Editing Scythians (section)

===Ciscaucasian kingdom===
After their initial westwards migrations, and beginning around {{c.|750 BC}},{{sfn|Grousset|1970|p=6-7}}{{sfn|Cunliffe|2019|p=113}} the Scythians settled in the Ciscaucasian Steppe between the Araxes river to the east, the Caucasus mountains to the south, and the Maeotian Sea to the west,<ref>{{Unbulleted list citebundle|{{harvnb|Petrenko|1995|p=6}}|{{harvnb|Harmatta|1996|p=181}}|{{harvnb|Olbrycht|2000a|p=84}}|{{harvnb|Olbrycht|2000b|p=103}}|{{harvnb|Yablonsky|2006|p=25}}}}</ref> and were especially concentrated in the valley of the [[Kuban (river)|Kuban river]],{{sfn|Cunliffe|2019|p=114}} where would be located their kingdom's headquarters until the end of the 7th century BC:{{sfn|Melyukova|1995|p=32}}{{sfn|Olbrycht|2000b|p=109}}{{sfn|Cunliffe|2019|p=117}} the Scythians who first arrived into Ciscaucasia did not consist of large numbers of people and they lived in a small area.{{sfn|Petrenko|1995|p=18}} During these early phases of Scythian history, Ciscaucasia was where the nomadic state and the culture of the Scythians developed,{{sfn|Petrenko|1995|p=6-9}} and it would remain the centre of the Scythian kingdom until around {{c.|600 BC}}.{{sfn|Jacobson|1995|p=34-35}}

Since the Scythians needed agricultural and craft products from the native populations, they conquered these peoples and established interdependence systems: the Scythians obtained surplus through collecting tribute from the populations of the native [[Koban culture|Koban]] and [[Maeotians|Maeotian]] cultures of Ciscaucasia,{{sfn|Petrenko|1995|p=18}} who provided various goods to the Scythians, such as agricultural products and crafted goods like clay and bronze vessels, various weapons, [[bridle]]s, and [[horse harness]] equipment;{{sfn|Petrenko|1995|p=9}} the Maeotian craftsmen especially made large wide-necked pots, jugs, mugs, and small basins for Scythian customers.{{sfn|Petrenko|1995|p=16}}

These interactions between the Scythians and Maeotians deepened through the 8th to 7th centuries BC so that it led to the creation of a mixed culture,{{sfn|Petrenko|1995|p=7}} and some of the local tribes were assimilated into the Scythians and therefore contributed to the growth of the Scythian population.{{sfn|Melyukova|1995|p=31}} This earliest phase of Scythian culture formed in the Ciscaucasian Steppe between {{c.|750}} and {{c.|700 BC}}.{{sfn|Petrenko|1995|p=7-8}}