Histories

Scythia (region (general)), AsiaScythia, then, is a four-sided country, two of whose sides are coastline, the frontiers running inland and those that are by the sea making it a perfect square;

for it is a ten days' journey from the Ister to the +Dnepr (river), Europe Borysthenes, and the same from the +Dnepr (river), Europe Borysthenes to the Maeetian lake; and it is a twenty days' journey from the sea inland to the country of the Black-cloaks who live north of Scythia (region (general)), AsiaScythia.

Now, as I reckon a day's journey at two hundred stades, the cross-measurement of Scythia (region (general)), AsiaScythia would be a distance of five hundred miles, and the line drawn straight up inland the same. Such then is the extent of this land.

Convinced that they alone were not able to repel Darius' army in open warfare, the Scythians sent messengers to their neighbors, whose kings had already gathered and were deliberating on the presumption that a great army was marching against them.

The assembled kings were those of the Tauri, Agathyrsi, Neuri, Maneaters, Black-cloaks, Geloni, Budini, and Sauromatae.