The authors of classical antiquity often speak of the Scythians as being the foremost archers of their day. The Scythian bow was introduced into Greece at an early date, possibly the 7th century BC when the first Greek colonies had been established on the north coast of the Black Sea. Archaeologists have found remains of these bows in this area.
In the 5th century BC the city guard of Athens was mostly recruited from Scythian slaves. Thucydides (an historian of the 5th century BC) says that during the Peloponnesian War (432-404BC) the Athenian army had 200 mounted archers and the 1600 foot archers included 1200 Scythians.
Ancient Greece relied more on their hoplites (a bit like a cavalry, armed with sword, lance etc.) than on their archers. Yet although the bow was neglected for military purposes, sea captains of the 7th century BC, whose entire fortune was perhaps tied up in his ship and cargo and who could expect to meet pirates etc., still needed archers to defend their ships. Archers were also used to defend Greek citizens of the new colonies as Athens expanded its empire.
