Persian King Darius I's massive invasion of the Ancient Scythians
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- čas přidán 1. 07. 2024
- Before the famous Greco-Persian Wars and the Battle of Marathon, Darius I attempted an invasion of the Scythians. This was the greatest war the world had ever seen at that point, and the first historical invasion of the modern region of Ukraine. This video will show what happens when over-confidence dictates strategic thinking.
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Appreciate this coverage of some early Ukrainian history, most of us focused on the history from the Kyivan Rus' onward, so it's good to have some pre-Slavic stuff to round out the project!
So maybe it was in some of the area covered by the present Ukraine. But it has nothing at all to do with the Ukraine... they don't even really know what happened to the Scythians... they know as much about Schythians as they know about some of the ancient Gtreek mythical beings such as the Amazon's. Due to no written record .
Ukrainians are partially decendant from Scythians, Scythians would mix into coming people's partially and partially get pushed out by invasions those scythians blood lines language and cultural traits cutomes and traditions that stayed would be past on to Ukrainians.
@@cedim620u are completely correct. While I’m glad they covered this topic as I love Eastern Iranian (as well as Western Iranian) history, this has nothing to do with modern Ukraine besides geography. The Scythian language was part of a different linguistic branch (Eastern Iranic, as most other Iron Age steppe people), they had a nomadic or semi-nomadic lifestyle. Their culture was also completely different and their religion was as well. The Scythians are really not comparable at all to the modern Ukrainian identity
This is a part of Persian history I unfortunately didn't learn in my classics undergrad degree!
I knew about Marathon etc but Syths? I have heard of them but i assoc. with Rome. I might be wrong but i thought was a force similar to Attila, Huns etc...
@@Hykoo79 The Scythians were Iranic nomads and the horse lords of the ancient era
At most, Darius had 120,000 soldiers or 12 myriads. The Achaemenids withdrew intact and created the satrapy of Skudra, also known as Thrace as a result of this expedition.
I've been researching horse domestication, and that led me to the channel Dan Davis History (fantastic channel for fellow history nerds). Scythian history is amazing. Later history in Europe would be dominated by tribal migrations west, but the Scythians were the pioneers of mounted warfare. When you are the only side with horses, your enemy is at a critical disadvantage. Even though Darius got away, you know the Scythians must have celebrated their victory in resisting Persian occupation.
Knowing the history, I have to imagine his defeat in Scythia was part of Darius' decision to invade Greece in later years. Since it was the Ionian Greek rebellions that really sparked things off, I am genuinely surprised that the Ionians hadn't truly abandoned Darius in Europe. If they had sailed away, it is hard to imagine Darius' forces not falling apart. Had the Scythians captured Darius, so much history would be changed. Maybe he would have just been ransomed or something, but it would have been a permanent stain on the Persian empire.
Of course I'm assuming that there was no 'Greece' back then. Instead it would have been Corinthians, Ionians, Spartans, etc. Or at least that's my logical conclusion. Therefore did Darius making Greece his next target mean he would attack the Ionians too, or were they already proven, loyal subjects?
Darius' invasion of Greece was in response to the Ionian Revolt, where some of the Ionian Greek city-states had tried to throw off Persian control. Athens had sent ships to support the failed revolt and Darius sought to punish Athens for this. I hope that helps.
@@BelloBudo007 There was no unified Greece but as History Skills said in his reply, it was the Ionian Greek revolts that started the Greco-Persian wars because the major city-states like Athens sent assistance to the Ionian Greeks who were revolting from Persia.
Why is Darius I depicted as an Arab? The Scythians are also an Iranian tribe. The Persians conquered Thrace and Macedonia from this expedition.
yeah disappointing. there is also no mention of the shared iranic roots between scythians and Persians. They are depicted as polar opposites.
@@shahabsara1760 Because these are opposites. Persians are Arabs. And the Scythians are the Siberian race.
@@mr.purple1779 you're wrong on both.
@@shahabsara1760 I am not mistaken in either of the two.
@@mr.purple1779 k hun
They should make a film about this military expedition ; it’s hardly or never mentioned at all in most history books or documentaries
Scythian military equipment included a wide array of weapons. Besides shooting arrows from horseback, they also used battle axes, maces, lances, swords, shields, and for personal protection, scale armor, and helmets.
it is not surprising different nations often solicited Scythian military services.
I've never seen a Scythian mace, would love a reference.
@@Austin-sv6io have never seen a Scythian mace as well, although it probably did exist at some point in their history. The closest thing I can think of is the Sagaris, a long handled one handed battle axe/and or war hammer used by many Iranic steppe people as well as the Persians and Medes themselves. Besides most commonly being designed as a battle axe, their were versions of the weapon which had a blunt end which replaced the axe bit. This often took the form of a pick-axe like metal end. Just look up pictures of Scythian warriors and you’ll find a picture of it in the hands of them. Anyway, that’s as far as I know about their blunt weapons
interesting video. the random modern day clips were distracting tho.
also the bit about Darius not talking about his campaign etc seems to contradict the Wikipedia entry on the war and its citation. Also Herodotus is cool and all, but hardly an objective observer on Persia.
Very proud to be part of #ProjectUkraine =) amazing videos by all the great content creators! 🇺🇦
Great stuff friend loved working with you
Same here
Great content. I was actually looking forward for a content that dealt with the Persian failed invasion into Scythia
This looks to be a fascinating channel. Looking forward to the future!
Pschythian are Persian in origin but lived beyond Persian borders. They wore, talked and celebrated same as Persian.
They weren't Persian but yes many of them were Iranic people
Persians are one group of Iranian people
Brilliant video ❤️
Thank you!!
@@HistorySkills This is going to be a long comment but it'll give you some actual sources from Persian side of the story and make things clear
Unfortunately Herodotus writings overshadows the Achaemenid sources
The information these Achaemenid sources provide us are the opposite of what Herodotus claims
Sometimes small details can give us a lot of information
I'm analysing based on all sources during the reign of the Achaemeinids
The Achaemeinid ones included
For example take a look at their inscriptions
The ones made by Darius and Xerxes
Unlike what Herodotus says, according to Darius inscriptions and the carvings on the entrances of his and Xerxes tombs, his Scythian campaign in Europe was successful since he chased them away from his borders, burned a Scythian city which was one of the tribes capital and conquered parts of their lands which is north of the black sea
Plus an Achaemenid inscription and a fort were found there and if I'm not mistaken and remember correctly, the inscription was about a Persian victory over the Ionian Greeks
As if it was sent there to inform a satrap
There are Scythians who are referred to as Overseas Saka on those carvings and they're among the people under the Achaemenid rule
It's the Scythians north of the black sea which as you can see on many Achaemeinid maps, it's part of their empire
So between the sources of the Achaemeinids which were recorded during the reign of the king who fought them and a biased Greek who was writing all of these decades after those kings death and had something against the Persians, i'm gonna trust the Achaemeinids on this one
There are evidence of Scythian people being conquered by the Achaemeinids in Persian inscriptions and carvings as i mentioned
In the inscriptions they are named as :
1-Saka Haumavarga
2-Saka Tigraxaudā
3-Oversea/Beyond the sea Saka
The last one clearly means the Scythians in Europe if you just take a look at the maps
There are also Scythian subjects in Persepolis carvings who are offering gifts to the king of kings
The ones with pointy hats
Achaemeinids didn't even try to conquer all of Scythian lands nor going deep into it because there wasn't anything there that would benefit them like was in Egypt, Indus valley or Lydia
They didn't even want to stay at Gelonus after capturing it which could be a great stronghold deep into the Scythian land
Instead, they rased the city
They had already conquered the strategic Scythian lands in the southern Scythia
Their clashes with the Scythians was over strategic positions like control over rivers, chasing them away from their borders or subduing and preventing them to attack the main land or making them protect the empire's borders from other Scythians
We can see Scythian subjects not only on the carvings on Persepolis but other inscriptions as well
For example, the DB Behistun inscription of Darius I (circa 510 BCE) mentions the haoma drinking Scythians, the Scythians with pointed caps, the Scythians across the sea (Sakâ) and Chorasmia
These sources are not what can be easily ignored
They give us evidence of Persian rule in Scythian lands both in Europe and central Asia
Not to mention that aside from superior numbers, the Achaemenids had every battle troops necessary to deal with Scythians
Heavy cavalry, light cavalry, horse archers, foot archers, heavy and light infantry spearmen, javelin throwers and slingers
Many settled Iranians such as Persians and Medians who had defeated the Scythians before, during the reign of Cyaxares the great, were familiar with nomadic battle tactics since they themselves were nomads before and some still were
All this can only mean that unlike what the Greek records claim, the Scythian campaign of Darius the great was in fact totally successful
When there are ancient Persian buildings in Russia it shows that darius was indeed successful in conquering them
Must ask it who is consider the winner while darius left the campaign and retreated did darius win any territorial gains or is this considered a scythian victory?
He went to Greece through the land of the Scythians and defeated the inhabitants of these regions. When he arrived in the Kingdom of Macedonia, he married the king’s sister. This is according to Ptolemy, Alexander the Great’s half-brother.
The Scythians were defeated by the Persians. Darius's campaign was a success.
The image of that poor fellow you showed as Darus I is opposite to his image. Why do you think Persian/,Iranian are Arab?
the Persians and the Sassanids have very interesting histories and cultures. Very interesting reads.
*Why* didn't Darius take the other road through the Caucasus? It's closer. 🤔
Who is your favorite Persian ruler?
You cannot go wrong with Xerxes!
@@HistorySkills They were going to make a Xerxes figure baaed on 300 but never ended up doing so. I'd have bought one!
Persians are themselves most thankful for Arash, the archer who set the border of Iran and Turan and sacrificed his life for it. There's not much of Koroush or Dariush left today in our memories.
@@the_plasma not really true, in fact Arash is a mythological figure, not to be confused with historical figures. Cyrus the Great, Darius the great and many Sassanid rulers are still revered amongst Iranians.
@@the_plasma Arash the legendary archer is not only a mythical figure, but also not a ruller in the myth.
I JUST finished The Histories by Herodotus. You should credit this work. Because it sounds like you're reading straight out of it.
They should burn his work. It's an embarrassment to any good Persian.
Sources like Herodotus should be taken with a grain of salt. This approach should be used for all ancient sources. Modern academic standards of information vetting were not in practice. Generally the author is trying to push a narrative of some type.
This is going to be a long comment but it'll give you some actual sources from Persian side of the story and make things clear
Unfortunately Herodotus writings overshadows the Achaemenid sources
The information these Achaemenid sources provide us are the opposite of what Herodotus claims
Sometimes small details can give us a lot of information
I'm analysing based on all sources during the reign of the Achaemeinids
The Achaemeinid ones included
For example take a look at their inscriptions
The ones made by Darius and Xerxes
Unlike what Herodotus says, according to Darius inscriptions and the carvings on the entrances of his and Xerxes tombs, his Scythian campaign in Europe was successful since he chased them away from his borders, burned a Scythian city which was one of the tribes capital and conquered parts of their lands which is north of the black sea
Plus an Achaemenid inscription and a fort were found there and if I'm not mistaken and remember correctly, the inscription was about a Persian victory over the Ionian Greeks
As if it was sent there to inform a satrap
There are Scythians who are referred to as Overseas Saka on those carvings and they're among the people under the Achaemenid rule
It's the Scythians north of the black sea which as you can see on many Achaemeinid maps, it's part of their empire
So between the sources of the Achaemeinids which were recorded during the reign of the king who fought them and a biased Greek who was writing all of these decades after those kings death and had something against the Persians, i'm gonna trust the Achaemeinids on this one
There are evidence of Scythian people being conquered by the Achaemeinids in Persian inscriptions and carvings as i mentioned
In the inscriptions they are named as :
1-Saka Haumavarga
2-Saka Tigraxaudā
3-Oversea/Beyond the sea Saka
The last one clearly means the Scythians in Europe if you just take a look at the maps
There are also Scythian subjects in Persepolis carvings who are offering gifts to the king of kings
The ones with pointy hats
Achaemeinids didn't even try to conquer all of Scythian lands nor going deep into it because there wasn't anything there that would benefit them like was in Egypt, Indus valley or Lydia
They didn't even want to stay at Gelonus after capturing it which could be a great stronghold deep into the Scythian land
Instead, they rased the city
They had already conquered the strategic Scythian lands in the southern Scythia
Their clashes with the Scythians was over strategic positions like control over rivers, chasing them away from their borders or subduing and preventing them to attack the main land or making them protect the empire's borders from other Scythians
We can see Scythian subjects not only on the carvings on Persepolis but other inscriptions as well
For example, the DB Behistun inscription of Darius I (circa 510 BCE) mentions the haoma drinking Scythians, the Scythians with pointed caps, the Scythians across the sea (Sakâ) and Chorasmia
These sources are not what can be easily ignored
They give us evidence of Persian rule in Scythian lands both in Europe and central Asia
Not to mention that aside from superior numbers, the Achaemenids had every battle troops necessary to deal with Scythians
Heavy cavalry, light cavalry, horse archers, foot archers, heavy and light infantry spearmen, javelin throwers and slingers
Many settled Iranians such as Persians and Medians who had defeated the Scythians before, during the reign of Cyaxares the great, were familiar with nomadic battle tactics since they themselves were nomads before and some still were
All this can only mean that unlike what the Greek records claim, the Scythian campaign of Darius the great was in fact totally successful
Robert the bruce in the declaration of arbroath said the scots are from greater scythianer
Project Ukraine has led me to so many quality channels I hadn't heard of and this is one! I'm glad to see so many express solidarity with Ukraine and the struggle against the Tyrant Putin.
👎🏻
@@Vecorix Russian Bots and/or cronies gotta make their daily quota. Wouldn't want to disappoint Daddy Putin.
Robert the Bruce king of the scots said in the delclaton
Wasn’t the battle in modern day Kazakhstan? Syr Darya where Cyrus the Great was killed?
Omg, Darius killed king Cyrus as well ? He never trusted him after he ran the Magi from Media. King Cyrus probably rolled in his grave when he made the yearly feast a day to slaughter the Magi, Zoroasterian Priest. Magaphonia feast day.
Western Iranians vs Eastern Iranians basically
Both Were Iranian Tribes
700 thousand yea right
Report
Recent Ukrainians are not Schytian. Actually Schytians were persian nomads.
Ukrainians have a LOT of Scythian mixture.
@lindaraymond3012 No more than Russia or Eastern Poland however, so it's not uniquely Ukrainian whatsoever, just a clickbait thumbnail
Iranian Nomads not Persian Nomads
How it started, was because we Sarmatians took the metal mines from the Scythians in Ukraine and the Caucasus and stopped all metal flow to the southern kingdoms. When Darius came to the Steppes why he was defeated the Sarmatians showed up in Metal scaled armor and iron arrowheads and iron swords.
The reason the Scythians retreated was they were waiting for the Sarmatians and Slavs and all their allies amongst the horse tribes.
Did you know when the Amazon queen of the Sarmatians Amage defeated the Scythians whose tribe was 4x greater than her Sarmatians, was because she was the first Amazon queen to use Iron arrowheads and iron swords against the Scythians whose shield and armor couldn't protect them.
The reason the Chinese Greeks Persians and Romans, feared the Amazons because they could decimate their entire armies, without using the men because of their metal weapons while they were on horse.
Did you know that king Phillip, Alexander the Great s father had his entire army decimated because he surrounded the Amazons but the men surrounded him north of the black Sea. A single rider rode up and slammed his spear in Phillips thigh and the Amazons fled with the children and herds while Phillip lost his entire army to iron weapons as the Sarmatians just left Phillip alone laying on the Steppes.
Frankly, it seems that the Sarmatians were more rational than their Scythian brothers because they made women return home. 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Nah Persians never feard them mithridates the great wiped them from the earth
@@shadowborn1456 then we do we Slavs have their DNA and haplogroup
@shadowborn1456 then why do we Slavs have their DNA and haplogroup lol
@@geraldbrefka1145 that's bc you're slav not sarmation lol
Was a brother Hood battle for supremacy iranic legacy Persian îs iranic to west iranic and scityans est iranic
ｐｒｏｍｏｓｍ
That's what happens when you get too greedy and attack some peace loving nomads.
Peace loving nomads ?
The Scythians were all raiders and plunderers who attacked settled empires and massacred or enslaved the people of the areas they pillaged
This is going to be a long comment
Unfortunately Herodotus writings overshadows the Achaemenid sources
The information these Achaemenid sources provide us are the opposite of what Herodotus claims
Sometimes small details can give us a lot of information
I'm analysing based on all sources during the reign of the Achaemeinids
The Achaemeinid ones included
For example take a look at their inscriptions
The ones made by Darius and Xerxes
Unlike what Herodotus says, according to Darius inscriptions and the carvings on the entrances of his and Xerxes tombs, his Scythian campaign in Europe was successful since he chased them away from his borders, burned a Scythian city which was one of the tribes capital and conquered parts of their lands which is north of the black sea
Plus an Achaemenid inscription and a fort were found there and if I'm not mistaken and remember correctly, the inscription was about a Persian victory over the Ionian Greeks
As if it was sent there to inform a satrap
There are Scythians who are referred to as Overseas Saka on those carvings and they're among the people under the Achaemenid rule
It's the Scythians north of the black sea which as you can see on many Achaemeinid maps, it's part of their empire
So between the sources of the Achaemeinids which were recorded during the reign of the king who fought them and a biased Greek who was writing all of these decades after those kings death and had something against the Persians, i'm gonna trust the Achaemeinids on this one
There are evidence of Scythian people being conquered by the Achaemeinids in Persian inscriptions and carvings as i mentioned
In the inscriptions they are named as :
1-Saka Haumavarga
2-Saka Tigraxaudā
3-Oversea/Beyond the sea Saka
The last one clearly means the Scythians in Europe if you just take a look at the maps
There are also Scythian subjects in Persepolis carvings who are offering gifts to the king of kings
The ones with pointy hats
Achaemeinids didn't even try to conquer all of Scythian lands nor going deep into it because there wasn't anything there that would benefit them like was in Egypt, Indus valley or Lydia
They didn't even want to stay at Gelonus after capturing it which could be a great stronghold deep into the Scythian land
Instead, they rased the city
They had already conquered the strategic Scythian lands in the southern Scythia
Their clashes with the Scythians was over strategic positions like control over rivers, chasing them away from their borders or subduing and preventing them to attack the main land or making them protect the empire's borders from other Scythians
We can see Scythian subjects not only on the carvings on Persepolis but other inscriptions as well
For example, the DB Behistun inscription of Darius I (circa 510 BCE) mentions the haoma drinking Scythians, the Scythians with pointed caps, the Scythians across the sea (Sakâ) and Chorasmia
These sources are not what can be easily ignored
They give us evidence of Persian rule in Scythian lands both in Europe and central Asia
Not to mention that aside from superior numbers, the Achaemenids had every battle troops necessary to deal with Scythians
Heavy cavalry, light cavalry, horse archers, foot archers, heavy and light infantry spearmen, javelin throwers and slingers
Many settled Iranians such as Persians and Medians who had defeated the Scythians before, during the reign of Cyaxares the great, were familiar with nomadic battle tactics since they themselves were nomads before and some still were
All this can only mean that unlike what the Greek records claim, the Scythian campaign of Darius the great was in fact totally successful
@@stevo271 Nah
I'm a fast writer/typer LOL
King of Kings is actually Jesus Christ ! 😁
Why was he a prophet only to the Jews? He spoke Aramaic, loved the Egyptians and the Canaanites, and loved Nechia and the city of Damascus. Is this our right, God, or just a prophet?
@@user-fl5mq9kp7g
Well not quite, first I suppose was to the Jews, but then to all nations-Mathew:24:"And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
He spoke Aramaic and also Hebrew, probably also Greek and Latin. Aramaic was the language you would use daily, while Hebrew was usually used for religious reasons.
The Canaanites were wiped out prior to Jesus being born, and he grew up in Egypt to escape from King Herold, as Herold wanted the child dead.
Also, do you have any proof that he loved Nechia, the city of Damascus, Egypt and the Canaanites?
absolutely Jesus was God!
Here's some evidence,
John 12:44: "Then Jesus cried out, “Whoever believes in Me does not believe in Me alone, but in the One who sent Me. 45And whoever sees Me sees the One who sent Me
John 8:23: "And He said to them, “You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.
And there's plenty more evidence!!!!
NO CYRUS THE FOREVER GREAT IS! 👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑
@@shadowborn1456 haha Cyrus is dead, but JESUS IS ALIVE!!!!!!!! AMEN!!! ✝
@@SpartanGnome Cope fanatic
Why do you put those modern people in the video, making faces? This has become a common trope recently, among a number of video makers. It is out of place it is distracting, because it is weird.
By the way, both the Scythians, Persians and most of the Persian vassals were Caucasian White people. Many of the regions are still White to this day. Even the Egyptians were a White people. It wasn't until after the Arab, Mongol and several other major invasions, did the ethnicity change. Darius was also of White ethnicity.
Why aren't Arabs white when did they become black?
Darius was son of Ester in the bible. So I suppose that would make him Jewish. Yes the Scythians were Caucasian. I've noticed it seems they've been trying to kill them forever. They must have gotten the ones that took metals and horses to America.
There is no such thing as ukraine before comunism