The Old and the Restless - The Egyptians and the Scythians in Herodotus' Histories by Robert J. Hagan

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From the very beginning of Herodotus' narrative on the Scythians he contrasts them with
the Egyptians in their management of settlement. His first ethnographic note therein describes
how the Scythians blind their slaves and employ them in milking horses (4.02). This is a far cry
from the great works the Egyptians extracted from their slaves, from canal digging to the
construction of the pyramids. Lacking the fixed structures to house slaves, the Scythians blind
their prisoners to work to support their way of life, which reflects their firm entrenchment in
nomadism. And while there are Scythians who practice agriculture, "the crops they cultivate are
for them to sell, rather for their own consumption" (4.17).
The way they both use the land in time of war is also a point of contrast. Scythian history
begins (in one version given by Herodotus) with the Scythian invasion of Cimmerian territory.
Faced with this incursion, Herodotus tells that "the opinion of the general populace would be for
them to leave and not run the risk of staying for the sake of what was no more than dust" (4.11).
This foreshadows the confrontation with Darius, which concludes similarly with flight through
the countryside. The ability to flee rather than engage is only possible for a nomadic people, and
Herodotus gives it high praise, writing "For when men have no established cities or fortresses but
are still house-bearers and mounted archers, living not only by tilling the soil but by cattle
rearing and carrying their dwellings on wagons, how should these not be invincible and
unapproachable?" (4.46).
The Egyptians, however, embrace the land, and cling to it when confronted by Cambyses'
army. After losing in pitched battle, they "shut themselves up in Memphis" (3.13), rather than
regrouping or fleeing into Upper Egypt. This is because they have much to lose, their farms and
cities, by retreating through their land. Moreover, it is evidence of an inability to properly
mobilize in defense of their country. This deficiency proves to be their downfall, as Cambyses