Scythian slaves, so-called by the Greeks because they were purchased from Scythia rather than necessarily being ethnic Scythians, were sold throughout the Mediterranean and Eurasian worlds. Athens appears to have been a particularly receptive market, written ca. 392 BC, which notes that the police force was implemented in 446 BC. Yet his chronology for the other events he notes, such as the creation of the Long Walls, is off, suggesting this date is not accurate. While the exact date the police force was implemented remains unknown, the Scythians often appear in Attic comedy as bumbling stock characters speaking a garbled form of Greek. In total, over 250 Scythian names are evident in Greek inscriptions and literature, and yet even this must represent but a fraction of the overall forced movement of people.
