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Genetic studies of Scythian archaeological cultures support two possible scenarios for the emergence of Scythians: multiregional, and, less likely, western and northern. From the regions adjacent to the Arctic Circle, as evidenced by numerous legends and the very toponymy of places in this region of Russia. According to the Western scenario, the Scythians came from Western European tribes, after which their eastern part interfered with the Asians (Han Chinese) for two centuries, according to the multi-regional scenario, the Scythians consist of Western Europeans and Asians, who interfered with each other for two centuries. For more than a thousand years (from the end of the 9th century BC to the third quarter of the 4th century AD), Iranian-speaking tribes known as the Cimmerians, Scythians, Saks, Massagets, Alans played a huge role in the history of the steppe regions of southern Russia. It was believed that the path from the boundary of the Bronze and Iron Age to the original unity of all Iranians should not be long. As early as I millennium BC. e., in the early Iron Age, for the reasons of I. M. Dyakonov (1956: 290—291), based on lexical facts, the language of the Scythians of the Northern Black Sea region was within the framework of mutual understanding for the ancient Medes, and the language of the Avesta is similar to the language of the Rigveda. Discussions about the origin of the Black Sea Scythians, aggravated in recent years among craniologists [Yablonsky, 2000; Kozintsev, 2000; Krup, 2004], are related to the issue of anthropological homogeneity of this group. S. G. Efimova [2000], who upholds, like L. T. Yablonsky [2000], the theory of autochthonous anthropological consolidation of Scythians, nevertheless convincingly demonstrated that the steppe Scythians are markedly different from the forest-steppe ones. Scythian culture is actively studied by supporters of the Kurgan hypothesis. The formation of a relatively universally recognized Scythian culture, archaeologists date back to the VII century BC. e. There are two main approaches to the interpretation of its occurrence:

– according to one, based on the so-called “Third Legend” of Herodotus, the Scythians came from the east;

– another approach, which can also be based on legends recorded by Herodotus, suggests that the Scythians by that time lived on the territory of the Northern Black Sea Coast for at least several centuries, standing out from among the successors of the Srubnaya culture. – And the third option, taking into account all the legends, and the toponymy of the North, and the testimonies of Herodotus and Homer, from the Subpolar region, the Yamal Peninsula region.

The problem of the origin of the Scythians and their culture has not been resolved any convincing to this day. The abundance and inconsistency of existing points of view on this issue is simply amazing. However, most of the opinions of scientists in one way or another are adjacent to one of two traditionally opposed hypotheses.

The first hypothesis – the so-called autochthonous – was most fully substantiated by B. N. Grakov. He believed that the direct ancestors of the Scythians were the tribes of the Srubnaya culture of the Bronze Age, who penetrated the Northern Black Sea Region from the Volga Region. This penetration was very slow and long (from the middle of the 2nd millennium BC. E.), and the migration of Scythians mentioned by Herodotus “from Asia” (and “Asia” began for ancient geographers right after Don Tanais) is only one of its waves most likely the latter. Migrant migrants met in the steppes of the Black Sea region with earlier migrants from the same regions, and based on the merger of these related groups, an ethnically homogeneous population of the Scythian time formed, speaking one of the dialects of the North Iranian language. It was the culture of the Srubk tribes, which experienced significant changes during the transition from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age and from a semi-sedentary lifestyle to genuine nomadism, which, according to B.N. Grakov, laid the foundation of the Scythian culture itself. True, he considered the art of the Scythians (animal style) and some forms of their weapons brought from somewhere outside. The Gracian hypothesis is adjoined by the Near Asian version of the famous Leningrad archaeologist, specialist in Scythians and Khazars M.I. Artamonov. According to his point of view, the carcass culture of the Bronze Age directly preceded the Scythian in the Northern Black Sea Region and in many respects predetermined its main features. However, the emergence of the Scythian culture itself in the VII century. BC. and, especially, such a striking trait of hers as the animal style of M.I. Artamonov connected with the influence of the developed civilizations of Western Asia. According to B. N. Grakov, both the Scythians and the Cimmerians are direct descendants of the “loggers”, therefore they have a common culture and, most likely, are ethnically related. The animal style of the Scythians finds clear parallels in the art of the basin of the Perm region, with its animal style.

The second hypothesis. The completely recognized approach to solving this problem is recognized by the leader of a group of scientists who uphold the legitimacy of the so-called Central Asian hypothesis, A. I. Terenozhkin. According to this researcher, between the population of the Northern Black Sea region of the pre-Scythian and Scythian times, there is no ethnic or cultural continuity.Scythians come to the region from the depths of Asia in the 7th century. BC

Myths about the origin of the Scythians Herodotus reports three legends about the origin of the Scythians:

“5. According to the stories of the Scythians, their people are younger than all. And he happened in this way. The first resident of this still uninhabited country was a man named Targitai. The parents of this Targitai, as the Scythians say, were Zeusi the daughter of the Borisfen River. This was Targitai, and he had three sons: Lipoksai Arpoksai and the youngest – Kolaksai. In their reign, golden objects fell from heaven to the Scythian land: a plow, a yoke, an ax and a bowl.

6. The first to see these things was the older brother. He had barely come to pick them up, when the gold burned. Then he retreated, and the second brother approached, and again the gold was enveloped in flames. So the heat of blazing gold drove away both brothers, but when the third, younger brother came up, the flame went out, and he carried the gold to his house. Therefore, the older brothers agreed to give the kingdom to the younger. So, from Lipoksais, as they say, a Scythian tribe called Avkhats came from a middle brother – a tribe of Cathars and Traspians, and from the youngest of the brothers – the king – a tribe of Paralats. All tribes together are called cleaved, that is, royal. The Greeks call them Scythians.

7. Thus tell the Scythians about the origin of their people. They think, however, that from the time of the first king of Targitai to the invasion of their land, Darius just passed just 1000 years. The Scythian kings mentioned sacred gold objects were carefully guarded and venerated by them, bringing rich sacrifices annually. If someone on a holiday falls asleep in the open air with this sacred gold, then, according to the Scythians, he will not live even a year. Therefore, the Scythians give him as much land as he can go round on a horse in a day. Since they had a lot of land, then Colaxis

divided it, according to the stories of the Scythians, into three kingdoms between his three sons. He made the largest kingdom where gold was stored (not mined). In the region lying even further north of the Scythian land, as they say, nothing can be seen and it is impossible to penetrate because of flying feathers. Indeed, the earth and air there are full of feathers, and this is what interferes with vision.

8. So the Scythians themselves talk about themselves and about the neighboring northern countries. The Hellenes, who live on Pontus, convey differently. Hercules, chasing the bulls of Gerion (more often – cows), arrived in this then still uninhabited country (now it is occupied by the Scythians). Gerion, on the other hand, lived far from Pontus, on an island in the Ocean near the Gadir beyond the Hercules Pillars (this island is called the Hellenes Erithia). The ocean, according to the Greeks, flows, starting from sunrise, around the whole earth, but they can not prove this. From there, Hercules arrived in the so-called now Scythian country. There he was caught by bad weather and cold. Wrapped in pork skin, he fell asleep, and at that time his harness horses (he let them graze) miraculously disappeared.

9. Having awakened, Heraclis walked the whole country in search of horses and, finally, arrived in the land by the name of Gilea. There, in the cave, he found a certain creature of mixed nature – a half-virgin, a half-snake (the Goddess with snakes, the ancestor of the Scythians, is known from a number of ancient images). The upper part of the body from the buttocks was female, and the lower one was snake. Seeing her, Hercules was surprised to ask if she had seen his lost horses somewhere. In response, the female snake said that she had horses, but she would not give them away until Hercules entered into a love affair with her. Then, for the sake of such a reward, Hercules connected with this woman. However, she hesitated to give the horses, wanting to keep Hercules as long as possible, and he would gladly leave with the horses. Finally, the woman gave her horses with the words: “I have saved these horses that came to me for you; you have now given a ransom for them. After all, I have three sons from you. Tell me, what should I do with them when they grow up? Should I leave them here (I alone own this country) or send them to you?” So she asked. Hercules answered this: “When you see that the sons have matured, it is best for you to do this: see which of them can pull my bow like this and gird this belt, as I tell you, leave it to live here. The one who does not follow my instructions, went to a foreign land. If you do this, then you yourself will be satisfied and fulfill my desire.”

10. With these words, Hercules pulled one of his bows (until then Hercules carried two bows). Then, showing how to gird, he handed the bow and belt (a golden bowl hung at the end of the belt fastener) and left. When the children grew up, the mother gave them names. One called Agathyres another Gelon, and the youngest Scythian. Then, remembering the advice of Hercules, she did as Hercules commanded. Two sons – Agafirs and Gelon could not cope with the task, and their mother expelled them from the country. The younger, Skif, managed to complete the task, and he remained in the country. From this Scythian, the son of Hercules, all Scythian kings arose. And in memory of that golden chalice, even to this day, the Scythians wear bowls on their belts (this was only done by the mother for the benefit of Scythian).

11. There is also a third legend (I myself most trust him). It says so. Nomadic Scythian tribes lived in Asia. When the massagets ousted them from there by military force, the Scythians crossed Araks and arrived in Cimmerian land (the country now inhabited by Scythians, from ancient times, belonged to the Cimmerians. With the approach of the Scythians, the Cimmerians began to advise what to do in the face of a large enemy army. And so on The opinions of the council were divided, although both sides stubbornly stood their ground, but the kings’ proposal won. so the people didn’t heed the advice of the kings, and the kings did not want to obey the people. The people decided to leave their homeland and give the invaders their land without a fight; the kings, on the contrary, preferred to lay bones in their native land rather than flee with After all, the kings understood what great happiness they had experienced in their native land and what troubles awaited the exiles, deprived of their homeland. Having made this decision, the Cimmerians divided into two equal parts and began a struggle between themselves. The Cimmerian people buried all those who died in the fratricidal war near the Tiras River (the grave of the kings can still be seen there). After that, the Cimmerians left their land, and the Scythians who came took possession of a deserted country.

12. And now even in the Scythian land there are Cimmerian fortifications and Cimmerian crossings; there is also a region named Cimmeria and the so-called Cimmerian Bosporus. Fleeing from the Scythians to Asia, the Cimmerians occupied the peninsula where the Hellenic city of Sinope is now. It is also known that the Scythians, in pursuit of the Cimmerians, went astray and invaded the land of Media. After all, the Cimmerians constantly moved along the coast of Pontus, while the Scythians kept to the left of the Caucasus during the persecution until they invaded the land of the Medes. So, they turned inland. This last legend is transmitted equally by the Greeks and barbarians. “Herodotus. History. IV.5

Herodotus also recorded legends about the origin of the Scythians. One of them claimed that the Scythians appeared on their land (as its first people) a thousand years before the invasion of Darius (that is, in the middle of the second millennium BC) and were associated with the Dnieper, since their first ancestor Targitai was considered a son Zeus and nymphs – the daughter of Borisfen (Dnieper). Another legend that the Greeks told Herodotus related the origin of the Scythians to the Lower Dnieper, because the first Scythian king was Scythian – the son of Heracles and the virgin Echidna, who lived in Gilea. Both legends are interesting in that the first tells about Scythians-farmers (their symbols were a plow, yoke, ax, bowl), and the second, obviously, about steppe pastoralists (onions are called their symbols,

belt, bowl). To date, the issue of the origin of the Scythians has not been finally resolved. As a rule, referring to the fact that the main complex of the material culture of the Scythians – the Steppes – was foreign to local traditions, the steppe Scythians are considered newcomers. At the same time, the message of Herodotus and Aristeus about the arrival of the Scythians from Asia, from the Far North, is taken into account, for Aristeus, in search of Hyperborea, visited the homeland of Apollo and left evidence about it transmitted by Herodotus, although Herodotus portrays Aristea more as a deity than as a person, looks legendary the death of Aristeus with the disappearance of the body and the clothes left by him, and the fact that Aristeus appeared later, and offered to honor himself as the crow of Apollo.