Konoplevodstvo Scythians

The Scythians, in the ancient and Byzantine chronicles - the collective name for the peoples of the Northern Black Sea basins, and Don and the Dnieper, including the Slavs. In modern historiography of Scythians called the Indo-Iranian tribes living in the Crimea and the Black Sea steppes from the VII century. BC. on the III. BC, which created in these areas, and the first state formations have left an indelible mark in their history and culture.
Growing consumption and smoking cannabis ritual was an important element of the Scythian life, as evidenced by numerous archaeological finds (pots with hemp seeds, the remains of hemp rope, hemp for incense), and the first works of ancient Greek historian Herodotus (V c. BC) . Describing skifcky funeral ritual, he, in particular, notes that "taking hemp seed, creep under the Scythians a felt yurt, and then throw it on the hot stones. From this rises a strong smoke and steam, that no Hellenic steam bath can be compared with a bath. Enjoying it, the Scythians a loud scream of pleasure. "
At the end of VII. BC. Scythians conquered a part of the North Caucasus, Asia Minor, Syria, Palestine (Lebanon, Israel), and came close to the borders of Egypt. Their dominance in these areas was short-lived (in the beginning of the VI century BC. They were replaced by the Medes), but enough to spread konoplevodcheskoy tradition. Subsequently, all of the regions became known as producers of high quality hemp products.
In the III. BC Recently Scythian kingdom in the Crimea had been destroyed by the Goths. Scythian land derelict, were inhabited Ugric and Turkic nomads, then that is not sowed and processed hemp. Konoplevodstvo survived only on the northern outskirts of Scythia, where he emerged Kievan Rus (Ukraine, Russia, Belarus).
Comment of the Association "Ukrainian industrial hemp"
During excavations in the burial mounds in the Caucasus Mountains in southern Russia, scientists have found a rectangular room, lined with large flat stones, and inside it - gold items. On the surface of the vessels has been found black patina, the result of analysis it revealed traces of cannabis. Anton Gass, an archaeologist Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation in Berlin, told National Geographic: «They are among the best facilities that could be detected in this region." Age gold vessels, according to scientists, is 2,400 years old, and they were used to prepare the drink, which was used together with the burning of the hemp seed.
Image of ancient mythical heroes, nerazravno associated with the use of the unique properties of plants in Scythia.

Hemp is widely used in the funeral rites in the worship of the goddesses of Life and Death. The image of "Scythe of Death", the agricultural instrument was originally intended for harvest.