Editing Scythians (section)

===Golden Age===
[[File:Scythian comb.jpg|thumb|upright=1.15|Scythian gold comb from [[Solokha]], early 4th century BC]]
The period of instability ended soon, and Scythian culture experienced a period of prosperity during the 4th century BC.{{sfn|Melyukova|1995|p=29}}{{sfn|Ivantchik|2018}} Most Scythian monuments and the richest Scythian royal burials dating from this period,{{sfn|Ivantchik|2018}} as exemplified by the lavish {{ill|Čortomlyk mohyla|uk|Чортомлик (могила)}}.{{sfn|Batty|2007|p=210}} This height of Scythian power corresponded to a time of unprecedented prosperity for the Greek colonies of the northern Black Sea: there was high demand for the Greek cities' trade goods.{{sfn|Batty|2007|p=209}} Consequently, Scythian culture, especially that of the aristocracy, experienced rapidly-occurring extensive Hellenisation.{{sfn|Ivantchik|2018}}

The rule of the Spartocid dynasty in the Bosporan Kingdom under the kings [[Leucon I|Leukon I]], [[Spartocus II]] and [[Paerisades I|Pairisadēs I]] was also favourable for the Scythian kingdom because they provided stability.{{sfn|Batty|2007|p=210}} Leukon employed Scythians in his army,{{sfn|Batty|2007|p=210}} and he was able to capture Theodosia with the help of Scythian horse cavalry, which he claimed to trust more than his own army.{{sfn|Olkhovsky|1995|p=72}} Extensive contacts existed between the Scythian and Bosporan nobilities,{{sfn|Batty|2007|p=210}} possibly including dynastic marriages between the Scythian and Bosporan royalty;{{sfn|Ivantchik|2018}} the rich burial of [[Kul-Oba]] belonged to one such Scythian noble who chose to be buried in a Greek-style tomb.{{sfn|Ivantchik|2018}}{{sfn|Cunliffe|2019|p=128}}

During this time, and with the support of the Scythian kings, the sedentarised Scythian farmers sold up to 16,000 tonnes to Pantikapaion, who in turn sold this grain to Athens in mainland Greece.{{sfn|Olkhovsky|1995|p=72}} The dealings between mainland Greece and the northern Pontic region were significant enough that the Athenian [[Demosthenes|Dēmosthenēs]] had significant commercial endeavours in the Bosporan kingdom, from where he received a 1000 [[Medimnos|{{translit|grc|medimnoi}}]] of wheat per year, and he had the statues of the Bosporan rulers Pairisadēs I, [[Satyrus I|Satyros I]] and [[Gorgippus|Gorgippos]] insalled in the Athenian market.{{sfn|Batty|2007|p=210}} Dēmosthenēs himself had had a Scythian maternal grandmother,{{sfn|Cunliffe|2019|p=54}} and his political opponents [[Dinarchus]] and [[Aeschines]] went so far as to launch racist attacks against Dēmosthenēs by referring to his Scythian ancestry to attempt discrediting him.{{sfn|Batty|2007|p=210}}{{sfn|Cunliffe|2019|p=54}}

The Scythian kingdom experienced an early wave of immigration by a related Iranic nomadic people, the [[Sarmatians]], during the 4th century BC, to the Pontic steppe.{{sfn|Batty|2007|p=210}}{{sfn|Olbrycht|2000b|p=117}}{{sfn|Cunliffe|2019|p=144}} This slow flow of Sarmatian immigration continued during the late 4th and early 3rd centuries BC,{{sfn|Cunliffe|2019|p=144}}{{sfn|Olbrycht|2000b|p=117}} but these small and isolated groups did not negatively affect its hegemony.{{sfn|Batty|2007|p=210}}

====The reign of Ateas====
{{Multiple image
| direction         = vertical
| header            = Coin of the Scythian king Ateas
| image1            = Скіфська монета із зображенням царя Атея.jpg
| alt1              = Reverse: depicting a mounted warrior and a coin legend reading {{lang|grc|ΑΤΑΙΑΣ}}
| caption1          = Reverse: depicting a mounted warrior and a coin legend reading {{lang|grc|ΑΤΑΙΑΣ}}
| image2            = Skif atey1.jpg
| alt2              = Obverse: depicting the head of Herakles
| caption2          = Obverse: depicting the head of Herakles
| align             = right
}}

Between {{c.|360s}} and 339 BC, the Scythians were ruled by their most famous king, [[Ateas]],<ref>{{Unbulleted list citebundle|{{harvnb|Harmatta|1996|p=181}}|{{harvnb|Alekseyev|2005|p=44}}|{{harvnb|Batty|2007|p=210}}|{{harvnb|Ivantchik|2018}}}}</ref> whose reign coincided with the growth of the [[Macedonia (ancient kingdom)|kingdom of Macedonia]] under its king [[Philip II of Macedon|Philip II]].{{sfn|Cunliffe|2019|p=55}} The main activities of Ateas were directed towards expanding {{c.|350 BC}} Scythian hegemony to the lands south of the Istros.{{sfn|Melyukova|1990|p=106}}{{sfn|Melyukova|1995|p=29}} Ateas also successfully battled the Thracian [[Triballi]] and the Dacian [[Histriani]],{{sfn|Sulimirski|1985|p=198}}{{sfn|Batty|2007|p=210}}{{sfn|Ivantchik|2018}} as well as threatened to conquer the city of [[Byzantium|Byzantion]],{{sfn|Batty|2007|p=210}} where he may also have struck his coins.{{sfn|Melyukova|1990|p=106}}

Since both Ateas and Philip had been interested in the region to the immediate south of the Istros, the two kings formed an alliance against the Histriani.<ref>{{Unbulleted list citebundle|{{harvnb|Melyukova|1995|p=29}}|{{harvnb|Ivantchik|2018}}|{{harvnb|Cunliffe|2019|p=55}}|{{harvnb|Cunliffe|2019|p=150}}}}</ref> However, this alliance soon fell apart and war broke out between the Scythian and Macedonian kingdoms, ending in 339 BC in a battle at the estuary of the Istros where Ateas was killed.<ref>{{Unbulleted list citebundle|{{harvnb|Sulimirski|1985|p=198}}|{{harvnb|Melyukova|1990|p=106}}|{{harvnb|Jacobson|1995|p=34}}|{{harvnb|Melyukova|1995|p=29}}|{{harvnb|Olbrycht|2000b|p=118}}|{{harvnb|Alekseyev|2005|p=44}}|{{harvnb|Batty|2007|p=211}}|{{harvnb|Ivantchik|2018}}|{{harvnb|Cunliffe|2019|p=55}}|{{harvnb|Cunliffe|2019|p=129}}}}</ref> The Scythian kingdom had lost its new territories in Thrace due to this defeat.{{sfn|Ivantchik|2018}} The power of Scythian kingdom was not immediately harmed by the death of Ateas, and it did not experience any weakening or disintegration as a result of it:{{sfn|Batty|2007|p=211}} the Kamianka city continued to prosper and the Scythian burials from this time continued to be lavishly-furnished.{{sfn|Melyukova|1990|p=107}}{{sfn|Melyukova|1995|p=29}}