SCYTHIANS

The etymology of the term "Scythian" illustrates how the Kartvelian language, as an intermediary, can help reconstruct the authentic pronunciation of a significant historical term. In ancient Greek, "Scythian" is written as Σκύθης (Skýthēs), but traditional interpretations, particularly in Russian scholarship, have introduced two notable errors that obscure its true form.

First, Russian interpreters frequently misread the Greek letter theta (θ, a circle with a horizontal line) as phi (φ, a circle with a vertical line)—a rudimentary mistake akin to a child’s confusion of basic shapes. This error undermines the credibility of scholarly works that use terms like скифы ("Skify" for Scythians), Афины ("Afiny" for Athens), Марафон ("Marafon" for Marathon), or Фракийцы ("Frakiitsy" for Thracians). Such misinterpretations reflect a lack of attention to the distinct phonetic values of Greek letters, with theta representing [tʰ] (aspirated t) and phi representing [pʰ] (aspirated p).

Second, the Greek letter upsilon (υ) in Σκύθης poses another challenge. In ancient Greek, upsilon was pronounced as [u], not [i] as in modern Greek. This "upsilon problem," extensively explored within this project, necessitates a reevaluation of countless global etymologies. Correcting for this, the name Σκύθης should be pronounced as [skutʰes], not the commonly accepted Skýthēs with an [i] sound.

Combining these corrections, the proper reading of Σκύθης becomes [skutʰ], significantly altering the term from the familiar "Scythian." However, the confusion between theta and phi may not be limited to Russian translators. The ancient Greeks themselves, including Hesiod—who was the first to use the term Σκύθης in his writings around 1200 BCE—might have conflated these letters. Several pieces of evidence suggest that the original name may have been written with phi rather than theta, aligning with the sound [pʰ].

First, the term skufia, referring to the traditional Scythian cap, supports this hypothesis. In Georgian, skufia is written as სკუფია (skupia), using the letter ფ (pʰ), which represents an aspirated [p] sound, closely resembling [ph]. Second, the ancient city of Scupi (modern-day Skopje in North Macedonia), which hosted either the Fourth or Fifth Roman Legion—known as the "Scythian Legion"—preserves a form of the name that aligns with this corrected pronunciation. Scupi likely reflects the original name of the people we know as "Scythians," which the Greeks rendered as Skuti but may have originally been Skupi.

This revised pronunciation finds unexpected corroboration in another historical context. Historians often identify the Avars with the Scythians, and the term "Avar" has entered several languages as a descriptor of greed: avar in Spanish and avaricious in English both mean "greedy." In Russian, a synonym for "greedy" is skupoy, which strikingly matches the reconstructed name Skupi or Skups for the Scythians. This linguistic parallel reinforces the idea that the Scythians were indeed known as Skupi, a name that has been distorted over time through phonetic and transcriptional errors.

The Kartvelian language, through terms like skufia and the phonetic patterns it preserves, serves as a crucial intermediary in restoring the true name of the Scythians. This analysis not only corrects long-standing misinterpretations but also reveals the deep linguistic connections between ancient cultures, offering a fresh perspective on the identity of this enigmatic people.