SCYTHIA, an ancient name for the northern parts of Asia, now known by the name of Tartary; also for some of the north-eastern parts of Europe.
This vast territory, which extends itself from the Ister or Danube, the boundary of the Celtes, that is from about the 25th to almost the 110th degree of east longitude, was divided into Scythia in Europe, and Scythia in Asia, including, however, the two Sarmatias; or, as they are called by the Greeks, Sauromatias, now the Circassian Tartary, which lay between and severed the two Scythias from each other. Sauromatia was also distinguished into European and Asiatic; and was divided from the European Scythia by the river Don or Tanis, which falls into the Paulus Meotis; and from the Asiatic by the Rha, now Volga, which empties itself into the Caspian sea.
1. The Asiatic Scythia comprehended, in general, great Tartary, and Russia in Asia; and, in particular, the Scythia beyond or without Imaus contained the regions of Bogdai or Ossiacoï, and Tanguti. That within, or on this side Imaus, had Turkistan and Mongal, the Ufbeck or Zagataï, Kalmuc and Nagaian Tartars; besides Siberia, the land of the Samoïedes, and Nova Zembla. These three last not being so soon inhabited as the former, as may be reasonably supposed, were wholly unknown to the ancients; and the former were peopled by the Baëtrians, Sogdians, Gandari, Sacks, and Massagetes. As for Sarmatia, it contained Albania, Iberia, and Colchis; which makes now the Circassian Tartary, and the province of Georgia.
2. Scythia in Europe, reached (towards the south-west) to the Po and the Alps, by which it was divided from the Celtes, or Celto-Gallia, and by the Rhine northward. It was bounded on the south by the Ister or Danube, and the Euxine sea. Its northern limits have been supposed to stretch to the spring-heads of the Boristhenes or Nieper, and the Rha or Volga, and so to that of the Tanais.—The ancients divided this country into Scythia Arimaspæa, which lay eastward, joining to Scythia in Asia; and Sarmatia Europæa on the west. In Scythia, properly so called, were the Arimaspæi on the north; the Getæ or Dacians along the Danube, on the south; and the Neuri between these two. So that it contained the European Russia, or Muscovy, and the lesser Crim Tartary eastward; and, on the west, Lithuania, Poland, part of Hungary, Transilvania, Walachia, Bulgaria, and Moldavia. Sarmatia is supposed to have reached northward, to that part of Swedeland called Feningia, now Finland; in which they placed the Oœnes, Panoti, and Hippopodes. This part they divided from northern Germany, now the west part of Sweden and Norway, by the Mare Sarmaticum or Scythicum, which they supposed ran up into the northern ocean, and, dividing Lapland into two parts, formed the western part of Sweden, with Norway, into one island, and Finland into another; supposing this also
Scythian, also to be cut off from the continent by the gulph of
Sea. that name.
Although the ancient Scythians were celebrated as a warlike people, yet their history is too uncertain and obscure to enable us to give any detail which would not prove equally tiresome and uninteresting to the reader.