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

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The Scythians and Egyptians Encounter the Persians
As Herodotus writes on the numerous civilizations in the Histories, describing their
strange diets and nomoi, the threat of Persian invasion looms in the background. The majority of
the peoples Herodotus mentions encounter the Persians at some point, and when they do, they
are usually at war. Cyrus and Cambyses are successful in most of their conquests, but when the
Persians under Darius come to demand Scythian submission, fortune is not on their side. The
Scythians are not a sedentary people like most great civilizations of the time, and are not as
simple to conquer.
Herodotus writes how, under King Idanthyrsus’ command, the Scythians forego
traditional tactics and embrace their nomadic strengths in order to resist Darius’ army (4.120).
He sees Idanthyrsus’ leadership as the herald of a shift in the contemporary military paradigm.
Idanthyrsus’ initial response to Darius’ crossing into Europe is to join forces with the
neighboring tribes to take on the Persians by force. The Agathyrsians, the Cannibals, the
Neurians and the Black Cloaks reject his overtures to an alliance on the grounds that the invasion
is the Scythians' fault, and thus their problem (4.119). Deprived of reinforcements, Idanthyrsus
chooses to lead his people to retreat throughout the land, destroying their vegetation and filling in
their wells (4.120).
Darius expects to find towns to pillage and crops to plunder, but he does not know his
enemy. The wagons that the Scythians keep as their homes are packed and in retreat. Even the
permanent towns in Budinian territory have been abandoned in accordance with the Scythian
plan (4.123). The Scythians’ nomadism saves their people and confounds Darius, who sends a
message to Idanthyrsus: “What is this extraordinary behavior? Why do you keep on running