The Scythians

The Ancients

History Hit

History

4.7 • 3.5K Ratings

🗓️ 13 February 2025

⏱️ 53 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Known as the barbarians of the north, the Scythians were expert horsemen that roamed the great steppe of Eurasia more than 2,000 years ago. But how much do we know about them?

In today's episode of The Ancients, Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr Owen Rees to explore this infamous nomadic culture who wore trousers, wielded bows and arrows and boasted Amazon-like warrior women who may even have fought in battle. Along the way Owen explains the fascinating story of the Scythian settlement of Bilsk - a great hulking Iron-Age mega-town fortified with miles and miles of winding walls on the edge of the Great Steppe in southern Ukraine.

Presented by Tristan Hughes. Audio editor is Aidan Lonergan, the producer is Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, I'm Tristan Hughes, and if you would like the ancient ad-free, get early access and bonus episodes, sign up to History Hit.
0:08.1	With a History Hit subscription, you can also watch hundreds of hours of original documentaries, including my recent documentary all about Petra and the Nabatans, and enjoy a new release every week.
0:19.3	Sign up now by visiting historyhit.com slash subscribe.
0:25.9	The train is now approaching.
0:28.3	Junction at platform.
0:30.3	Passengers.
0:31.5	Airport, please stay on board.
0:33.4	Next stop, road station.
0:36.0	iOS helps you control which apps you share your exact location with.
0:40.0	There's more to iPhone.
1:05.6	Oh, Barry. Barbarians of the North. In the ancient Greek mindset, no group of people epitomize this term more than the Scythians.
1:12.2	They were the classic other, these horse-loving peoples that roamed the great step of Eurasia more than 2,000 years ago.
1:14.4	They wore trousers, they wielded bows and arrows on horseback, movement was central to their
1:19.8	way of life.
1:21.3	Their women boasted much more freedom and may have even fought in battle.
1:25.5	It's no surprise that the Amazons of Greek mythology may well
1:29.0	have a historical basis in Scythian culture. So what do we know about the Scythians? How reliable
1:35.2	is their portrayal by ancient Greek writers? Why were the Greeks so fascinated by the Scythians?
1:42.0	It's The Ancients on History Hit. I'm Tristan Hughes, your host.
1:46.9	Joining me to talk through the story of the Scythians and their interactions with the Greek
1:50.7	world, I was delighted to interview Dr. Owen Reese from Birmingham Newman University.
1:56.2	Owen has been on the podcast several times before, to chat topics varying from dogs in ancient Greece,
	...

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