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 SoundsThe Ancients is a History Hit podcast.Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe. You can take part in our listener survey here: https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on
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Barbarians of the North. In the ancient Greek mindset, no group of people epitomized this term more than the Scythians. They were the classic other, these horse-loving peoples that roamed the great steppe of Eurasia more than 2,000 years ago. They wore trousers. They wielded bows and arrows on horseback. Movement was central to their way of life.
Their women boasted much more freedom and may have even fought in battle. It's no surprise that the Amazons of Greek mythology may well have a historical basis in Scythian culture. So what do we know about the Scythians? How reliable is their portrayal by ancient Greek writers? Why were the Greeks so fascinated by the Scythians? It's the Ancients on History Hit. I'm Tristan Hughes, your host.
Joining me to talk through the story of the Scythians and their interactions with the Greek world, I was delighted to interview Dr. Owen Rees from Birmingham Newman University. Owen has been on the podcast several times before to chat topics varying from dogs in ancient Greece to the March of the 10,000
to the story of ancient Greek colonisation in the Black Sea and the fascinating city of Olbia that was founded in what is today southern Ukraine.
Now Owen's back to explain the story of the Scythians and a massive archaeological site called Bilsk, an ancient megatown home to Scythians, Greeks and others that features in his brand new book exploring the peoples and cities often overlooked that lived at and beyond the edges of the ancient Mediterranean world. Let's get into it. Owen, it is a pleasure to have you back on the podcast today.
Hello. Hi, Tristan. Thanks for having me back. We've done largely the ancient Greek world in the past, but this feels we're going a bit beyond it. But still, you can bring the Greeks heavily into it. I mean, the story of the Scythians or Scythians. First of all, let's clarify this. How should we say the word Scythians?
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