he Budini who Herodotus describes as the nomadic neighbors of Gelonus. This information of this area coincides with the data we have on the Scythian cultures of this time. In the Black Sea region 9especially the Dnepr and Bug areas as well as the Azov Sea and Crimea steppes) there were three types of basic Scythian culture; the settled agriculturalists, a union of related, partly agricultural/nomadic tribes, and the purely nomadic Royal Scythian tribes ruling the Scythian people and land. It is also know that by the 5th century BC the Scythians were the largest producers of wheat which the city of Olbia relied on for it’s export trade. The hinterland of Olbia, the region of the Middle and Upper Dnepr as well the Bug area were integral to the city of Olbia’s existence. Archeology shows as well how far reaching these Scythian-Greek trade network reached. Over fifty sites in the area of the lower Dnepr and the Bug give evidence that the Scythian people there had a stable economy before Greek colonization. Sites such as Zavadovka, Zlatopol, Peresadovka, and Subbotov attest to complex settlements with bronze foundries and burial mounds from the early first millennium to the 7th century BC in the area of the Olbian hinterlands. (Sulimirski 1, 127-8) Evidence has also uncovered material attesting to the high skill level of Scythian ironwork in this 7th century as well especially in weapon and sword manufacture. This can also explain how the trade relationship developed so rapidly between Olbia and the surrounding communities. In Nikolaevka there are remains of Greek pottery from Lesbos and Lios during the fifth century when Olbia was still gaining it’s importance. (Sulimirski 2, 3) Indeed it is proposed that the Greek colonies of this area occurred not only for reasons of Greek socio-economic conditions but because of the existing socio-economic conditions of the area. However the importance of Greek colonizatio...
