The Scythians are frequently presented, in popular and academic thought alike, as highly mobile warrior nomads who posed a great economic risk to growing Mediterranean empires from the Iron Age into the Classical period. Archaeological studies provide evidence of first millennium BCE urbanism in the steppe while historical texts reference steppe agriculture, challenging traditional characterizations of Scythians as nomads. However, there have been few direct studies of the diet and mobility of populations living in the Pontic steppe and forest-steppe during the Scythian era. Here, we analyse strontium, oxygen, and carbon isotope data from human tooth enamel samples, as well as nitrogen and carbon isotope data of bone collagen, at several Iron Age sites across Ukraine commonly associated with 'Scythian' era communities. Our multi-isotopic approach demonstrates generally low levels of human mobility in the vicinity of urban locales, where populations engaged in agro-pastoralism focused primarily on millet agriculture. Some individuals show evidence for long-distance mobility, likely associated with significant inter-regional connections. We argue that this pattern supports economic diversity of urban locales and complex trading networks, rather than a homogeneous nomadic population.

中文翻译：

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重新评估斯基泰人的生活方式：乌克兰铁器时代饮食和流动性的同位素分析。

在流行和学术思想中，斯基泰人经常被描述为高度机动的战士游牧民族，他们对从铁器时代到古典时期不断发展的地中海帝国构成了巨大的经济风险。考古研究提供了公元前一千年在草原上城市化的证据，而历史文献则参考了草原农业，挑战了斯基泰人作为游牧民族的传统特征。然而，关于斯基泰时代生活在庞蒂克草原和森林草原的人口的饮食和流动性的直接研究很少。在这里，我们在乌克兰的几个铁器时代遗址分析了人类牙釉质样本的锶、氧和碳同位素数据，以及骨胶原蛋白的氮和碳同位素数据，这些数据通常与“斯基泰”时代社区相关。我们的多同位素方法表明城市地区附近的人口流动水平普遍较低，从事农牧业的人口主要集中在小米农业。一些人表现出长距离流动的证据，这可能与重要的区域间联系有关。我们认为，这种模式支持城市地区和复杂贸易网络的经济多样性，而不是同质的游牧人口。