# Spali

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The **Spali** ([Latin](/source/Latin_language): *Spalaei, Spali, Palaei, Pali*) was an ancient tribe mentioned in [classical geography](/source/Classical_geography) that inhabited the south of today's Ukraine.

[Pliny](/source/Pliny_the_Elder) (fl. 77–79) enumerated a group of tribes through which the [Don River](/source/Don_River_(Russia)) (*Tanais*) crossed, in which the Spalaei are last mentioned.[1][a][2] He mentioned the conquerors of the [Napaei](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Napaei&action=edit&redlink=1) as the Palaei (6, 50), while in another chapter (6, 22) says that it was the three Scythian tribes of Auchetae, Athernei and Asampatae that defeated them.[1] It is believed that the Spalaei and Palaei are one and the same.[1] Diodorus (2, 43) reported that the Spalaei/Palaei/Pali were descendants of Scythian king [Palus](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Palus_(king)&action=edit&redlink=1), the son of Scythes.[3] The mythical origin and chapter '6, 22' suggests that Spalaei/Palaei/Pali was a "collective designation of the eastern branch of Royal Scythians".[4] As inferred from Pliny and Diodorus, the [Auchetae](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Auchetae&action=edit&redlink=1) (or Euchatae) were part of the Spalaei/Palaei/Pali.[5] [Herodotus](/source/Histories_(Herodotus)) (fl. 440 BC) stated that the Scythians or Scoloti consisted of the Auchatae (descending from Lipoxais), Catiaroi and Traspies (from Arpoxais), and Paralatae (from Colaxais), the latter being "the youngest of them, the royal race".[6] [Tadeusz Sulimirski](/source/Tadeusz_Sulimirski) believed that they were a branch of the [Roxolani](/source/Roxolani).[7] Sulimirski attributed [Sarmatian](/source/Sarmatians) archaeology on the mid-[Dnieper](/source/Dnieper) to the tribe, supported by the Sarmatians' downfall after the [Gothic](/source/Goths) invasion in 200 AD.[7] The "Royal Scythian" connection is supported by Indo-Parthian royal names *[Spalirisos](/source/Spalirisos)*, *Spalyris*, *[Spalahora](/source/Spalahora)*, and the Slavic word *ispolin*, *spolin* ("giant"), assumed to date back to when [Slavs](/source/Early_Slavs) were ruled by the Spalaei.[8] [Francis Dvornik](/source/Francis_Dvornik) (1893–1975) believed that the [Sporoi](/source/Sporoi) mentioned by [Procopius](/source/Procopius) (500–560) reflect the old name of the [Antes](/source/Antes_(people)), and [Sclaveni](/source/Sclaveni) were probably the *Spali* mentioned by [Jordanes](/source/Jordanes) (fl. 551)[b] and *Spalei* mentioned by Pliny.[9]

## Annotations

1. **[^](#ref_a_1)** *Satarcheos Herticheos Spondolicos Synthietas Anasos Issos Cataeetas Tagoras Caronos Neripos Agandaeos Meandaraeos Satharcheos S p a l a e o s*[1]

1. **[^](#ref_b_1)** *Haec ergo pars Gothorum, quae apud Filimer dicitur in terras Oium emenso amne transposita, optatum potiti solum, nec mora ilico ad gentem Spalorum adveniunt consertoque proelio victoriam adipiscunt, exindeque iam velut victores ad extremam Scythiae partem, que Ponto mari vicina est, properant.*

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTESocietas_Uralo-Altaica197320_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTESocietas_Uralo-Altaica197320_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTESocietas_Uralo-Altaica197320_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTESocietas_Uralo-Altaica197320_1-3) [Societas Uralo-Altaica 1973](#CITEREFSocietas_Uralo-Altaica1973), p. 20.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Pliny, *Natural History*, [6.7](http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0978.phi001.perseus-eng1:6.7).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTESocietas_Uralo-Altaica197321,_58_3-0)** [Societas Uralo-Altaica 1973](#CITEREFSocietas_Uralo-Altaica1973), pp. 21, 58.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTESocietas_Uralo-Altaica197358_4-0)** [Societas Uralo-Altaica 1973](#CITEREFSocietas_Uralo-Altaica1973), p. 58.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTESocietas_Uralo-Altaica197321_5-0)** [Societas Uralo-Altaica 1973](#CITEREFSocietas_Uralo-Altaica1973), p. 21.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Herodotus, & Francis R. B. Godolphin. (1973). Herodotus: On the Scythians. The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, 32(5), 129–149. [https://doi.org/10.2307/3269235](https://doi.org/10.2307/3269235)

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTESocietas_Uralo-Altaica197322_7-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTESocietas_Uralo-Altaica197322_7-1) [Societas Uralo-Altaica 1973](#CITEREFSocietas_Uralo-Altaica1973), p. 22.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTESocietas_Uralo-Altaica197359_8-0)** [Societas Uralo-Altaica 1973](#CITEREFSocietas_Uralo-Altaica1973), p. 59.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** Francis Dvorník (1974). [*The making of central and Eastern Europe*](https://archive.org/details/makingofcentrale0000dvor). Academic International Press. pp. [277](https://archive.org/details/makingofcentrale0000dvor/page/277)–279. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-87569-023-0](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-87569-023-0).

## Sources

- Societas Uralo-Altaica (1973). [*Ural-Altaische Jahrbücher*](https://books.google.com/books?id=vswwAQAAIAAJ). Vol. 45–46. O. Harrassowitz.

- Vernadskij, G. (1938). "The Spali of Jordanis and the Spori of Procopius". *Byzantion*. **13** (1): 263–266. [JSTOR](/source/JSTOR_(identifier)) [44168404](https://www.jstor.org/stable/44168404).

## Further reading

- Воронятов, С.В., О территории сражения готов со спалами в «Getica» Иордана. Война и военное дело в скифо-сарматском мире: материалы Международной, p. 57.

- Жих, М.И., 2014. К вопросу о соотношении Spali Иордана и Satarcheos Spalaeos Плиния Старшего. Материалы по археологии и истории античного и средневекового Крыма, (6).

- Жих, М.И., 2014. Славяне и готы на Волыни и в верхнем Поднестровье. Проблема локализации земли Oium и «Племени»(gens) Spali. Русин, (2 (36)).

- Gardiner-Garden, J.R., 2013. Ancient literary conceptions of eastern scythian ethnography from the 7th to the 2nd Century BC.

v t e Scythia Peoples Achaei Agathyrsi Amardi Amazons Androphagi Arimaspi Budini Cercetae Cimmerians Dahae Parni Gelonians Melanchlaeni Saka Amyrgians Massagetae Indo-Scythians Sarmatians/Sauromatians Agaragantes Alans Aorsi Cissianti Limigantes Phoristae Rimphaces Roxolani Serboi Siraces Spondolici Yancai Iazyges Scythians Abii Cadusii Dareitai Gelae Hamaxobii Legae Sindi Spali Tapurei Tapuri Tauri Thyssagetae Uxii Zygii Scythian and related populations Archaeology Bulan-Koba culture Chernogorovka-Novocherkassk complex Korgantas culture Ordos culture Pazyryk culture Scythian culture Shirenzigou culture Tagar culture Tashtyk culture Tasmola culture Uyuk culture Aldy-Bel culture Arzhan culture Chandman culture Sagly-Bazhy culture Culture Art Jewellery Horizon Languages Religion Regions Kazakh Steppe Sistan Sakasene Alania Scythia Minor Crimea Lower Danube Sarmatia Pontic–Caspian steppe Related Iranian peoples History of the western steppe History of the Scythians Bosporan Kingdom Sarmatism Iranian origin hypotheses of Croats and Serbs Scythian archers Category:Scythia, Category:Populated places in ancient Scythia

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