Gelonians

The Gelonians or Geloni were Scythians of likely mixed origin ^[1] living in the Pontic steppe, whose presence was recorded by Graeco-Roman authors.

Location

The location of the Budini near Scythia.

The Gelonians lived alongside the Budini in the valley of the Vorskla river. ^[2]

History

Origins

The Geloni likely had a mixed origin, including either true Scythians or early Iranian groups. This is proposed due to the association with Scythian culture, and because their names appear alongside the Agathyrsi in the second legend in the Scythian genealogical myth. ^[1]

Like the Agathyrsi, the Gelonians lived outside of Scythia and were independent of the Scythian kingdom. ^[3]

According to Herodotus, the Geloni (Γελωνοὶ) were originally Greeks who settled among the Budini, and over time their language evolved into a mixture of Greek and Scythian. Their temples were built in the Greek style, and they worshipped Greek gods among others. In contrast, the Budini spoke a different language and had a different way of life. ^{[4] [5]} Herodotus also notes that the Greeks mistakenly referred to the Budini as Geloni, but this was incorrect. ^[6]

Pavel Jozef Šafárik wrote that they "might be Greeks among the Slavs and Fins. Such Μιξέλληνες (half Greeks half barbarians) were common enough in the towns upon the Euxine." Schafarik believed that the Budini belonged to the Slavic family. ^[7]

Gelonus

During the 6th century BC, the city of Gelonus was built in the country of the Budini, where the Gelonians set up an important industrial, commercial, and political centre. ^[8] The Gelonians and Budini both lived in Gelonus, although each population lived in separate sections of the city: the Gelonians lived in the eastern earthwork, were was located the city's industrial, commercial, and political centre; the poorer native Budini lived in the western earthwork. ^{[9] [10]}

The Persian invasion

When the Persian Achaemenid king Darius I attacked the Scythians in 513 BC, the Scythian king Idanthyrsus summoned the kings of the peoples surrounding his kingdom to a meeting to decide how to deal with the Persian invasion. The kings of the Budini, Gelonians and Sarmatians accepted to help the Scythians against the Persian attack, while the kings of the Agathyrsi, Androphagi, Melanchlaeni, Neuri, and Tauri refused to support the Scythians. ^[11]

During the campaign, Darius captured the city of Gelonus and set it on fire. ^[8]

Society and culture

Appearance

According to Herodotus of Halicarnassus, the Geloni were different in appearance from the Budini who lived alongside them. ^[2]

Lifestyle

The sedentary Gelonians were wealthier than the nomadic Budini, and they were engaged in agriculture. ^[12]

The Gelonians lived in the city of Gelonus, which was built entirely of wood, ^[13] This city was protected by a defensive system of three earthworks surrounded by ramparts. ^[8] The present-day site of Bilsk has been identified with Gelonus. ^{[8] [10]}

Language

The Gelonians were described by Herodotus of Halicarnassus as speaking a different language from the Budini. ^[12]

Religion

Herodotus of Halicarnassus mentioned that, every three years, the Gelonians performed a Bacchic-type festival which he interpreted as a festival to the Greek god Dionysos. ^{[14] [15]}

Herodotus also claimed that the Gelonians built sanctuaries to their gods (whom he claimed were Greek gods), although this has not been archaeologically verified yet. ^[15] This was in contrast to the Scythians proper, who did not built shrines to their gods. ^[16]

Crafts

The Gelonians and Budini brought ores from outside to the industrial section of the city of Gelonus, where iron and copper were smelted from them. ^[10]

Trade

The Gelonians and the Budini participated in the ancient trade route which started from the ancient Greek colony of Pontic Olbia on the northern shore of the Black Sea and continued to the north-east into the steppe and forest-steppe regions. ^[10]

Archaeology

The Gelonians corresponded to a group of the archaeological Scythian culture which was located outside of Scythia. ^[3]

References

1. Sulimirski 1985, p. 189.
2. Sulimirski 1985, p. 185.
3. Sulimirski 1985, p. 168.
4. Herodotus, The Histories, 4.108
5. Perseus Encyclopedia, Geloni
6. Herodotus, The Histories, 4.109
7. Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854), Geloni
8. Sulimirski 1985, p. 187.
9. Sulimirski 1985, p. 187-188.
10. Sulimirski & Taylor 1991, p. 588.
11. Herodotus & Godolphin 1973.
12. Sulimirski 1985, p. 188.
13. Parzinger 2004, p. 79.
14. Braund 2021, p. 189.
15. Parzinger 2004, p. 72.
16. Cunliffe 2019, p. 269.

Sources

• Braund, David (2021). "Heracles' Footprint by the River Tyras: Immortality and Acculturation on the Geto-Scythian Frontier". In Braund, David; Stolba, Vladimir F.; Peter, Ulrike (eds.). Environment and Habitation around the Ancient Black Sea. Berlin, Germany: De Gruyter. p. 177-194. ISBN   978-3-110-71570-5.
• Cunliffe, Barry (2019). The Scythians: Nomad Warriors of the Steppe. Oxford, United Kingdom; New York City, United States: Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-0-198-82012-3.
• Herodotus; Godolphin, Francis R. B. (1973). "Herodotus: On the Scythians" . The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin. 32 (5): 129–149. doi:10.2307/3269235. JSTOR   3269235 . Retrieved 26 November 2021.
• Parzinger, Hermann (2004). Die Skythen[The Scythians] (in German). Munich, Germany: Verlag C.H.Beck. ISBN   978-3-406-50842-4.
• Sulimirski, T. (1985). "The Scyths". In Gershevitch, I. (ed.). The Median and Achaemenian Periods. The Cambridge History of Iran. Vol. 2. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. pp. 149–199. ISBN   978-1-139-05493-5.
• Sulimirski, Tadeusz; Taylor, T. F. (1991). "The Scythians". In Boardman, John; Edwards, I. E. S.; Hammond, N. G. L.; Sollberger, E.; Walker, C. B. F. (eds.). The Assyrian and Babylonian Empires and other States of the Near East, from the Eighth to the Sixth Centuries B.C. The Cambridge Ancient History. Vol. 3. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. pp. 547–590. ISBN   978-1-139-05429-4.