The
Scirii (also
Skiri or
Scirians) were a tribe in Eastern Europe, attested in historical works between the 2nd century BC and 5th century AD.
The Protogenes Inscription (3rd century BC) mention the Sciri together with the Galatians and probably Indo Iranian Saii when they tried unsuccessfully to capture the greek city Olbia, northwest of the Black Sea. It has been suggested that the Sciri, like the Hirri, as mentioned by Pliny the Elder in association with
SarmatiansThe Sarmatians, Sarmatæ or Sauromatæ were a people of Ancient Iranian origin. Mentioned by classical authors, they migrated from Central Asia to the Ural Mountains around fifth century B.C...
and Venedi, actually belonged to the latter since he does not mention the Sciri among the German people and neither Ceasar nor Tacitus mention the Sciri at all.
The
Scirii (also
Skiri or
Scirians) were a tribe in Eastern Europe, attested in historical works between the 2nd century BC and 5th century AD.
The Protogenes Inscription (3rd century BC) mention the Sciri together with the Galatians and probably Indo Iranian Saii when they tried unsuccessfully to capture the greek city Olbia, northwest of the Black Sea. It has been suggested that the Sciri, like the Hirri, as mentioned by Pliny the Elder in association with
SarmatiansThe Sarmatians, Sarmatæ or Sauromatæ were a people of Ancient Iranian origin. Mentioned by classical authors, they migrated from Central Asia to the Ural Mountains around fifth century B.C...
and Venedi, actually belonged to the latter since he does not mention the Sciri among the German people and neither Ceasar nor Tacitus mention the Sciri at all. They reappear only at the time of Attila the Hun.
The etymology of their name is unclear. Attempts that are based on Germanic yielded
clean- or
pure-bloods as opposed to the neighbouring tribe of
BastarnaeThe Bastarnae or Basternae were an ancient tribal group of probably mixed Celtic and Germanic origin which, between not later than 200 BC and until at least 300 AD, inhabited the region between the eastern Carpathian mountains and the Dnieper river...
mixed-bloods (
cf.
bastard) Other authors suggest a link with the term
ShireA shire is a traditional division found in the United Kingdom, Ireland and in Australia.In Britain, "shire" is the original term for what is usually known as a county; the word county having been introduced at the Norman Conquest. The two are synonymous...
. Also an Indo Iranian etymology was suggested, departing from -shir, lion.
The Scirii are believed to have first lived within the territory of modern Poland. They migrated southwards apparently around 200 BC (some secondary works give a more precise date of 230 BC), along with the
BastarnaeThe Bastarnae or Basternae were an ancient tribal group of probably mixed Celtic and Germanic origin which, between not later than 200 BC and until at least 300 AD, inhabited the region between the eastern Carpathian mountains and the Dnieper river...
. After a peace treaty with the
Roman EmpireThe Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean. The term is used to describe the Roman state during and after the time of the first emperor,...
they are recorded as living east of the
BastarnaeThe Bastarnae or Basternae were an ancient tribal group of probably mixed Celtic and Germanic origin which, between not later than 200 BC and until at least 300 AD, inhabited the region between the eastern Carpathian mountains and the Dnieper river...
, near the Black Sea.
For the next six centuries historical references to the Scirii are sporadic, but sufficient to suggest continuity.
In the 4th century AD, some of the Scirii lived in the
CarpathiansThe Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians are a range of mountains forming an arc roughly long across Central and Eastern Europe, making them the largest mountain range in Europe...
, where they were defeated by the
HunsThe Huns were a group of nomadic pastoral people who, appearing from beyond the Volga, migrated into Europe c.AD 370 and built up an enormous empire in Europe. They were possibly the descendants of the Xiongnu who had been northern neighbours of China three hundred years before and may be the first...
. During the height of the Hunnic empire under the Huns' leader Attila, the Scirians allied themselves with Attila and provided potent infantry for him. After the Hunnic empire disintegrated, part of the Scirii joined the Western and Eastern Goths, while others became
foederatiFoederatus is a Latin term whose definition and usage drifted in the time between the early Roman Republic and the end of the Western Roman Empire...
in the Roman empire.
OdoacerOdoacer , also known as Odovacer, was a Germanic foederati general and the first non-Roman ruler of Italy after AD 476. He deposed the last Western Roman Emperor, Romulus Augustus on 4 September of that year, but continued to rule first as a nominal client of Julius Nepos and, after Nepos' death in...
, the first "king of Italy", was half-Scirian.