Histories

It is true that I have heard another story told by the Peloponnesians; namely, that Anacharsis had been sent by the king of Scythia (region (general)), AsiaScythia and had been a student of the ways of Greece [22,39] (nation), EuropeHellas, and after his return told the king who sent him that all Greeks were keen for every kind of learning, except the Lacedaemonians; but that these were the only Greeks who spoke and listened with discretion.

But this is a tale pointlessly invented by the Greeks themselves; and be this as it may, the man was put to death as I have said.

This, then, was how Anacharsis fared, owing to his foreign ways and consorting with Greeks; and a great many years afterward, Scyles, son of Ariapithes, suffered a like fate. Scyles was one of the sons born to Ariapithes, king of Scythia (region (general)), AsiaScythia; but his mother was of +Istra [14,45.25] (region (general)), Croatia, Europe Istria,[*](In what is now the +Dobruja (region (general)), Europe Dobrudja.) and not native-born; and she taught him to speak and read Greek.

As time passed, Ariapithes was treacherously killed by Spargapithes, king of the Agathyrsi, and Scyles inherited the kingship and his father's wife, a Scythian woman whose name was Opoea, and she bore Scyles a son, Oricus.

So Scyles was king of Scythia (region (general)), AsiaScythia; but he was in no way content with the Scythian way of life, and was much more inclined to Greek ways, from the upbringing that he had received. So this is what he would do: he would lead the Scythian army to the city of the Borysthenites (who say that they are Milesians), and when he arrived there would leave his army in the suburb of the city,

while he himself, entering within the walls and shutting the gates, would take off his Scythian apparel and put on Greek dress; and in it he would go among the townsfolk unattended by spearmen or any others (who would guard the gates, lest any Scythian see him wearing this apparel), and in every way follow the Greek manner of life, and worship the gods according to Greek usage.