Editing Scythians (section)

==Lifestyle==
===Nomads and pastoralists===
The peoples of Scythia consisted of a mix of sedentary farmer populations and [[nomad]]s.{{sfn|Batty|2007|p=206}}{{sfn|Cunliffe|2019|p=49}} with the tribes living in the steppes remaining primarily nomadic and having lifestyles and customs inextricably linked to their nomadic way of life.{{sfn|Sulimirski|1985|p=153}} During these early periods, the nomadic Scythians did not build settlements, but instead lived in wagons and temporary tents while leading a mobile pastoral life with their herds and wagon trains.{{sfn|Grousset|1970|p=7}}{{sfn|Parzinger|2004|p=71}} With the integration of Scythia with the Greek colonies on the northern shore of the Black Sea, some of the nomadic Scythians started to settle down,{{sfn|Cunliffe|2019|p=119}} so that they had already started becoming semi-nomads and sedentary farmers by the 5th century BC{{sfn|Batty|2007|p=214}} during the Middle period,{{sfn|Cunliffe|2019|p=119}} and they had largely become settled farmers by the 3rd century BC.{{sfn|Batty|2007|p=214}}

The more nomadic Scythians lived in habitations suited for nomadic lifestyles, such as tents similar to the {{translit|trk|yurt}} of the [[Turkic peoples]] and the {{translit|xgn|ger}} of the [[Mongolic peoples]] that could easily be assembled and disassembled, as well as covered wagons that functioned as tents on up to six wheels.{{sfn|Jacobson|1995|p=31}}{{sfn|Parzinger|2004|p=78-79}} The walls and floors of these portable habitations were made of felt and the tents themselves were bound together using ropes made from horse hair.{{sfn|Jacobson|1995|p=31}}

Beginning in the 5th and 4th centuries BC, the Scythians started building fortified sedentary settlements,{{sfn|Ivantchik|2018}}{{sfn|Parzinger|2004|p=79}} of which the most important ones were located on major routes which provided access to the major rivers of Scythia.{{sfn|Cunliffe|2019|p=131}} The largest and most important of these was the settlement of Kamianka,{{sfn|Parzinger|2004|p=79}} built in the late 5th century BC and protected by ramparts and steep banks of the Borysthenēs river.{{sfn|Ivantchik|2018}} The Kamianka site was the location of the seasonal royal headquarters and the aristocrats and royalty residing in the city's acropolis,{{sfn|Ivantchik|2018}}{{sfn|Cunliffe|2019|p=131}} which contained stone houses{{sfn|Parzinger|2004|p=79}} and buildings built over stone foundations.{{sfn|Cunliffe|2019|p=131}} It was also the residence of a farmer population and of metalsmiths.{{sfn|Ivantchik|2018}} The houses of these farmers and metalsmiths were single-storeyed, with gable-rooves, ranged from 40 to 150 metres square in size and could include multiple rooms, and had clay-painted and felt-fabric adorned walls made of beams buried vertically in the ground; Kamianka also contained square pit houses made of pole constructions with recessed surfaces.{{sfn|Parzinger|2004|p=81}}

Smaller Scythian settlements also existed, where were cultivated large amounts of crops such as wheat, millet, and barley.{{sfn|Cunliffe|2019|p=119}}

===Diet===
The Scythians ate the [[meat]] from the horses, cattle, and sheep they reared.{{sfn|Parzinger|2004|p=83}}{{sfn|Jacobson|1995|p=30}} [[Milk]], especially that of [[mare]]s, was also an important part of the Scythians' diet, and it was both consumed and used to make [[cheese]] and an alcoholic drink made from milk similar to the [[kumis|{{translit|ru|kumys}}]] still widely consumed by Eurasian steppe nomads.{{sfn|Jacobson|1995|p=30}}{{sfn|Parzinger|2004|p=83-84}} The Scythians also consumed wheat and millet in the form of a porridge.{{sfn|Cunliffe|2019|p=119}} The Scythians also supplemented, to varying extents depending on the regions where they lived, their diets by hunting [[deer]], [[Saiga antelope|steppe antelopes]], [[beaver]]s, and other wild animals, as well as by fishing from the large rivers flowing through Scythia.{{sfn|Jacobson|1995|p=30}}{{sfn|Parzinger|2004|p=84}} Cooking was mainly done in cauldrons{{sfn|West|2002|p=451}} and over fires using dried dung as fuel.{{sfn|West|2002|p=447}}

In addition to these, the Scythians consumed large amounts of [[wine]], which they bought from the Greeks. Unlike the Greeks, who diluted wine with water before drinking it, the Scythians drank it undiluted.{{sfn|Parzinger|2004|p=99}} During the earlier phase of the Scythian Pontic kingdom, wine was primarily consumed by the aristocracy, and its consumption became more prevalent among the wealthier members of the populace only after the 5th century BC.{{sfn|Sulimirski|1985|p=153}}

===Clothing and medicine===
{{Main|Scythian clothing}}
{{multiple image
| perrow            = 2
| total_width       = 500
| caption_align     = center
| align             = right
| direction         = horizontal
| header            = Kul-Oba vase
| image1            = Vas d'or amb representació d'escites, kurgan de Kul-Oba, segona meitat del segle IV aC.JPG
| caption1          = 
| image2            = Scythian Warriors.jpg
| caption2          = 
| footer            = Scythian warriors, drawn after figures on an [[electrum]] cup from the [[Kul-Oba]] [[kurgan]] burial near [[Kerch]], Crimea. The warrior on the right strings his bow, bracing it behind his knee; note the typical pointed hood, long jacket with fur or fleece trimming at the edges, decorated trousers, and short boots tied at the ankle. Scythians apparently wore their hair long and loose, and all adult men apparently bearded. The {{translit|grc|gōrytos}} appears clearly on the left hip of the bare-headed spearman. The shield of the central figure may be made of plain leather over a wooden or wicker base. ([[Hermitage Museum]], St Petersburg).
}}

Scythian garments were sewn together from several pieces of cloth, and generally did not require the use of [[Fibula (brooch)|fibulae]] to be held in place, unlike the clothing of other ancient European peoples.{{sfn|Gleba|2008|p=21}} Scythian dress consisted of combination of various leathers and furs designed for efficiency and comfort on horseback, and was expensively and richly decorated with brightly coloured embroidery and applique work as well as facings of pearl and gold.{{sfn|Rolle|1989|p=59}} The Scythians wore clothing typical of the steppe nomads, which tended to be soft, warm, and close-fitting, made from wool and leather and fur and felts, and decorated with {{translit|fr|appliqué}}d and golden ornaments.<ref>{{Unbulleted list citebundle|{{harvnb|Minns|1913|pp=53–66}}|{{harvnb|Grousset|1970|p=7}}|{{harvnb|Sulimirski|1985|pp=153–154}}|{{harvnb|Jacobson|1995|p=31}}|{{harvnb|Parzinger|2004|p=75}}|{{harvnb|Gleba|2008}}}}</ref> Scythians wore jewellery usually made of gold, but sometimes also of bronze.{{sfn|Gleba|2008|p=19}}{{sfn|Rolle|1989|p=61}}

Scythian men grew their hair long and their beards to significant sizes.{{sfn|Minns|1913|p=8}}{{sfn|Grousset|1970|p=7}}{{sfn|Sulimirski|1985|p=154}} Nothing is known about the hairstyles of Scythian women.{{sfn|Rolle|1989|p=61}} The Scythians were acquainted with the use of [[soap]], which they used to wash their heads.{{sfn|Mayor|2022|p=176}} Scythian women cleaned themselves using a paste made from the wood of [[cypress]] and [[Cedrus|cedar]], ground together with [[frankincense]], and water on a stone until it acquired a thick consistency. The women then applied this paste over themselves and removed it after a day, leaving their skin clean, glossy, and sweet-smelling.{{sfn|Parzinger|2004|p=87-88}}{{sfn|MacLeod|2013|p=123}}{{sfn|Mayor|2022|p=178-179}} Scythian women also used cosmetics such as scented water and various ointments.{{sfn|Rolle|1989|p=61}} These cleaning practices were especially performed after funerals.{{sfn|MacLeod|2013|p=123}} Scythian men and women both used mirrors, and bronze mirrors made in Pontic Olbia and whose handles were decorated with animal figures such as those of stags, panthers, and rams, were popular during the early Scythian periods.{{sfn|Sulimirski|1985|p=155}}{{sfn|Rolle|1989|p=61}}

A group of Scythian shaman-priests called the {{translit|grc|Agaroi}} ({{lang|grc|Αγαροι}}, {{langx|la|Agari}}) was knowledgeable in the use of [[snake venom]] for medicinal purposes.{{sfn|Rolle|1989|p=65}}{{sfn|Mayor|2003|p=62}} Ingredients they used included [[cannabis]], as a way to relieve pain,{{sfn|Mayor|2022|p=178}} the [[analgesic]] oil of [[wild cabbage]] to stimulate circulation and to repel insects,{{sfn|Mayor|2022|p=174-175}} and the cleansing paste used by Scythian women, which had various medicinal properties.{{sfn|Mayor|2022|p=178}} In addition to human medicine, the Scythians were adept at veterinary medicine, especially for their horses,{{sfn|Batty|2007|p=275}} although they also [[domesticated dogs]].{{sfn|Parzinger|2004|p=94}}

===Art===
{{Main|Scytho-Siberian art#Pontic Scythian art}}
[[File:Pektoral111.JPG|thumb|Gold [[Gorget|pectoral]], or neckpiece, from an aristocratic [[kurgan]] in [[Tovsta Mohyla]], [[Pokrov, Ukraine]], dated to the second half of the 4th century BC, of Greek workmanship. The central lower tier shows three horses, each being torn apart by two [[griffin]]s. [[Scythian art]] was especially focused on animal figures.]]
The Scythians may have had bards who composed and recited oral poetry.{{sfn|West|2002|p=451}}

The physical art of the Scythians comprised part of the "[[Animal Style]]", where a specific range of animals were depicted in limited poses.{{sfn|Ivantchik|2018}} The style descended from the artwork of Central Asia and Siberia during the 9th century BC.{{sfn|Sulimirski|Taylor|1991|p=552}} The "Animal Style" emerged in the 7th century BC,{{sfn|Melyukova|1990|page=105-106}} during their occupation of Media, due to which the art of the Scythians absorbed West Asian themes.{{sfn|Melyukova|1990|page=100}} Scythian art was then influenced by the Sauromatians,{{sfn|Ivantchik|2018}} Thracian art,{{sfn|Sulimirski|1985|p=161}} Greek,{{sfn|Sulimirski|1985|p=173}}{{sfn|Melyukova|1990|page=109}}{{sfn|Ivantchik|2018}} and Achaemenid Persian art.{{sfn|Ivantchik|2018}} The "Animal Style" later spread to the west and eventually influenced [[Celtic art]].{{sfn|Sulimirski|1985|p=173}} It also introduced [[Shang dynasty|Shang Chinese]] metalwork, such as "cruciform tubes" used in harnesses, to the [[Hallstatt culture]].{{sfn|Jettmar|1971|p=13}}

Scythian art stopped existing after the early 3rd century BC, and the art of the later Scythians of Crimea and Dobruja was completely Hellenised.{{sfn|Ivantchik|2018}}

===Religion===
{{Main|Scythian religion}}
The [[Scythian religion|religion of the Scythians]] was a variant of the [[Ancient Iranian religion|Pre-Zoroastrian Iranic religion]] which belonged to a more archaic stage of [[Indo-Iranians#Religion|Indo-Iranic religious development]] than the Zoroastrian and [[Hinduism|Hindu]] systems.{{sfn|Harmatta|1996|pp=181–182}} Unlike the Persians and the Medes, the Scythians and the Sarmatians were not affected by the Zoroastrian reforms.{{sfn|Grousset|1970|p=7}} The use of [[cannabis (drug)|cannabis]] to induce trance and divination by soothsayers was a characteristic of the Scythian belief system.{{sfn|Harmatta|1996|pp=181–182}}