He is mentioned in the histories of Herodotus as having been an admirer of Greek culture and traditions, which led to his falling out of favor with his people and being executed by his brother.

Skúlēs (Σκύλης) is a Hellenization of the Scythian endonym *Skula, itself a later dialectal form of *Skuδa resulting from a sound change from /δ/ to /l/.

[1] Scyles was the heir and son of the king Ariapeithes and a Greek woman from Istria.

[citation needed] His mother taught him to read and speak the Greek language, which distinguished him from other Scythians, who were illiterate.

[2] According to Herodotus, it was because of these unconventional traits that the Scythians rebelled against Scyles, and he was forced to flee from his homeland.