Kolchians, Sauromatae and Scythians

I will provide some sources i've been studying for further reading.

Skylax: http://www.le.ac.uk/ar/gjs/skylax_for_www_02214.pdf

68. SKYTHIA. TAURIANS. And after Thrace are the Skythian nation, and the Hellenic cities
in them are the following: Tyris river; Nikonion, a city; Ophiousa, a city. And against the
Skythian territory the Taurian nation occupy a promontory of the mainland: and into the sea is the promontory . And in the Taurike live Hellenes*, the following: Cherronesos, a trading-town; Goat’s Brow, a promontory of the Taurike. And after these places are Skythians again, and the following Hellenic cities in it: Theudosia, Kytaia with Nymphaia, Pantikapaion, Myrmekeion. The coastal voyage straight from Istros up to Goat’s Brow is of three days and three nights, and that beside land is double: for it is a gulf. And in this gulf is an island, and the island is deserted, which has the name Leuke, sacred to Achilles. And from Goat’s Brow is a voyage to Pantikapaion of a day and a night: And from Pantikapaion up to the mouth of the Maiotis lake is 20 stades. And the Maiotis lake is said to belong half to the Pontos. And in the Maiotis lake, as one sails straight in, are on the left Skythians: for they come down out of the outside sea above the Taurike to the Maiotis lake.

SYRMATAI. [And after Skythians, the Syrmatai] nation and the river Tanaïs which bounds
Asia and Europe.

69. COASTAL VOYAGE OF ALL OF EUROPE. From the pillars of Herakles in Europe,
as one circumnavigates the gulfs beside land, and, as many nights as are written, instead of these calculates days, and, where stades are written, instead of the 500 stades the daily voyage, the coastal voyage of Europe, the half part of the Pontos being equal to the Maiotis lake, becomes 150 days and three. And the greatest rivers in Europe are the Tanaïs, the Istros, and the Rhodanos.

ASIA.
70. SAUROMATAI. And from Tanaïs river begins Asia, and the first nation of it is in the
Pontos, the Sauromatai. And among the Sauromatians is a nation ruled by women.
71. MAIOTAI. Those ruled by women are adjoined by Maiotai.



THE WORLD OF HERODOTUS



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Ptolemy



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MODERN RECONSTRUCTION OF THE MAPS ABOVE



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CAUCASUS



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HELLENISTIC PERIOD



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1rst-4th century AD



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13th Century AD (Ossetia is visible)



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ARMENIAN Reconstruction of Ptolemys map




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Ptolemy, Tabula III Asiae



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KOLCHIS, IBERIA AND NEIGHBOURS




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CURRENT MAP WITH LINGUISTIC DIVISIONS







It is not easy to tell, is it?