The paper is concerned with a problem on emergence of large settlements in the Forest-Steppe Scythia and their social and economic characteristics. These settlements are interpreted by the author as earlytown centres of policy, commerce, crafts and culture of the adjacent territory. Attention is focused on the Belskian site of an ancient town, which may be associated with a town of Helon in the country of Budins mentioned by Gerodot. Data are presented on size, laying out structure of the town and on economic occupation of its population. The data are compared with available evidence on other large settlements of the Scythian period. It is stated that in the south of Eastern Europe the urbanization proceeded not only due to internal stimululi of self-development, on the basis of technical achievements of the Early Iron Age, but also under conditions of close relations with ancient Oriental and antique states.