The Social and Religious Bases of Scythian Art

Abstract

Quite apart from the question of precisely when the state emerged among the Scythians, there can scarcely be any doubt that the development of Scythian art in the form in which we know it coincided with the period of class formation experienced by Scythian society. The intellectual life of any society during the period of class formation obeys certain general laws. Among the most important of these is a syncretism in all spheres of social knowledge, the mutual penetration of different elements of ideology, religion, art, etc., on the one hand, and specific features of the psychology, thought, behavior, and attitudes toward the surrounding worlds of individuals during this period, on the other. (1) Unless these circumstances are taken into account, it is impossible to understand any art during the period of class formation, and that includes Scythian art.