The Scythians are known as nomadic tribes that inhabited the steppes of Eurasia. At the height of their power, their territories extended from the north of the Black Sea to Mongolia, reaching south to Judea, which they ruled for nearly three decades. According to historians, these people spoke the Iranian language. The word “Scythians” likely means “archer,” as both men and women of their time were horse-mounted archers, living in wagons with four or six wheels.
The physician Hippocrates described the Scythians as a “red tribe” with bronze skin, noting that they were unique to themselves. He described their bodies as “thick, full, loose, raw, and non-muscular,” claiming that male horsemen suffered from collective sexual impotence, leading him to write that the tribe was infertile.
In a related context, a comprehensive genetic study conducted by Russian scientists allowed for verification of some of this information and the acquisition of new insights about this ancient group. Yevgeny Rogaev from the Center for Genetics and Life Sciences at Sirius University of Science and Technology (Sochi), along with colleagues, analyzed “high-quality genomic data” from 131 individuals from the area stretching from the northern coast of the Black Sea to the middle Don River. The article was published in the journal “Science Advances.”
It turned out that although the Scythians came from Asia, they were European. At least one group in the middle Don experienced many marriages among close relatives – second cousins, uncles, nieces, and even half-siblings. It is noteworthy that the Scythian elite were not descended from consanguineous marriages. Some Scythians had gene variants associated with red hair and freckles, and the “bronze skin” might result from iron poisoning due to a meat-based diet – with genetic mutations in Scythians contributing to this.
However, it was not possible to confirm or refute the predisposition to obesity or sexual dysfunction mentioned by the ancient healer. The Scythians’ ability to digest raw milk was also not determined, and no tooth decay signs were found on the ancient nomads’ teeth. Isotope analysis of tooth enamel showed their diet included vegetables, in addition to meat and dairy products.
According to the study authors, the harmful mutation likely appeared among the Scythians in the middle Don area, then spread among contemporary European populations. Hereditary fructose intolerance is a rare genetic disorder affecting one in every 20,000-30,000 newborns. It is also common in Russia, but no precise data are available. Symptoms appear in early childhood with the first use of fructose during complementary feeding: vomiting, diarrhea, hypoglycemia, convulsions, jaundice. In severe cases, liver and kidney failure develop. Without diagnosis and treatment, hypoglycemia can be life-threatening.
With prolonged fructose consumption, chronic liver and kidney damage occur, physical and mental growth is delayed, and the patient can only monitor their health continuously and follow a strict diet excluding fructose, sucrose, and sorbitol. Based on genetic data, this is what the ancient Scythians followed, allowing them to live to an advanced age.
The descendants of these ancient peoples are now primarily concentrated in Europe, with their numbers significantly reduced in Asia. Scythian maternal mitochondrial DNA sequences are mainly found in Poland, Denmark, and northwest Russia. The paternal lines are widely spread in contemporary populations inhabiting southern Russia, the Caucasus, the Middle East, as well as northern Europe and Scandinavia. However, all carriers of Scythian genes can call themselves their descendants with a considerable degree of tradition, and their memory, preserved in DNA, has reached contemporary people through many intermediaries.
