A history of the Highlands and of the Highland clans

XVlll PRELIMINARY DISSERTATION.
ends Scythia begins, says he, Melp. 99. It will appear, however, that
the Scythians of Herodotus were the Sarmatae and Getaj of the Romans
; and his Massagetse the Scythians of the same people, as well as
of the Greeks in general, from the date of Alexander's expedition
The ancients distinguished two countries by the name of Scythia, the
one extending along the north of the Euxine, the other beyond the Cas-
pian and Jaxartes The western, or Euxine Scythia, was the one
invaded by Darius Hystaspes ; on which occasion the lonians, by pre-
serving his bridge of boats on the Danube, secured his retreat ; and the
eastern Scythia, called also the country of the Massagetee, was the one
invaded by Cyrus, in which, according to our author, he lost his life.
.... So that the proper Scythians of Herodotus were those at the
Euxine, and those of succeeding writers at the Caspian (or rather
Aral) and Jaxartes."*
From the description of ancient Scythia, as given by Herodotus, it
appears that it was bounded on the east by the Tanais or Don, and
consequently was confined within the limits of Europe. Scythia pro-
per, as included between the Danube and the Don, comprehended al-
most the whole of the Ukraine, including the country of the Nogay Tar-
tars and the Don Cossacks ; but the course of its northern boundary
cannot be traced, f Rennell supposes it to have passed from the south-
ern confines of Polish Prussia eastward, and along the direction of the
river Sem, from the Borysthenes to the Tanais.|:
The neighbours of the Scythians were, on the east, the Sauro-
matae or Sarmatse, who are supposed to have been a branch of the
same race, as Herodotus says they spoke a dialect of the Scythian
language. On the north-west were the Neuri ; on the west the Aga-
thyrsi ; on the side of Poland northward the Androphagi ; and on that
of Russia the Melanchlceni. These last mentioned nations were pro-
bably distinct from the Scythian stock.
The Scythian nation is divided by Herodotus into three parts : the
Scythae Georgi, or agricultural Scythians ; the Scythae Nomades, or
wandering pastoral Scythians ; and the Scythaj Basileii, or Royal Scy-
thians. The first portion, from their inhabiting the country near the Bo-
rysthenes, were called Borysthenitee by the Greeks ; but they denomi-
nated themselves Olbiopolitte. These possessed the western division of
ancient Scythia, and their territory extended about eleven or twelve days'
journey up the river. The Scythae Nomades, whose manners corre-
sponded with those of the modern Tartars of the same region, were to
the eastward of the Borysthenitae, and still further eastward were the
Scythae Basileii, who considered themselves of a nobler extraction than
the rest of the Scythian nation.
To the term Scythae, as denoting the people who possessed the Sci-
» Ilentiell's Geographical System of Herodotus, pp. 46, 47.
t Herodot. Melpom. 43. ei seij. Prichard. ^ Ibid. p. 6'2.