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

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which is of course vital to a nomadic way of life. They also drink wine, both recreationally and
in their rituals, and are prone to overdrinking. It is the cause of their downfall as masters of “all
of Asia” when the Medes rise up, invite the Scythians to a feast where they drink too much and,
in their drunken stupor, are killed by the Medes (1.106).
We will return to the Scythian relationship to wine in much more detail later. Herodotus
does not mention much on the health habits of the Scythians, but he does point out their affinity
for cannabis. Although they surely enjoyed the intoxicating elements of smoking such
substances, as the Massagetae did (1.202), Herodotus emphasizes other features of the ritual.
After throwing cannabis seeds on hot coals, “the seeds emit dense smoke and fumes, much more
than any vapour-bath in Greece. The Scythians shriek with delight at the fumes. This is their
equivalent of a bath, since they never wash their bodies with water. Their women, however,
pound cypress, cedar, and frankincense wood on a rough piece of stone, and add water until they
have a thick paste which they then smear all over their bodies and face. This not only makes
them smell nice, but when they remove the paste the day after they turn out to be all clean and
shining” (4.75). His description of this Scythian ritual evokes imagery of a culture that looks to a
Greek observer very primitive and wild.
For the Egyptians, the Nile fills the role of the Scythian horse, acting as both their main
highway (since its canals make roads less possible, 2.108) and the source of their sustenance.
Much of Egyptian diet was based on bread and beer, both of which originate from the grain
cultivated banks of the Nile. It is where they gather their staple wheat, known as emmer (olura)
(2.36). It is also where the lotos water-lily grows, which the Egyptians use for their seeds and
roots to bake and eat as a cheap source of food (2.92). Finally, some Egyptians who live in the
marsh eat just fish (2.92). The Egyptians show their high level of civilization by excluding