Although the Scythians adopted the use of coinage as a method of payment for trade with the Greeks, they never used it for their own domestic market.
Culture and society
The Scythians were a member of the broader cultures of nomadic Iranic peoples living throughout the Eurasian steppe and possessed significant commonalities with them, such as similar weapons, horse harnesses and "Animal Style" art. The Scythians were a people from the Eurasian steppe, whose conditions required them to be pastoralists, which required mobility to find natural pastures, which in turn shaped every aspect of the Scythian nomads' lives, ranging from the structure of their habitations and the style of their clothing to how they cooked.
Legacy
The Graeco-Roman peoples were profoundly fascinated by the Scythians. This fascination endured in Europe even after both the disappearance of the Scythians and the end of Graeco-Roman culture, and continued throughout Classical and Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, lasting till the 18th century in the Modern Period.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Scythians (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Scythia: Key Facts
| Religion | Scythian mythology |
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Facts from Wikidata Q131802 (CC0).
Scythia Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which Scythia appears, with the other states of the time.
Scythia Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Expansion to peak recorded area of 1,687,837 km² in 600 BCE.
Scythia: Frequently Asked Questions
When did Scythia exist?
Scythia is dated to 650 BCE – 224 BCE, in the Bronze & Iron Age Civilizations era.
What was the capital of Scythia?
The capital of Scythia was Kamianka (c. 6th century BC - c. 200 BC).
How large was Scythia at its peak?
At its peak in 600 BC Scythia covered about 1,687,837 km².
How did the map of Scythia change over time?
Scythia appears on 2 dated world maps in the atlas, from 500 BCE to 323 BCE. Each shows its borders in that year next to the other states of the time.
Other Sovereign Realms
Classical Antiquity • Capital: Persepolis, Pasargadae, Susa, Babylon
Bronze Age Civilizations • Capital: Memphis
Classical Antiquity • Capital: Pataliputra
Classical Antiquity • Capital: Pella, Babylon