TheSpali (Latin:Spalaei, Spali, Palaei, Pali) was an ancient tribe mentioned inclassical geography that inhabited the south of today's Ukraine.
Pliny (fl. 77–79) enumerated a group of tribes through which theDon River (Tanais) crossed, in which the Spalaei are last mentioned.[1][a][2] He mentioned the conquerors of theNapaei 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 kingPalus, the son of Scythes.[3] The mythical origin and chapter '6, 22' suggests that the Spalaei/Palaei/Pali was a "collective designation of the eastern branch of Royal Scythians".[4] By examinating Pliny and Diodorus, theAuchetae (or Euchatae) were part of the Spalaei/Palaei/Pali.[5]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 which was "the youngest of them, the royal race".[6]Tadeusz Sulimirski believed that they were a branch of theRoxolani.[7] Sulimirski attributedSarmatian archaeology on the mid-Dnieper to the tribe, supported by the Sarmatians' downfall after theGothic invasion in 200 AD.[7] The "Royal Scythian" connection is supported by Indo-Parthian royal namesSpalirisos,Spalyris,Spalahora, and the Slavic wordispolin,spolin ("giant"), assumed to date back to whenSlavs were ruled by the Spalaei.[8]Francis Dvornik (1893–1975) believed that theSporoi mentioned byProcopius (500–560) as being the old name of theAntes andSclaveni were probably theSpali mentioned byJordanes (fl. 551)[b] andSpalei mentioned by Pliny.[9]
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