AmaSkithe—Abantu Basendulo Abayinqaba

SAFIKA sigibele amahhashi, egabavula obhuqwini, izikhwama zaso ziqhuma impango, isizwe sabantu ababeyimizulane. Laba bantu abayinqaba babusa amaqele ase-Eurasia cishe kusukela ngo-700 kuya ku-300 B.C.E. Babe sebenyamalala—kodwa sebewuqophile umlando. Bayavela ngisho naseBhayibhelini. BabengamaSkithe.

Emakhulwini eminyaka, abantu abayimizulane kanye nemihlambi yamahhashi angathanjisiwe babehla benyuka ezimfundeni ezisuka eziNtabeni ZaseCarpathian empumalanga yeYurophu ziyofika lapho kuyiningizimu-mpumalanga yeRussia khona manje. Ngekhulu lesishiyagalombili B.C.E., impi yoMbusi uHsüan waseChina yabangela ukuba laba bantu bafudukele entshonalanga. Ebheke entshonalanga, amaSkithe alwa futhi axosha amaCimmeria ayelawula iCaucasus nendawo esenyakatho yeBlack Sea.

Efuna umcebo, amaSkithe aphanga inhlokodolobha yase-Asiriya, iNineve. Kamuva, azihlanganisa ne-Asiriya alwa neMediya, iBabiloniya nezinye izizwe. Ahlasela aze afika ngisho nasenyakatho yeGibithe. Ukuqanjwa komuzi waseBeti Shani kamuva ngokuthi yiScythopolis kungenzeka kubonisa ukuthi lake laphathwa amaSkithe.—1 Samuweli 31:11, 12.

Ekugcineni, amaSkithe ahlala emaqeleni ezindawo manje eziyiRomania, iMoldova, i-Ukraine neningizimu yeRussia. Kulezi zindawo aceba, esebenza njengamanxusa ezokuhwebelana phakathi kwamaGreki nabalimi bokusanhlamvu basendaweni manje eyi-Ukraine neningizimu yeRussia. AmaSkithe ayehweba ngokusanhlamvu, uju, uboya nezinkomo ukuze athole iwayini lamaGreki, izindwangu, izikhali nezinto zobuciko. Kanjalo aziqongelelela ingcebo enkulu.

 Abagibeli Bamahhashi Abangompetha

Kula mabutho asemaqeleni, ihhashi lalinjengekamela kubantu basogwadule. AmaSkithe ayengabagibeli bamahhashi abaphambili futhi ayengabanye bokuqala ukusebenzisa isihlalo sehhashi nesitibili. Ayedla inyama yamahhashi aphuze nobisi lwawo. Empeleni, ayesebenzisa amahhashi ekwenzeni iminikelo yokushiswa. Lapho isosha lomSkithe lifa, ihhashi lalo lalibulawa lingcwatshwe ngendlela ehloniphekile—lifake namatomu nemvunulo yalo.

Njengoba kuvezwe yisazi-mlando uHerodotus, amaSkithe ayethanda amasiko anonya, ayehlanganisa ukusebenzisa izingebhezi zamakhanda ezisulu zawo njengezinkomishi zokuphuzela. Ayethelekela izitha zawo, aziqothe ngezinkemba zensimbi, izizenze, imikhonto nemicibisholo enezinhlendla ezazidabula inyama.

Amathuna Ahlotshiselwe Ingunaphakade

AmaSkithe ayesebenzisa ubuthakathi nemilingo futhi ekhulekela umlilo nonkulunkulukazi ongumama. (Duteronomi 18:10-12) Ayebheka ithuna njengendawo yokuhlala yabafileyo. Izigqila nezilwane zazenziwa umhlatshelo ukuze zisetshenziswe ngumnikazi wazo oseshonile. Amakhosi ayephelezelwa ngomcebo nangezigqila zezindlu ukuze azisebenzise “ezweni elilandelayo.” Kwelinye ithuna lasebukhosini, kwatholakala izinceku ezinhlanu zilaliswe izinyawo zabheka ngasenkosini yazo, zilungele ukuvuka ziqhubeke nemisebenzi yazo.

Lapho kungcwatshwa ababusi kwakuba neminikelo emikhulu, futhi ngezikhathi zokulila amaSkithe ayezisika kuphume igazi agunde nezinwele. UHerodotus wabhala: “Ayezisika ingxenye yezindlebe, aphuce emakhanda, azisike ezingalweni, azigcabe eziphongweni nasemakhaleni futhi abhoboze izandla zawo zobunxele ngemicibisholo.” Ngokuphambene, uMthetho uNkulunkulu awunika ama-Israyeli angaleyo nkathi wayala: “Aniyikuzigcaba emizimbeni yenu ngenxa yabafileyo.”—Levitikusi 19:28.

AmaSkithe ashiya izinkulungwane zezindunduma ezingamathuna (ama-kurgan). Izinto eziningi zokuhlobisa ezatholakala kulama-kurgan zibonisa ukuphila kwansuku zonke kwamaSkithe. UMbusi uPeter the Great waseRussia waqala ukuqongelela izinto ezinjalo ngo-1715, futhi lezi zinto ezibenyezelayo ziyatholakala manje eminyuziyamu yaseRussia nase-Ukraine. Lobu “buciko bokwakha izilwane” buhlanganisa amahhashi, izinkozi, oheshe, amakati, ama-panther, ama-elk, ama-deer, izinyoni eziyingxube namabhubesi ayingxube (izilwane zasezinsumansumaneni ezinomzimba onamaphiko noma ongenawo wesilwane esithile nekhanda lesinye).

AmaSkithe NeBhayibheli

IBhayibheli likhuluma kanye kuphela ngokuqondile ngamaSkithe. KweyabaseKolose 3:11, siyafunda: ‘Akukho mGreki noma umJuda, ukusoka noma ukungasoki, owesinye isizwe, umSkithe, isigqila, okhululekile, kodwa uKristu uyikho konke futhi ukubo bonke.’ Lapho umphostoli uPawulu ongumKristu ebhala lawo mazwi, igama lesiGreki elihunyushwe ngokuthi “umSkithe” lalingabhekiseli esizweni esithile ngokuqondile, kodwa lalibhekisela kubantu abangaphucuzekile nakancane. UPawulu wayegcizelela ukuthi ngaphansi kwethonya lomoya ongcwele kaJehova, noma amandla akhe asebenzayo, ngisho nabantu abanjalo babengabembatha ubuntu bokwesaba uNkulunkulu.—Kolose 3:9, 10.

 Ezinye izazi zemivubukulo zikholelwa ukuthi igama elithi Ashikenaze elikuJeremiya 51:27 liyefana negama labase-Asiriya elithi Ashguzai, igama elalisetshenziselwa ukubhekisela kumaSkithe. Izibhebhe zemibhalo yesandla ebhalwe ngonobumba zikhuluma ngomfelandawonye walesi sizwe namaMannai ekuvukeleni i-Asiriya ekhulwini lesikhombisa B.C.E. Ngaphambi nje kokuba uJeremiya aqale ukuprofetha, amaSkithe adabula ngokuthula ezweni lakwaJuda elibangise eGibithe nalapho esebuya. Ngakho, abaningi abamuzwa ebikezela ukuhlaselwa kukaJuda okuyovela enyakatho kungenzeka bakungabaza ukunemba kwesiprofetho sakhe.—Jeremiya 1:13-15.

Izazi ezithile zicabanga ukuthi kubhekiselwe kumaSkithe kuJeremiya 50:42, ofundeka kanje: “Babamba umnsalo nomkhonto; banonya, abanamusa; izwi labo liduma njengolwandle; bakhwele amahashi, behleliwe njengabantu abayakulwa nawe ndodakazi yaseBabele.” Kodwa leli vesi libhekisela ngokuyinhloko kumaMede namaPheresiya, anqoba iBabiloni ngo-539 B.C.E.

Kuye kwasikiselwa ukuthi “izwe likaMagogi” okukhulunywa ngalo kuHezekeli isahluko 38 no-39 libhekisela ezizweni zamaSkithe. Nokho, “izwe likaMagogi” linencazelo engokomfanekiso. Ngokusobala, libhekisela endaweni yasemhlabeni, lapho uSathane nezingelosi zakhe balahlelwa khona ngemva kwempi yasezulwini.—IsAmbulo 12:7-17.

AmaSkithe ahileleka ekugcwalisekeni kwesiprofetho sikaNahume esasibikezela ukugumbuqelwa kweNineve. (Nahume 1:1, 14) AmaKaledi, amaSkithe namaMede aphanga iNineve ngo-632 B.C.E., abangela ukuwa koMbuso Wase-Asiriya.

Ukuwa Kwawo Ngendlela Engaqondakali

AmaSkithe asenyamalele, kodwa ngasiphi isizathu? Isazi semivubuko esivelele sase-Ukraine sithi: “Iqiniso liwukuthi asazi ngempela ukuthi kwenzekani.” Ezinye zikholelwa ukuthi ngemva kokuthanjiswa uthando lwengcebo, anqotshwa ekhulwini lokuqala nelesibili B.C.E. ngelinye iqembu elisha labantu abayimizulane elivela e-Asiya—amaSarmatian.

Ezinye zicabanga ukuthi ngumbango phakathi kwamaqembu amaSkithe owaholela ekuweni kwawo. Kanti ezinye zithi insali yamaSkithe isatholakala kuma-Ossetian aseCaucasus. Noma ngabe yikuphi, laba bantu basendulo abayinqaba baziqophela umlando—umlando owenza igama elithi umSkithe liqukathe umqondo wonya.

[Ibalazwe ekhasini 24]

(Ukuze ubone ukuthi indaba ihlelwe kanjani, bheka encwadini)

▫ Umuzi Wasendulo

▪ Idolobha Lanamuhla

IDanube

ISCYTHIA ← UMZILA WOFUDUKO

• IKiev

IDnieper

IDniester

IBlack Sea

I-OSSETIA

IziNtaba ZaseCaucasus

ICaspian Sea

I-ASIRIYA ← IMIZILA YOKUHLASELA

▫ INineve

ITigris

IMEDIYA ← IMIZILA YOKUHLASELA

IMESOPOTAMIYA

IBABILONIYA ← IMIZILA YOKUHLASELA

▫ IBabiloni

I-Ewufrathe

UMBUSO WASEPHERESIYA

▫ ISusa

IPersian Gulf

IPALESTINA

• IBeti Shani (iScythopolis)

IGIBITHE ← IMIZILA YOKUHLASELA

INayile

ULwandle iMedithera

IGRISI

[Izithombe ekhasini 25]

AmaSkithe ayengabantu bempi

[Umthombo]

The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg

[Izithombe ekhasini 26]

AmaSkithe ahweba ngezimpahla zawo ukuze athole izinto zobuciko zamaGreki futhi aceba kakhulu

[Umthombo]

Courtesy of the Ukraine Historic Treasures Museum, Kiev