In the Bronze and Iron Ages, land cultivation improved, which contributed to further improvements in production. People were able to farm as a single family, which retained all the surplus produce.
Private property and property differentiation were emerging. Exchange and contacts between individual districts expanded significantly. Wars broke out over cattle, arable land, and metal. Military leaders appeared, and the cult of the leader emerged. A special attitude toward the leader as a hero persisted after his death. It was during the metal age that large burial structures, such as burial mounds, became common. The size of the mounds, the quantity and quality of the things that filled them, indicate the status of the deceased in society.
Metal processing required great skill and specialization, so foundry, like pottery and later weaving, became an independent industry. Artistic metalworking became one of the main types of creativity. People quickly mastered its various types: forging, casting, minting, and metal engraving. A wide variety of metal jewelry was made: bracelets, rings, earrings, pendants, plaques that were sewn onto clothes, belts, buckles. Special attention was paid to weapons. Small cast sculptural images appear. Changes in the social order are emphasized by the following circumstance: female images disappear, and the male image becomes the main one. Megalithic architecture was further developed.
The Iron Age. For many peoples, the last stage of the development of the primitive system is associated with the appearance of iron in the early first millennium BC. The new metal was stronger and much more widespread. This made it possible to introduce it into all branches of production, unlike bronze, which was hardly used in the manufacture of tools. Where there was no statehood before, the Iron Age is associated with a “military democracy” in the social system. Patriarchal slavery emerged, and ties between tribes (tribal unions) became stronger. This time was characterized by wars of plunder. They contributed to the development of military equipment, military organization, and the rise of military leaders. The emergence of specialization can be considered a new development in the development of art; artists, singers, and storytellers stand out. Applied art continues to be the leading form of creativity.
Scythian culture. Among the European cultures of the Iron Age, one of the brightest and most interesting for us is the Scythian culture (VII century BC – III century AD). The Scythian culture is the culture of many nomadic, semi-nomadic and agricultural tribes that lived in a wide area of Eurasia – in the Northern Black Sea region, the Kuban and Altai. A large number of Scythian cemeteries and settlements have survived. Ancient authors, especially Herodotus, left a lot of information about the Scythians. A description of the Scythian tribes is found in one of Hippocrates’ works.
The Scythian farmers received good harvests of wheat, which competed with Egyptian wheat on the Greek market. Scythian horses were highly valued. In turn, the Greeks imported wine, ceramics, and jewelry to Scythia. Trade went through the Greek colonies: Olbia (near modern-day Mykolaiv), Chersonesos (Sevastopol), Panticapaeum (Kerch), and others.
According to Herodotus, the Scythians had a custom of building large mounds of brushwood outside their settlements and placing a sword on top of them. Such a structure was worshipped and then burned. The Scythians built mounds of impressive size, sometimes topped with stone sculptures of warrior men. For several decades, excavations have been underway in the Poltava region at the so-called Bilske settlement, which, according to some authoritative experts, is the remains of the Scythian capital, the legendary city of Helon.