Maeotae

(Greek, Maiotai), the collective name for the ancient tribes that lived in the first millennium B.C. on the eastern and southeastern coasts of the Sea of Azov and along the middle course of the Kuban’ River. The name “Maeotae” was mentioned by ancient Greek and Roman authors and in the inscriptions of the Bosporan Kingdom. The ancient Greek historian and geographer Strabo included the Sindi, Dandarii, Doschi, and others among the Maeotae. The Maeotae engaged in land cultivation and in fishing. By language, some of the tribes were related to the Adygs; some spoke Iranian. In the fourth and third centuries B.C., many of the Maeotae became part of the Bosporan State.