AmaSkitiya—Abantu Bamandulo Abamangalisayo

IMIKHOSI yamahashe yohlanga loonothwal’ impahlana ithi gqi iphala kolo thuli, ithwele imibhumbutho yeempahla ezithinjwe kumaxhoba. Aba bantu bamangalisayo baye boyisa kumathafa aseYurophu naseAsiya ukususela ngowama-700 ukusa kowama-300 B.C.E. Emva koko baphel’ emehlweni—kodwa emva kokuba bezenzele igama embalini. KwaneBhayibhile iyathetha ngabo. YayingamaSkitiya.

Kangangeenkulungwane, aba nothwal’ impahlana nemihlambi yamahashe babebhadula kumathafa aqala kwiiNtaba zeCarpath ezikwimpuma Yurophu ukusa kwindawo ngoku ebizwa ngokuba ngumzantsi-mpuma weRashiya. Ngenkulungwane yesibhozo ngaphambi kweXesha Eliqhelekileyo, ukuhlasela kweNkokeli yamaTshayina uHsüan kwabangela ukuba kubekho iimbacu eziya entshona. Esinge entshona, amaSkitiya alwa aza agxotha amaCimmerian, awayelawula amaCaucasus nommandla okumantla woLwandle Olumnyama.

Efuna ubutyebi, amaSkitiya ahlasela ikomkhulu leAsiriya, iNinive. Kamva, azimanya neAsiriya aza alwa namaMedi, iBhabhiloni kunye nezinye izizwe. Uhlaselo lwawo lwaya kufikelela nakumantla eYiputa. Isibakala sokuba isixeko iBhete-shan esikumntla-ntshona wakwaSirayeli kamva sabizwa ngokuba yiScythopolis sinokubonisa ixesha ekwakuhlala kuso amaSkitiya.—1 Samuweli 31:11, 12.

Ekugqibeleni, amaSkitiya ahlala kumathafa aseRomania, eMoldova, eUkraine nakumazantsi eRashiya yanamhlanje. Aba nobutyebi obuninzi, esebenza njengabathunywa phakathi kwamaGrike nabathengisi bengqolowa baseUkraine abakumazantsi eRashiya yanamhlanje. AmaSkitiya ayerhweba ngengqolowa, ubusi, izikhumba zezilwanyana kunye neenkomo aze afumane iwayini, umqhaphu, izixhobo kunye nezinto zobugcisa zamaGrike. Ngoko aziqwebela ubutyebi obuninzi.

Iinkweli Ezinobuchule

Kumajoni oonothwal’ impahlana, ihashe lalifana nenkamela esetyenziswa ngabantu basentlango. AmaSkitiya ayeziinkweli ezinobuchule yaye ayephakathi kwabantu bokuqala ukusebenzisa isali nestibili. Ayesidla inyama yamahashe yaye esela ubisi lweemazi zamahashe. Eneneni, ayesenza imibingelelo etshiswayo ngamahashe. Xa kufe ijoni lomSkitiya, ihashe lalo lalibulawa lize lenzelwe umngcwabo ondilisekileyo—lingcwatywe nesali yalo kunye nomkhala nezinto zalo zokulihombisa.

Njengoko umbhali-mbali uHerodotus esitsho, amaSkitiya ayenamasiko enkohlakalo, aquka ukusebenzisa ukakayi lwexhoba njengendebe yokusela. Ayesithi akufika kwiintshaba zawo, azixabele ngamakrele, amazembe okulwa, imikhonto kunye neentolo ezidlakaza inyama.

Amangcwaba Anento Yonke

AmaSkitiya ayeqhelisela ubugqwirha nobushaman yaye ayenqula umlilo nothixokazi ongumama. (Duteronomi 18:10-12) Ayegqala ingcwaba njengendawo yokuhlala yabafi. Kwakubingelelwa ngamakhoboka nezilwanyana enkosini efileyo. Kuqikelelwa ukuba ubutyebi nezicaka zazihamba neenkosana ukuya “kwilizwe elilandelayo.” Kwelinye ingcwaba lasebukhosini, kwafunyanwa izicaka ezintlanu ezingamadoda zijongise iinyawo ngakwinkosi yazo, zilindele ukuvuka ziqhubeke nemisebenzi yazo.

Abalawuli babengcwatywa neminikelo emininzi, yaye ngamaxesha okuzila, amaSkitiya ayechitha igazi lawo aze achebe iinwele. UHerodotus wabhala wenjenje: “Ayesika inxalenye yeendlebe zawo, achebe iintloko zawo, azisike ezingalweni, enze iintlanga ebunzi nasempumlweni aze agqobhoze izandla zawo zasekhohlo ngeentolo.” Ngokwahlukileyo koko, uMthetho kaThixo kumaSirayeli awayephila ngenkulungwane enye nawo wawusithi: “Nize ningenzi ntlanga enyameni yenu ngenxa yomphefumlo oswelekileyo.”—Levitikus 19:28.

AmaSkitiya ashiya ngasemva amawaka eekurgan (amangcwaba). Izinto zokuhombisa ezafunyanwa kwezo kurgan zibalisa ngobomi bemihla ngemihla bamaSkitiya. UMlawuli uPeter Omkhulu ongumRashiya waqalisa ukuqokelela ezo zinto ngowe-1715, yaye ezi zinto zimbejembeje zinokubonwa kwiimyuziyam zaseRashiya naseUkraine. Le “mizobo yezilwanyana” iquka amahashe, iinkozi, ookhetshe, iikati, izingwe zaseMerika, iielk, amaxhama, iibird-griffins, neelion-griffin (izilwanyana zasentsomini ezinamaphiko okanye ezingenamaphiko ezinomzimba wesinye isilwanyana nentloko yesinye).

AmaSkitiya NeBhayibhile

Inye kuphela indawo ethetha ngokungqalileyo ngamaSkitiya eBhayibhileni. KwabaseKolose 3:11, sifunda oku: ‘Akukho mGrike namYuda, kwaluka nakungaluki, kungekho wasemzini, namSkitiya, nakhoboka, nokhululekileyo, kodwa uKristu uzizinto zonke yaye ukubo bonke.’ Xa umpostile uPawulos ongumKristu wayebhala loo mazwi, igama lesiGrike eliguqulelwe ngokuthi ‘mSkitiya’ lalibhekisela, kungekhona kuhlanga oluthile, kodwa kwabona bantu benza izinto eziphum’ emgceni. UPawulos wayegxininisa ukuba phantsi kwempembelelo yomoya oyingcwele kaYehova, okanye amandla akhe asebenzayo, kwanabantu abanjalo banokumhlonela uThixo.—Kolose 3:9, 10.

Abanye abembi bezinto zakudala bakholelwa kwelokuba igama elithi Ashikenazi elifumaneka kuYeremiya 51:27 lithetha into enye negama lesiAsiriya elithi Ashguzai, ibinzana elalisetyenziswa ukubhekisela kumaSkitiya. Amatye akroliweyo abonisa ukuba kwakukho intsebenziswano phakathi kwaba bantu namaMannai kumlo owawuphakathi kweAsiriya ngenkulungwane yesixhenxe ngaphambi kweXesha Eliqhelekileyo. Ngaphambi nje kokuba uYeremiya aqalise ukuprofeta, amaSkitiya adlula ngokukhululekileyo kummandla wakwaYuda xa ayesiya naxa evela eYiputa. Ngenxa yoko, abaninzi abamva eprofeta ngokuhlaselwa kukaYuda sisizwe esivela ngasemntla bakuthandabuza ukuchana kwesiprofeto sakhe.—Yeremiya 1:13-15.

Bambi abaphengululi bacinga ukuba amazwi akuYeremiya 50:42 abhekisela kumaSkitiya, afundeka ngolu hlobo: “Baphatha isaphetha nentshuntshe. Bakhohlakele yaye abayi kuba nanceba. Isandi sabo sinjengesolwandle oluxokozelayo, kwaye baya kukhwela amahashe; bakhe uluhlu lwemfazwe njengandoda-nye nxamnye nawe, ntombi yaseBhabhiloni.” Kodwa ngokukhethekileyo le ndinyana ibhekisela kumaMedi namaPersi, oyisa iBhabhiloni ngowama-539 B.C.E.

Kuye kwathiwa ‘ilizwe lakwaMagogi’ ekubhekiselwa kulo kuHezekile isahluko 38 nesama-39 libhekisela kwizizwe zamaSkitiya. Noko ke, ‘ilizwe lakwaMagogi’ linentsingiselo engokomfuziselo. Kubonakala ukuba libhekisela kwindawo elapha emhlabeni, apho uSathana neengelosi zakhe baphoselwa khona emva kwemfazwe eyayisezulwini.—ISityhilelo 12:7-17.

AmaSkitiya abandakanyeka ekuzalisekeni kwesiprofeto sikaNahum esixela kwangaphambili ukubhukuqwa kweNineve. (Nahum 1:1, 14) AmaKaledi, amaSkitiya namaMedi ahlasela iNineve ngowama-632 B.C.E., ebangela ukuwa koBukhosi bama-Asiriya.

Ukuthi Shwaka Okungummangaliso

Yintoni eyabangela ukuba amaSkitiya aphel’ emehlweni? Omnye umembi wezinto zakudala ophambili waseUkraine uthi: “Inyaniso kukuba, asazi ukuba kwenzeka ntoni.” Bambi bakholelwa kwelokuba emva kokuba enziwe buthathaka luhlobo lwezinto zobunewunewu ayezithanda, oyiswa ngenkulungwane yokuqala neyesibini ngaphambi kweXesha Eliqhelekileyo liqela elitsha loonothwal’ impahlana laseAsiya—amaSarmatia.

Abanye bacinga ukuba iingxwabangxwaba phakathi kwezizwana zamaSkitiya zabangela ukuba aphele. Sekunjalo bambi bathi imbinana yamaSkitiya iyafumaneka kwiiOssetian zaseCaucasus. Enoba kunjalo okanye akunjalo, aba bantu bamangalisayo bamandulo bazenzela igama embalini yoluntu—nto leyo eyenza igama elithi umSkitiya laba sisithetha-ntonye negama elithi inkohlakalo.

[Imaphu ekwiphepha 24]

(Ukuba ufuna inkcazelo ehlahlelwe kakuhle, yiya kwimpapasho)

◻ Isixeko Sezi Mini

• Isixeko Samandulo

Danube

SCYTHIA ← IINDLELA ZEMFUDUKO

• Kiev

Dnieper

Dniester

Black Sea

OSSETIA

Caucasus Mountains

Caspian Sea

ASSYRIA ← IINDLELA ZOHLASELO

◻ Nineveh

Tigris

MEDIA ← IINDLELA ZOHLASELO

MESOPOTAMIA

BABYLONIA ← IINDLELA ZOHLASELO

◻ Babylon

Euphrates

PERSIAN EMPIRE

◻ Susa

Persian Gulf

PALESTINE

• Beth-shan (Scythopolis)

EGYPT ← IINDLELA ZOHLASELO

Nile

Mediterranean Sea

GREECE

[Imifanekiso ekwiphepha 25]

AmaSkitiya ayengabantu abathand’ imfazwe

[Inkcazelo]

The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg

[Imifanekiso ekwiphepha 26]

AmaSkitiya arhweba ngezinto zawo ukuze afumane izinto zobugcisa zamaGrike aza aba nobutyebi obuninzi gqitha

[Inkcazelo]

Courtesy of the Ukraine Historic Treasures Museum, Kiev