Spali

The Spali (Latin: Spalaei, Palaei) was a tribe mentioned by Pliny (23–79) and Jordanes (fl. 551), located in the region south of Kiev. They are believed by some (Tadeusz Sulimirski) to have been a branch of the Roxolani. Sulimirski attributed Sarmatian archaeology on the mid-Dnieper to the tribe, supported by the Sarmatians' downfall after the Gothic invasion in 200 AD. Another connection is made to the "Royal Sarmatians" (mentioned by Strabo as a Scythian tribe, also called Ourgoi), supported by Indo-Parthian royal names Spalirisos, Spalyris, Spalahora, and the Slavic word ispolin, spolin ("giant"), assumed to date back to when the Slavs were ruled by the Spali.