Almost every written primary source that is still around today regarding the Scythian culture derives from the historical accounts of Herodotus and Strabo, two ancient Greek historians who spent many years accounting for the lifestyle, customs and techniques of the Scythians, however, bias is present throughout the work of both writers.
Herodotus portrays the Scythians as being "savages" who committed many atrocities and performed many acts of human indecency. He accounts many cases of human sacrifice and documented the "horrific" customs associated witht he death of nobility that "is unprecedented in the civilised world". His works however come from an entirely Greek perspective and evident bias is placed upon the Scythians, who were likely just as barbaric as the Greeks or Romans were. Archaeological breakthroughs that have occurred in recent times are shedding a slightly less "barbaric" light upon the Scythians, showing that they may have had a quite rich and in-depth culture that revolved around more things than simply killing people and were in fact master metal workers whose golden artifacts rival metal workers today Although not writing about their customs and lifestyle, in the 1st century BC, the Greek-Roman geographer Strabo gave an extensive description of the eastern Scythians, whom he located in north-eastern Asia beyond Bactaria and Sogdiana. Strabo went on to list the names of the various tribes among the Scythians, contributing to both our understanding of the geography and positioning of the Ancient empire known as Scythia. |