Iranians and Greeks in South Russia - Robert Bedrosian's Armenian ...

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THE CIMMERIANS AND THE
to the Scythians, that of Karagodeuashkh, which dates from the
second half of the fourth century or the first half of the third : and
Karagodeuashkh is in the immediate neighbourhood of the Taman
peninsula.
Scythian graves of the same period as those in the Kuban valley,
the sixth and fifth centuries b, c, have been found in the level part
of the Crimea (the Golden Tumulus near Simferopol), in the steppes
between Don and Dnieper, close to the Dnieper (Tomakovka), in the
district of Poltava (the tumulus of Shumeyko's farm), and near
Elisavetgrad, between the Dnieper and the Bug (the Melgunov
tumulus). This suggests that in the sixth and fifth centuries b. c. the
centre of the Scythian state was not in the neighbourhood of the
Dnieper, as Herodotus asserts, but farther to the east. Unfortunately,
the steppes on the western shore of the Sea of Azov, presumably the
centre of Scythian dominion at this period, have never been explored.
It is clear, therefore, that the Scythians ruled the whole region of
the South Russian steppes ; with the probable exception of the mouths
of the Kuban and the Don, where the Cimmerians and the Maeotians
held out against their assaults, and the Crimean highlands. But their
power extended still farther west. We have conclusive evidence that
in the sixth century there were compact bodies of Scythians dwelling
in Hungary : this is proved by well-established archaeological finds
which have often been studied. The date of these finds is certain,
the sixth century B.C. They may be compared with the celebrated
Vettersfelde find, published by Furtwangler and belonging to the
sixth or fifth century B.C. Vettersfelde, as is well known, is in
northern Germany, in the old Slavonic country of Lusatia.
The question arises, whether the Hungarian and Prussian finds
bear witness to Scythian ascendancy, or only to Scythian expansion,
in regions so remote from the centre of their power. It will be possible
to decide this question, when we have more information about the
tumuH scattered throughout Bulgaria and Rumania. The finds
hitherto made, of which I shall speak later, point to Scythian ascendancy
in southern Bulgaria and in the Dobrudzha from the fourth
century onwards. Future excavation will show, whether it was
confined to that period, or already existed in the sixth century.
This vast territory was governed by conquerors who formed but
a minority of the population. It has become customary to speak of
the whole of South Russia as peopled by Scythian tribes. Nothing
is farther from the truth. Even the description in Herodotus, who is
responsible for the habit of applying the name of Scythians to all the
inhabitants of South Russia, shows us that the Scythians were no more