Scythia Minor (Crimea)
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The Scythian kingdom in Crimea (; ) was a kingdom created by the
Scythians The Scythians ( or ) or Scyths (, but note Scytho- () in composition) and sometimes also referred to as the Pontic Scythians, were an Ancient Iranian peoples, ancient Eastern Iranian languages, Eastern Iranian peoples, Iranian Eurasian noma ...
during the 3rd century BCE in
Crimea Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...
.


Geography

The Scythian kingdom in Crimea covered a limited territory which included the steppes and foothills of Crimea until Taurida, the lower Dnieper, and the lower Southern Bug rivers.


History


Background

The Scythians were an ancient Iranian nomadic people who originated in Central Asia in the 9th century BCE, from where they migrated into Western Asia in the 7th century BCE before settling in the Pontic steppe in the 6th century BCE. During the height of this Pontic Scythian kingdom, in the 4th century BCE, Crimea and the Dobrugea region started being called "Little Scythia" (; ). In the 3rd century BCE, the expansion in the northern Pontic region of the
Sarmatians The Sarmatians (; ; Latin: ) were a large confederation of Ancient Iranian peoples, ancient Iranian Eurasian nomads, equestrian nomadic peoples who dominated the Pontic–Caspian steppe, Pontic steppe from about the 5th century BCE to the 4t ...
, who were another nomadic Iranian people related to the Scythians, as well as of the
Thracian The Thracians (; ; ) were an Indo-European speaking people who inhabited large parts of Southeast Europe in ancient history.. "The Thracians were an Indo-European people who occupied the area that today is shared between north-eastern Greece, ...
Getae The Getae or Getai ( or , also Getans) were a large nation who inhabited the regions to either side of the Lower Danube in what is today northern Bulgaria and southern Romania, throughout much of Classical Antiquity. The main source of informa ...
, the Germanic
Bastarnae The Bastarnae, Bastarni or Basternae, also known as the Peuci or Peucini, were an ancient people who are known from Greek and Roman records to have inhabited areas north and east of the Carpathian Mountains between about 300 BC and about 300 AD, ...
and
Sciri The Sciri, or Scirians, were a Germanic people. They are believed to have spoken an East Germanic language. Their name probably means "the pure ones". The Sciri were mentioned already in the late 3rd century BC as participants in a raid on the ...
, and of the
Celts The Celts ( , see Names of the Celts#Pronunciation, pronunciation for different usages) or Celtic peoples ( ) were a collection of Indo-European languages, Indo-European peoples. "The Celts, an ancient Indo-European people, reached the apoge ...
, the Scythian kingdom disappeared from the Pontic Steppe and the Sarmatians replaced the Scythians as the dominant power of the Pontic steppe, due to which the appellation of "Scythia" for the region became replaced by that of "" (European Sarmatia). The Scythians fled to the in
Crimea Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...
, where they were able to securely establish themselves against the Sarmatian invasion despite tensions with the Greeks, and to the in Dobrugea, as well as to nearby regions, where they became limited in enclaves. By then, these Scythians were no longer nomadic: they had become sedentary farmers and were Hellenised, and the only places where the Scythians could still be found by the 2nd century BCE were in the s of Crimea and Dobrugea, as well as in the lower reaches of the Dnipro river.


Kingdom

From the early 3rd century BCE, the of Crimea started expanding against the Greek cities of western
Crimea Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...
which had been so far been controlled by the city of
Chersonesus Chersonesus, contracted in medieval Greek to Cherson (), was an Greeks in pre-Roman Crimea, ancient Greek Greek colonization, colony founded approximately 2,500 years ago in the southwestern part of the Crimean Peninsula. Settlers from He ...
, who had lost all its possessions not in its immediate vicinity by the middle of the century, with Kalos Limēn and
Kerkinitis Yevpatoria (; ; ; ) is a city in western Crimea, north of Kalamita Bay. Yevpatoria serves as the administrative center of Yevpatoria Municipality, one of the districts (''raions'') into which Crimea is divided. It had a population of His ...
passing under Scythian control. Although the Crimean Scythians had been able to preserve some of their nomadic lifestyle, they were by then becoming more and more sedentary, especially in the lower Dnipro area, and were intermarrying with the
Tauri The Tauri (; in Ancient Greek), or Taurians, also Scythotauri, Tauri Scythae, Tauroscythae ( Pliny, ''H. N.'' 4.85) were an ancient people settled on the southern coast of the Crimea peninsula, inhabiting the Crimean Mountains in the 1st millen ...
of the Crimean mountains. In the middle of the 2nd century BCE, the Crimean Scythians founded a new kingdom with
Scythian Neapolis Scythian Neapolis (), also known as Kermenchik, was an Iranic settlement that existed in the Crimean Peninsula from the end of the 3rd century BC until the second half of the 3rd century AD. It was previously considered a town of the Tauric Che ...
as its capital, and whose rulers titled themselves . The Late Scythian culture of this Crimean Scythian kingdom was not a continuation of the Scythian culture of the 4th century BCE, and the kingdom itself was significantly Hellenised and more closely resembled the
Hellenistic In classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Greek history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the death of Cleopatra VII in 30 BC, which was followed by the ascendancy of the R ...
kingdoms ruled by Barbarian dynasties than the previous nomadic kingdom of the 4th century BCE Scythians. The Crimean Scythian kingdom had close relations with the Bosporan kingdom, and matrimonial ties linked their respective royal houses, with the Bosporan queen Kamasarye, who was the widow of
Paerisades III Paerisades III () was a son of Leukon II and Alkathoe, he also succeeded his brother as Spartocid king of the Bosporan Kingdom from 180 to 150 BC. He co-ruled with Kamasarye II. Biography Early Reign Before his rule, the Bosporan Kingdom was ...
, taking one Argotos from Scythian Neapolis as her second husband. The Crimean Scythian king
Skilurus Skilurus, or Scylurus, was a renowned Scythian king reigning during the 2nd century BC. His realm included the lower reaches of the Borysthenes and Hypanis, as well as the northern part of Crimea, where his capital, Scythian Neapolis, was situ ...
from the 2nd century BCE ruled over central and western Crimea save for Chersonesus as well as over a significant section of the north-west of the Pontic region, including Pontic Olbia, where he issued his coins. Skilurus continued Scythian hostility against Chersonesus, but he kept good ties with the Bosporan kingdom, with a daughter of his marrying a member of its royal dynasty who was named Hērakleidēs.


End

The Crimean Scythians continued participating in the political conflicts on the Bosporan kingdom until
Diophantus Diophantus of Alexandria () (; ) was a Greek mathematician who was the author of the '' Arithmetica'' in thirteen books, ten of which are still extant, made up of arithmetical problems that are solved through algebraic equations. Although Jose ...
, the general of the
Pontic Pontic, from the Greek ''pontos'' (, ), or "sea", may refer to: The Black Sea Places * The Pontic colonies, on its northern shores * Pontus (region), a region on its southern shores * The Pontic–Caspian steppe, steppelands stretching from nor ...
king
Mithridates VI Eupator Mithridates or Mithradates VI Eupator (; 135–63 BC) was the ruler of the Kingdom of Pontus in northern Anatolia from 120 to 63 BC, and one of the Roman Republic's most formidable and determined opponents. He was an effective, ambitious, and ...
, allied with their enemy, Chersonesus, defeated their king,
Palacus Palacus or Palakus was the king of Crimean Scythia who succeeded his father, Skilurus. Resuming the latter's war against Mithridates VI, he attempted to besiege Chersonesos Taurica, Chersonesos but was defeated by Pontic forces under Diophantus (g ...
, the son of Skilurus, some time around 110 to 108 BCE. Diophantus captured all their fortresses including their capital of Scythian Neapolis, thus ending the kingdom of the Crimean Scythians and annexing its territory to the Kingdom of Pontus. The Crimean Scythians nevertheless continued to exist even after the destruction of their kingdom. Following Mithridates's defeat by the
Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( ) was the era of Ancient Rome, classical Roman civilisation beginning with Overthrow of the Roman monarchy, the overthrow of the Roman Kingdom (traditionally dated to 509 BC) and ending in 27 BC with the establis ...
, the Crimean Scythians were able to regain some of their strength, and besieged Chersonesus, who asked help from Rome. The Roman legate of Moesia,
Tiberius Plautius Silvanus Aelianus Tiberius Plautius Silvanus Aelianus was a Roman patrician who twice served as consul, in 45 and 74 AD. He was the natural son of Lucius Aelius Lamia and the adopted son of Marcus Plautius Silvanus, brother of Plautia Urgulanilla, first wife o ...
, campaigned against the Scythians, defeated them, and installed Roman garrisons in Crimea, including in Chersonesus. By this time, the Crimean Scythians were called "Tauro-Scythians" because of the significant mingling between the Crimean Scythians and the
Tauri The Tauri (; in Ancient Greek), or Taurians, also Scythotauri, Tauri Scythae, Tauroscythae ( Pliny, ''H. N.'' 4.85) were an ancient people settled on the southern coast of the Crimea peninsula, inhabiting the Crimean Mountains in the 1st millen ...
which had been under way since the 3rd century BCE.


Aftermath

By 50 to 150 CE, most of the Scythians had been assimilated by the Sarmatians. The remaining Scythians of Crimea, who had mixed with the
Tauri The Tauri (; in Ancient Greek), or Taurians, also Scythotauri, Tauri Scythae, Tauroscythae ( Pliny, ''H. N.'' 4.85) were an ancient people settled on the southern coast of the Crimea peninsula, inhabiting the Crimean Mountains in the 1st millen ...
and the Sarmatians, were conquered in the 3rd century AD by the
Goths The Goths were a Germanic people who played a major role in the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the emergence of medieval Europe. They were first reported by Graeco-Roman authors in the 3rd century AD, living north of the Danube in what is ...
and other Germanic tribes who were then migrating from the north into the Pontic steppe, and who destroyed Scythian Neapolis.


Society

The Crimean Scythians descended from both the earlier Scythian inhabitants of Crimea as well as from the peninsula's native Taurian people, who had intermarried with each other, and they had been significantly Hellenised due to the nearby presence of Greek colonies on the shores of Crimea. These Crimean Scythians were a sedentary people who practised both farming and pastoralism, and they lived in small settlements near since then dried up small rivers. Crimea itself was also densely populated, although these inhabitants lived in temporary encampments rather than in permanent settlements.


Kings of Crimean Scythians

*
Skilurus Skilurus, or Scylurus, was a renowned Scythian king reigning during the 2nd century BC. His realm included the lower reaches of the Borysthenes and Hypanis, as well as the northern part of Crimea, where his capital, Scythian Neapolis, was situ ...
(
Scythian The Scythians ( or ) or Scyths (, but note Scytho- () in composition) and sometimes also referred to as the Pontic Scythians, were an ancient Eastern Iranian equestrian nomadic people who had migrated during the 9th to 8th centuries BC fr ...
: ), reigned *
Palacus Palacus or Palakus was the king of Crimean Scythia who succeeded his father, Skilurus. Resuming the latter's war against Mithridates VI, he attempted to besiege Chersonesos Taurica, Chersonesos but was defeated by Pontic forces under Diophantus (g ...
(
Scythian The Scythians ( or ) or Scyths (, but note Scytho- () in composition) and sometimes also referred to as the Pontic Scythians, were an ancient Eastern Iranian equestrian nomadic people who had migrated during the 9th to 8th centuries BC fr ...
: ), reigned


See also

* Scythian kingdom on the lower Danube


References


Sources

* * * * * * * {{refend Classical antiquity Scythians History of Crimea