Notes on the History of the Scythian Kingdom of Crimea

The Black Sea region, and especially the Northern coast, which has yielded more abundant documentation, constitutes a privileged area for the study of relations between Greeks and natives in a colonial reality, due both to the presence of a wide range of barbarous people with whom the Greek colonies are in close contact (Scythians, Taurians, Meotians, Sarmatians, etc.) and to the manner of living that was established over time. In this context, the Hellenistic period is of particular interest, because during this period the Hellenization of large sections of indigenous elites seems to have been accompanied by developments in relations with the Greek cities which often became conflictual, for a variety of reasons that are still under discussion; the case of the Scythians is exemplary in this regard. In particular in this paper, I will analyse the Scythian kingdom of Crimea, with its capital, Scythian Neapolis, which represents a particularly significant example of a Hellenized indigenous community. The Scythian Kingdom of Crimea has not been yet adequately explored by the scholars of the Greek world. Here, particular attention will be devoted to some inscriptions found recently, which require an in-depth study.