Scythians and Central Europe : historical interpetations of archaeological reality

Die Skythen und Mitteleuropa : historische Deutung der archäologischen Wirklichkeit

Stresz. w jęz. niem. s. 57-58

The Scythians’ occupation of the forest-steppe and steppe areas of Eastern Europe in the late 8th and 7th century BC had an enormous impact on the ethnic, geopolitical and cultural situation in the region, as well as it also significantly affected the neighbouring areas of Central Europe. The infiltration of steppe origin populations took place (their driving force consisted of mounted warriors and shepherds) leading to specific socio-cultural behaviour of local communities (fortified settlements, votive offerings, cultural changes). The clearest manifestation of the expansiveness in the area of Central Europe regarding this population is a wave of the military penetration of Scythian nomads, visible in archaeological sources in the form of military items of Scythian type, traces of violent destructions and remains of shocked victims. Driving force of these raids were certainly both internal socio-political processes, but also the activities of nomadic elite, organizing hordes of warriors in order to undertake plundering expeditions (economic aspect). However, the Scythian contacts with south-east Polish areas (Tarnobrzeg group) were of a different nature. It is worth paying more attention to the discussion about the lack of written sources relating to this subject. Nevertheless, Central Europe was beyond the range of the geographical knowledge of ancient authors, and therefore to note the expansion of the Scythians was objectively impossible. It is necessary to consider that the image presenting location of arrowheads of the Scythian type in the destructive levels of defensive settlements in Central Europe was coincident with the finds from the South Caucasus and the Middle East, where the expansion of the Scythians was historically documented. The lack or deficiency of written sources cannot be a limitation in building a historic vision of socio-cultural processes.