Black Sea Region Archaeology

The article is devoted to the publication of an inscription found in Tanais, which mentions the erection of a statue of the Bosporan king Sauromates III (AD 229/230-231/232). The statue was commanded by a person whose name has disappeared and of which only the patronymic (the son of Asandros) is preserved; he was a commander of a "Thracian detachment and a square of hoplites". A similar connection is mentioned in the funerary oration SEG 55, 862 from Panticapaeum which allows me to suggest a chronological vicinity of two inscriptions and confirms the date of the second one at the end of the 2nd or in the first half of the 3rd century AD proposed earlier by G. Bowersock and C. P. Jones (the reign of Sauromates III rather than Sauromates II). An analysis of these and other inscriptions mentioning the "Thracian detachment" makes it possible to interpret this detachment as the Roman auxiliary cohors I Thracum. The soldiers of this cohort were probably sent to the Bosporus from the province of Lower Moesia (not from Bythinia-Pontus, as it was suggested earlier) together with those of legio I Italica who participated in the "Bosporan war" mentioned in an inscription from Preslav.

Stella Ghervas (2018). "The Black Sea", in Oceanic Histories, ed. David Armitage, Alison Bashford and Sujit Sivasundaram (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2018), pp. 234-266.

Abstract of the volume:
"Oceanic Histories is the first comprehensive account of world history focused not on the land but viewed through the 70% of the Earth's surface covered by water. Leading historians trace the history of the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans and the world's seas from the Arctic and the Baltic to the South China Sea and the Sea of Japan/Korea's East Sea, over the longue durée. Individual chapters trace the histories and the historiographies of the various oceanic regions with special attention to the histories of circulation and particularity, the links between human and non-human history and the connections and comparisons between parts of the World Ocean. Showcasing oceanic history as a field with a long past and a vibrant future, these authoritative surveys, original arguments and guides to research make this volume an indispensable resource for students and scholars alike."

This is a published doctoral thesis in Turkish language at the Dokuz Eylül University, submitted by Gülseren Kan Şahin in 2015. In this dissertation pottery finds from Hadrianopolis and its chora in southwestern Paphlagonia (northwestern central Turkey) are presented in detail, which were collected between the years 2005 and 2008. A version of this thesis in English language is already published in 2016 as a part of BAR International Series (no. 2786) and in Turkish language in 2019 as a part of publication series of Turkish Historical Society.
Paphlagonia was an ancient region on the Black Sea coast of north-central Anatolia, bordered by Bithynia to the west, Pontus to the east and Galatia to the south.  Today, Hadrianopolis and its chora lie in the region around Eskipazar in the Turkish province of Karabük. Between 2005 and 2008 an archaeological team from the Dokuz Eylül University in Izmir carried out archaeological field surveys, excavations and restorations in Hadrianopolis and its close surroundings. During these four field campaigns, 1550 sherds ranging between the Pre-Iron Age (IInd mill. BC.) and the Middle Byzantine period (late 11th/early 12th cent. AD.) were collected, most of which consisted of Late Roman-Early Byzantine (late 5th-mid 8th cent. AD.) coarse ware. In this study 30 main pottery groups were constituted, based on their chronology, function and fabric. The book contains a detailed description of each find deposit, including the typologies and fabrics of wares and a comprehensive catalogue with drawings, as well as photos, of each sherd. It is, thus, the first extensive pottery report of the Turkish Black Sea area, offering a continual picture of all the wares and chronologies available, including their chronologies.

2017, Baralis A., Lungu V., Dupont P., Bastide M., Bony G., Caraire G., Comfort A., Delfieu R., Guy M., Jubeau T., Kaniewski D., Lebouteiller P., Marinova-Wolff E., BMontagne-Perruchon B., Morhange C., Musat-Streinu A., Popova T., Petrescu M., Rossignol I., Slavova I., Streinu M., Sternberg M., L’établissement d’Acic-Suat (commune de Baia, département de Tulcéa). Méthodologie d’une enquête pluri-disciplinaire, Pontica, 50, pp. 455-488.

In: Вісник Харківського національного університету імені В. Н. Каразіна. 2012. № 1005: Історія. Вип. 45. С. 82–92. (соавтор Е. В. Семененко).

Ruchinskaya O. A., Semenenko O. V. The Question about the Temple Medicine in the Ancient Cities of the Western Black Sea Region in I–III centuries AD. This article examines the state of the temple medicine in the Western Black Sea region in I–III centuries. This period is characterized by active development of the sacred medicine. Cults of deities-healers were formalized in the majority of Black Sea region polises. The temples of Asclepius were centers of healing, had its own specificity in the location and architectural design. During this period, temple medicine of the West Pont begins to feel the influence of the Roman Empire, which was manifested in a proliferation of Eastern cults, syncretization them with the Greek, along with temples-clinics Greek deities-healers, there were their eastern counterparts.

Keywords: temple medicine, Western Pont, Apollo, Asclepius.

Within the greater of Istanbul, well outside the historic precinct, chance finds and systematic excavtions are revealing the extent of this region's prehistory. The periods represented extend from the Palaeolithic, through Mesolithic Neolithic and Chalcolithic, and then to the Late Bronze Age-Early Iron Age (thirteenth to twelfth centuries BC) transition. Within central Istanbul proper building activities over the last century and in various locations, as well as general maintenance work by local councils, have brought to light a range of artefacts that provide clues to the occupation of this historically prominent region.

The expressions ‘Late Scythian culture’ and ‘Crimean Scythia’ are modern concepts. The first term appeared soon after 1946, and it was
intended to designate the material culture of the Scythians, supposedly
superseded by the Sarmatians in the 3rd century BC and later replaced by the Slavs, thus making a direct historical bridge from Scythians to Russians. The Late Scythian culture consisted of two enclaves, the Crimean-Dnieper and the Thracian one. The Crimean-Dnieper enclave was represented by two slightly different variants located in the Crimea and in the Lower Dnieper region. The term ‘Crimean Scythia’ was invented in late 1980s – early 1990s, and reflects the idea of the formation of a new separate Scythian statehood in the Crimea. According to the predominant point of view, the Late Scythian culture of the Crimea was constantly transforming in the course of the
Sarmaticization’ process. This position seems to be unsustainable.
In fact, some migrations to the Crimea from the North Pontic
steppe or the Caucasus could have likely occurred. However, the newcomers (‘Sarmatians’?) certainly had a much lesser effect on the functioning of the social networks and the economic and cultural appearance of the ‘Crimean Scythia’ than the proximity of the ancient centres and geopolitical aspirations of the world hegemonic powers.

Multidisciplinary geoarchaeological investigation of the ancient Greek colony of Apollonia Pontica (Sozopol, Bulgaria) has been a key research field for the French-Bulgarian archaeological collaboration started in 2002 by the Centre Camille Jullian with the Archaeological Institute and Museum of Sofia and the Archaeological Museum of Sozopol. The main objective of this project was to reconstruct the geomorphological evolution of this coastal area of Apollonia and the palaeoenvironmental context of the necropolis at Kalfata. Particular attention was paid to the location of the ancient harbours of the city, a question directly linked with the chronology of the sandy isthmus between the historical peninsula and the continent.

Актуальные проблемы междисциплинарных исследований в изучении истории, культуры и экономики Крыма: материалы всероссийской научнопрактической конференции.-Симферополь: ИТ «АРИАЛ», 2017.-315 с. В сборнике представлены материалы всероссийской научно-практической конференции «Актуальные проблемы междисциплинарных исследований в изучении истории, культуры и экономики Крыма», организованной Крымским федеральным университетом имени В.И. Вернадского при финансовой поддержке Российского фонда фундаментальных исследований в рамках проекта № 17-06-20594. В процессе работы конференции были рассмотрены актуальные вопросы, посвященные исследованиям и сохранению историко-культурного наследия Республики Крым, формированию социокультурной среды как фактора эволюции этинической общности Крыма, а также проблемы социально-экономического развития полуострова в современных условиях. Оганизационный комитет Председатель Никитина Марина Геннадиевна, первый заместитель директора Института экономики и управления ФГАОУ ВО «КФУ им. В. И. Вернадского», доктор экономических наук, доктор географических наук, профессор. Состав комитета Алексеенко Николай Александрович, заместитель директора по научной работе Государственного историко-археологического музея-заповедника «Херсонес Таврический», кандидат исторических наук. Барсегян Ашот Георгиевич, заместитель директора по научной работе Таврической академии ФГАОУ ВО «КФУ им. В. И. Вернадского», кандидат экономических наук, доцент. Майко Вадим Владиславович, директор Института археологии Крыма РАН, доктор исторических наук. Симченко Наталия Александровна, зав.кафедрой экономической теории ИЭУ ФГАОУ ВО «КФУ им. В.И. Вернадского», доктор экономических наук, профессор. Хрусталев Евгений Юрьевич, ведущий научный сотрудник Центрального экономикоматематического института РАН, доктор экономических наук, профессор. Черный Евгений Владимирович, декан факультета психологии Таврической академии ФГАОУ ВО «КФУ им. В. И. Вернадского», доктор психологических наук, доцент. Ответственность за достоверность фактов, цитат, собственных имен и иных сведений несут авторы ISBN

Today's province Ordu, called as ''Kotyora'' in the ancient time, is a city located between the two big coastal cities Amisos (Samsun) and Trapezous (Trabzon) in the south coasts of Black Sea. It is one of the colonies established by Greeks with the aim of agriculture, mine, fishing and trade. Cimmerians and Scythians began to locate there from 675 B.C. Afterwards, Persians (550-330 B.C) dominated the region, this continued until the expedition of Macedonian King Alexander the Great, in the year of 334 B.C. Pontus Empire was established by the Mithridates I in 302-298 B.C , after staying under the domination of Roman until the date of 395 A.D., the Roman Empire's division to two parts, it was included to East Roman i.e Byzantium lands.
Pontos and Paphlagonia regions in Black Sea, are the wealthy regions due to their geographical conditions. The castles located in Pontos region , such as Gölköy, addition to the examples of monumental dimension , there are much more simple examples in terms of its dimension and architecture.
Castle Gölköy, locates in the Gölköy district's, 4km. southeast away inside the Kaleköy, whose distance  to the center of Ordu province is 60 km. It is known that Castle Gülköy, one of the oldest castles in Ordu, was built by the Persian King Dara in 4.-3. B.C. However,the walls which create  the castle's architecture, was constructed by Khorasan mortar and as a result of examinations we made on the potteries presented in castle, it shows that the castle was built after the Persian Periods because of the techniques of ceramics construction, profile, paste feature and  made as glazed.

The article presents the silver gilt phalerae found in the course of earthworks in the area of Kuban stanitza Uspenskaya in 1866 and now kept in the State Museum of Georgia. The central part of two large phalerae is decorated with rosettes framed with garland, the sloping middle part — with curly rosettes, the edge bent outwards — with guilloche pattern. The small phalera bears a bull protome with small curly rosettes on the forehead and on the shoulder. The compositional and stylistic analysis of the large phalerae causes doubts in M. Pfrommer’s attribution considering the Uspenskaya phalerae to have been later specimens (2nd century BC) made after some earlier prototypes. Their most probable date may be restricted to the period of the last quarter of the 3rd — first quarter of the 2nd century BC. It is evident that the large shoulder phalerae from Uspenskaya (Figs. 1–4) like that from Fedulov Treasure having similar dimensions (ca. 30–31 сm in diameter) (Fig. 7) belong to the earliest finds of that kind in the North Pontic area as it was suggested by V.I. Mordvintseva. The high level of their execution differs greatly from that of the speci
mens dated to the 2nd — early 1st century BC. The phalerae from Uspenskaya had been probably long time in use, judging by the losses and remains of careful restoration, as a result of which the tornoff part of one of the phalerae was «sewn» to its main
part (figs. 1; 3. 3; 4). A bull protome on the Bosporan coins similar to the one on the small phalera can hardly be a decisive argument in favour of its attribution as a Bosporan article. It is rather an ornamental ropelike border, which speaks in favour
of such a hypothesis. The character of the surface treatment suggests manufacturing of the large phalerae with rosettes and the small one with the bull protome in different workshops. Having in mind the suggested dating of the phalerae, with all the reservations against the total attribution of imports uncovered in the Sarmatian complexes as booty captured by the Sarmatians in Asia Minor, in the given case one cannot exclude the possibility of the large phalerae being a diplomatic gift received during concluding a treaty between the King of Pontus, Phranakes I and the states of Asia Minor, one of the guarantor of which, according to Polybius (Polyb., XXV, 2), was a Sarmatian King Gatal.

The article is devoted to the publication of brooches of the Avcissa type from the excavations of the Artesian site. A detailed analysis allows us to consider them as the early variants of the type, whereas and the findings themselves are most likely to be associated with the events of the Roman-Bosporan war of 44/45–49 AD.

""En Filipo II y el Arte de la Guerra tendremos la oportunidad de conocer en profundidad a uno de los más grandes reyes de la antigua Macedonia. Gracias a su habilidad como estratega, diplomático, político y soldado, heredó un reino pobre, débil y acosado por innumerables enemigos y lo transformó en el más poderoso de toda Grecia.

A lo largo de sus páginas podremos conocer la historia del reino Macedonio, desde sus orígenes míticos hasta la formación de un imperio, de la mano del que, a la postre, se convertiría en el padre del mítico Alejandro Magno y en el forjador de un nuevo ejército que cambiaria el devenir de la guerra en la Antigüedad. Filipo II fue el creador de la falange macedonia, formación que se demostraría como inigualable en el campo de batalla y que reportaría incontables victorias sobre poderosos enemigos, como los ilirios, los tesalios, los tracios, los beocios o los atenienses. Pero no sólo eso, logró integrar en el campo de batalla a la infantería y a la caballería para emplearlos en nuevas formaciones tácticas: armó a sus soldados con las míticas sarissas y apreció como pocos las posibilidades militares que la maquinaria de guerra podía proporcionarle, siendo el mecenas de numerosos avances en este campo. Soñó con conquistar el Imperio persa, cuando ya había logrado lo que nadie antes fue capaz: el control de Grecia.

Sólo la muerte le arrebató esa hazaña, pero sentó las bases de lo que más tarde conseguiría su propio hijo. Su figura levantó tanto odios como pasiones; se le conocía como mujeriego y bebedor, pero también por su habilidad para la oratoria, por sus astucia, determinación y valor. Siempre luchó en primera línea junto a sus soldados y nunca permitió que éstos le llamaran rey, sino solo "General".

Based on existing classifications of the horse-bits and cheek-pieces of the North Caucasus and Eastern Europe, the paper outlines a classification of bronze cheek-pieces made of a twisted core and non-bonding three-hole cheek-pieces from Azerbaijan. Burials where objects under the study originate from are dated back to the second half of the 8 th and the 7 th centuries BC. Most of the studied bits with non-bonding three-hole cheek-pieces of Azerbaijan come from the burial grounds where Scythian type objects were discovered or where a burial rite has analogies to those in the forest-steppe on the right bank of the Dnipro River. This data indicates the connection of the studied artifacts with the cultures of the Cimmerians and the Scythians.

The article presents a xiphos that was discovered in Sozopol, ancient Apollonia Pontica. There are more such weapons from present-day Bulgaria, but this is the only example discovered during archaeological excavations. The xiphos was deliberately bent and discarded in a dump of fragmentary pottery, mostly amphorae. The materials from the dump date from the later 4th and early 3rd c. BC, which corresponds to the chronology of dated parallels, mostly from ancient Macedonia.

Asırlardır Karadeniz’in çevresinde birlikte yaşayan ve dünya politikalarını yönlendiren bu iki devlet, önümüzdeki süreçte de Karadeniz bölgesinde
kriz yerine iş birliğini seçerek bölgede istikrar ve refahı egemen kılacaktır.
Aksi bir durumda ise, Karadeniz yeni bir çatışma alanına dönüşerek
her iki ülkeyi de olumsuz bir şekilde etkiyecektir.

Сборник является пятнадцатым томом периодического издания «История и археология Крыма», который посвящён итогам археологических исследований в Крыму в 2020 году. Несмотря на отсутствие возможности проведения отчетной конференции, связанное с тяжелой эпидемиологической ситуацией, было принято решение публикации всех подготовленных докладов. Сборник рассчитан на археологов, историков и краеведов. УДК 902 93/94(477.75) ББК 63.4(49Кр.-6)273.1

"Die Publikation zu den Drei-Brüder-Kurganen untersucht drei Grabhügel, die in spätklassischfrühhellenistischer Zeit auf der Krim, ganz im Osten der Kertscher Halbinsel, errichtet wurden und deren Fundgebiet in der Antike zum Territorium des Bosporanischen Reiches gehörte. Die drei Grabhügel wurden vom Kertscher Museum in den 1960er Jahren im Rahmen archäologischer Notgrabungen untersucht. Auf der Basis einer vollständigen Vorlage aller in den Kurganen angetroffenen Funde und Befunde werden ihre
Charakteristika vergleichend mit bosporanischen sowie ausgewählten weiteren nordpontischen Nekropolenkontexten der räumlich benachbarten Griechenstädte und des skythischen Gebietes analysiert."

The Black Sea lies at the junction of three major cultural areas: Europe, Central Asia, and the Near East. It plays a crucial role in enduring discussions about the impact of complex Near Eastern societies on European societies, and the repercussions of early urbanization across Eurasia. This book presents the first comprehensive overview of the Black Sea region in the prehistoric period. It penetrates artificial boundaries imposed by traditions, politics, and language to encompass both the European and Asiatic coasts and both Eastern European and Western scholarly literature. With a critical compilation and synthesis of archaeological data, this study situates the prehistoric Black Sea in a global historical context. By adopting the perspective of technology and innovation, it transcends a purely descriptive account of material culture and emphasizes society, human interaction, and engagement with the material world.

A new solution is offered to a difficulty posed by Homer’s Iliad: Hippothoos, the leader of Troy’s Pelasgian allies, fought against the Greeks and died far from his home in Larissa. However, soldiers from the distant Larissas familiar to us fought not for the Trojans but for the Greeks, if they fought at all. The approach herein is a thorough survey of 18 known and likely Larissa locations, considering Homeric, mythological, archaeological, and numismatic evidence. This survey is followed by a systematic evaluation with regard to seven criteria. It appears likely that there may be two widely-separated Larissas of Hippothoos and his Pelasgians. The Larissa of Iliad 17 is probably in the Greek homeland, most likely on the river Peneios in Thessaly. The Larissa of Iliad 2 may well be in the eastern Balkans. The Balkan location is probably on Thrake’s coast of the Sea of Marmara, perhaps at the west of Mygdonia. An alternative location is the west coast of the Black Sea, somewhere around Naulochos, Moisia where a little-known Larissa was mentioned by Strabo.

Things have reached a point to study carefully the depictions of arms on the
Bosporan gravestones and to correlate them with archaeological finds, both from the area of the Bosporan Kingdom and from the nomadic cultures of Eurasia and from the Near East. Such an analysis allows us both the better understanding of the genesis of certain types of arms, used in the Bosporus in the first centuries AD and the social and historical context of the possible adoptions.

My analysis is concentrated on three categories: the daggers, which were carried fastened with belts to the right thighs, long swords fastened to the quivers of the so-called Scythian type, as well as quivers of the so-called Hunnic or Central-Asian type. The catalogue, making the basis of the study, includes 75 Bosporan grave stelae, primarily with the images of the horsemen; from the late 1st century BC to the first half of the 2nd century AD which show the arms of the abovementioned types, found or acquired primarily in Kerch and its vicinities. Detailed analysis both of the specific details shown on the Bosporan, Commagene, Parthian stelae, sculptures, frescoes, terracottas and small bronzes in comparison with the finds
of corresponding arms both in the area of the Bosporan Kingdom as well as in the nomadic burials of Eurasia reveals Central Asian, in some cases Chinese prototypes of them.....

Лисин В.П. Античные хозяйства в районе Камышовой бухты (I–IV вв.): диссертация на степень кандидата исторических наук. – Севастополь: Альбатрос, 2019. – 278 с., илл.

29 марта 1941 года решением Ученого совета Государственного Херсонесского музея к защите была рекомендована диссертация на соискание ученой степени кандидата исторических наук «Античные хозяйства в районе Камышовой бухты (I–IV вв.)». Ее автор – Василий Петрович Лисин (1911–1942), заведующий отделом античной истории и заместитель директора по научной работе Государственного Херсонесского музея, участник и руководитель археологических работ в 1935–1941 годах. Исключительное по своей важности исследование обобщило результаты полевых работ последних лет и содержало выводы, значительно опередившие свое время. Защите диссертации помешала начавшаяся 22 июня 1941 г. война. Сражаясь за Родину, Василий Лисин погиб в партизанском отряде. Настоящим изданием впервые открывается широкий доступ к исследованию В.П. Лисина, которое, несомненно, будет интересно не только специалистам в области организации сельского хозяйства в античную эпоху, но и всем тем, кто интересуется древней историей и археологией Крыма и всего Причерноморья.

The ancient site of Tios (modern Filyos) lies at the mouth of the river Billaios (Filyos Çayı), towards the western end of the southern Black Sea coast, in Zonguldak province. In ancient sources the city is spelt in various ways, including Tios, Tieion, Teion and Tion. In the second half of the seventh century BC the city was founded as a Milesian colony by the priest named Tios.

It was dependent to various kingdoms throughout the Hellenistic period and the city fell under Roman control in AD 70. In the Roman Imperial period, it is understood from inscriptions and coins that Roman emperors and proconsuls encouraged the development of the city. In the Byzantine period the city was a bishopric and we find the names of bishops of Tios on lead seals.