The Black Sea: Hub of Peoples and Cultures (8th Century BC–5th/6th Century AD)

Maintaining the high standards set by previous congresses, this publication offers fresh perspectives and significant advances in Black Sea studies, ensuring its place as an essential resource for scholars of the ancient Mediterranean and Eurasian worlds.

The Black Sea: Hub of Peoples and Cultures (8th Century BC-5th/6th Century AD) presents the Proceedings of the Seventh International Congress on Black Sea Antiquities, held in Thessaloniki in September 2022 and dedicated to the memory of Prof. Alexandru Avram. This volume continues the tradition of bringing together leading scholars from across Europe and beyond, showcasing new research on the diverse cultures, interactions, and archaeological discoveries that shaped the Black Sea region in antiquity. Despite the challenging global context in which the Congress took place, it successfully facilitated scholarly exchange on topics ranging from Greek colonisation and local indigenous societies to trade networks, religious practices, and imperial influences from the Archaic to Late Antique periods. The volume comprises contributions from specialists in archaeology, history, and numismatics, as well as reports on new excavations and projects, reinforcing the Black Sea’s role as a crucial crossroads of civilisations. Maintaining the high standards set by previous congresses, this publication offers fresh perspectives and significant advances in Black Sea studies, ensuring its place as an essential resource for scholars of the ancient Mediterranean and Eurasian worlds.

"Editors' Preface

Message from the President of the Congress, Prof. Sir John Boardman

Appreciation of Gocha Tsetskhladze - James Hargrave

About Gocha - Manolis Manoledakis

Launch of the Festschrift, 26 September 2022 - John Boardman(), James Hargrave and Alexandru Avram

List of Illustrations

Session 1 Scythians, Taurians, Sarmatians, Dacians, Thracians, Colchians, the Local Populations of the Southern Black Sea, etc.

The Getae and Scythians at Callatis and in its territory, 4th-2nd centuries BC - Nicolaie Alexandru

The Sarmatian Cultural Phenomenon between Migration and 'Network Analysis': From M.I. Rostovtzeff to recent historical debates - Victor Cojocaru

Multiple Aiai in Colchis. On the creation and proliferation of mythical landscapesin the eastern Black Sea region - Altay Coskun

'Bird-bowls' as an Indication for the Foundation Date of Some of the Earliest Greek Settlements in the Black Sea Region and the Early Trade in This Region - Jan G. de Boer

The Bithynians and the Greek Poleis of the Asian Propontis in the Archaic and Classical Ages - Ferdinando Ferraioli

Rock Sanctuary at Komatinski Skali in the Region of Brestovo Village, South-Western Bulgaria - Anton Genov, Dimitriya Spasova and Anastas Ifandiev

Phrygians in the Black Sea? - Manolis Manoledakis

Rock Arches in Thracian Megalithic Sanctuaries on the Southern Black Sea Coast of Bulgaria - Vasil Markov

Why the Sea of Azov Was Called a 'lake' in Antiquity. The Problem of Estuary Lakes in the Pontus Euxinus - ?lexander V. Podossinov

The Sumela Monastery Near Trabzon, an Important Pre-Christian Cult Site - Alexandar Portalsky

Gold Clothing Decoration of the Sarmatians in the North Pontic Area - Evgenia Velychko

Session 2 Relations of Greece, Rome and Anatolia with the Local Peoples of the Black Sea: Cultural, Political, Commercial

Retracing Connections Through Artefacts: a Bone Plaque with an Image of a Naked Woman from Ancient Armazi - Eka Avaliani

The Presence of Tauric Chersonesus on the Western Coast of the Pontus Euxinus - Livia Buzoianu and Irina Sodoleanu

Archaeological Materials from the Early Byzantine Period in Pichvnari, South-west Georgia - Tamaz Darchidze

Literacy in Roman Iberia, South Caucasus - Irina Demetradze-Renz

Greek Colonisation of Colchis (Western Georgia): The Failure of an Hellenic Experiment - Tedo Dundua and Natia Phiphia

Initiatives edilitaires a Tyras aux premier-troisieme siecles ap. J.-C. La perspective epigraphique - Ana Honcu

Were Thracian and Pontic Slaves Traded in the East Mediterranean in the Archaic Period? - Liviu Mihail Iancu

An Alternative Route of the Silk Road Through Svaneti (West Georgia) to the Black Sea in the 6th Century AD - Besik Lortkipanidze, Nikoloz Murgulia, Davit Lomitashvili, Ian Colvin and Paul Everill

Postponing the End of the Lower Danube Limes - Andrei Opait

Some Remarks on the Financing of Agonistic Festivals in Tauric Chersonesus - Oksana A. Ruchynska

Thracophobia? Greek Representations of Ancient Thracians: a Modern Misjudgment - Alienor Rufin Solas

Coins and Trade in the Local Environment of the South-Western Istro-Pontic Territory. Some Remarks Regarding the Archaeology and Numismatics of the Hellenistic Period - Gabriel Mircea Talma?chi

Aspects of Monetary Circulation in the Province of Scythia in the 6th-7th Centuries AD. A Case Study: Tropaeum Traiani - Gabriel Mircea Talma?chi and Gabriel Custurea

Tyche-Fortuna. The Image of a City-State between Europa and Asia - Viktorya Vasilyan

Session 3 Macedonia and the Black Sea

From Athens to North Greece and the Black Sea: Red-figure Vases of the Group of the Vienna Lekanis - Nikos Akamatis

Mapping river gods. Highlighting the importance of rivers as gods, as seen through their representations in art during the Roman period in the regions of Macedonia and Thrace - Georgia Aristodemou

Macedonians and Scythians: a remarkable interaction through alliances and conflicts mirrored by the archaeological evidence - Francesca Fariello

Macedonia and Scythians in the second half of the 4th century BC - Luigi Gallo

Comparative research into the andrones from the Hellenistic houses of Macedonia and the Greek colonies of the northern Black Sea - Peli Plika

Session 4 New Excavations and Projects

Settlement pattern and exchange networks at the border of the territory of Apollonia Pontica: the fortified settlement of Malkoto Kale - Teodora Bogdanova, Alexandre Baralis, Maguelone Bastide, Dimitar Nedev, Nicolas Morand and Tsvetana Popova

Development of the city plan of ancient Sinope: infrastructure as ideology - Owen Doonan

Travelling in the Ionian and Dorian colonies of 'Thracia Pontica'. Results of the implementation of an innovative museological project - Maria Girtzi and Athanasia Bountidou

Early Roman amphorae from Tropaeum Traiani (Constan?a, Romania) - Bianca-Elena Grigora? and Adriana Panaite

The sacred sea spaces of Byzantium and the mythology about its origins - Vanya Lozanova-Stancheva

The temple(s) of Apollo in Sinope. A preliminary study - Eleni Mentesidou

The Early Roman burials from Histria - Liana O?a

An important bothros from Oluz Hoyuk: the oldest Zoroastrian ritual finds in Anatolia - Mona Saba

Strabo's 'Ancient Chersonesus': new discoveries (phrourion, acropolis, temple of the acropolis) - Angelina Zedgenidze

Session 5 Varia

Cases of 'premature colonisation' in Greek history of the 8th-5th centuries BC - M.A. Kolesnikov

Appendix 1: Programme. Seventh International Congress on Black Sea Antiquities

Appendix 2: Summaries of Papers. Seventh International Congress on Black Sea Antiquities

",

Editors’ Preface

Message from the President of the Congress, Prof. Sir John Boardman

Appreciation of Gocha Tsetskhladze – James Hargrave

About Gocha – Manolis Manoledakis

Launch of the Festschrift, 26 September 2022 – John Boardman(†), James Hargrave and Alexandru Avram

List of Illustrations

Session 1 Scythians, Taurians, Sarmatians, Dacians, Thracians, Colchians, the Local Populations of the Southern Black Sea, etc.

The Getae and Scythians at Callatis and in its territory, 4th–2nd centuries BC – Nicolaie Alexandru

The Sarmatian Cultural Phenomenon between Migration and ‘Network Analysis’: From M.I. Rostovtzeff to recent historical debates – Victor Cojocaru

Multiple Aiai in Colchis. On the creation and proliferation of mythical landscapesin the eastern Black Sea region – Altay Coşkun

‘Bird-bowls’ as an Indication for the Foundation Date of Some of the Earliest Greek Settlements in the Black Sea Region and the Early Trade in This Region – Jan G. de Boer

The Bithynians and the Greek Poleis of the Asian Propontis in the Archaic and Classical Ages – Ferdinando Ferraioli

Rock Sanctuary at Komatinski Skali in the Region of Brestovo Village, South-Western Bulgaria – Anton Genov, Dimitriya Spasova and Anastas Ifandiev

Phrygians in the Black Sea? – Manolis Manoledakis

Rock Arches in Thracian Megalithic Sanctuaries on the Southern Black Sea Coast of Bulgaria – Vasil Markov

Why the Sea of Azov Was Called a ‘lake’ in Antiquity. The Problem of Estuary Lakes in the Pontus Euxinus – Аlexander V. Podossinov

The Sumela Monastery Near Trabzon, an Important Pre-Christian Cult Site – Alexandar Portalsky

Gold Clothing Decoration of the Sarmatians in the North Pontic Area – Evgenia Velychko

Session 2 Relations of Greece, Rome and Anatolia with the Local Peoples of the Black Sea: Cultural, Political, Commercial

Retracing Connections Through Artefacts: a Bone Plaque with an Image of a Naked Woman from Ancient Armazi – Eka Avaliani

The Presence of Tauric Chersonesus on the Western Coast of the Pontus Euxinus – Livia Buzoianu and Irina Sodoleanu

Archaeological Materials from the Early Byzantine Period in Pichvnari, South-west Georgia – Tamaz Darchidze

Literacy in Roman Iberia, South Caucasus – Irina Demetradze-Renz

Greek Colonisation of Colchis (Western Georgia): The Failure of an Hellenic Experiment – Tedo Dundua and Natia Phiphia

Initiatives édilitaires à Tyras aux premier–troisième siècles ap. J.-C. La perspective épigraphique – Ana Honcu

Were Thracian and Pontic Slaves Traded in the East Mediterranean in the Archaic Period? – Liviu Mihail Iancu

An Alternative Route of the Silk Road Through Svaneti (West Georgia) to the Black Sea in the 6th Century AD – Besik Lortkipanidze, Nikoloz Murgulia, Davit Lomitashvili, Ian Colvin and Paul Everill

Postponing the End of the Lower Danube Limes – Andrei Opaiţ

Some Remarks on the Financing of Agonistic Festivals in Tauric Chersonesus – Oksana A. Ruchynska

Thracophobia? Greek Representations of Ancient Thracians: a Modern Misjudgment – Aliénor Rufin Solas

Coins and Trade in the Local Environment of the South-Western Istro-Pontic Territory. Some Remarks Regarding the Archaeology and Numismatics of the Hellenistic Period – Gabriel Mircea Talmațchi

Aspects of Monetary Circulation in the Province of Scythia in the 6th–7th Centuries AD. A Case Study: Tropaeum Traiani – Gabriel Mircea Talmațchi and Gabriel Custurea

Tyche-Fortuna. The Image of a City-State between Europa and Asia – Viktorya Vasilyan

Session 3 Macedonia and the Black Sea

From Athens to North Greece and the Black Sea: Red-figure Vases of the Group of the Vienna Lekanis – Nikos Akamatis

Mapping river gods. Highlighting the importance of rivers as gods, as seen through their representations in art during the Roman period in the regions of Macedonia and Thrace – Georgia Aristodemou

Macedonians and Scythians: a remarkable interaction through alliances and conflicts mirrored by the archaeological evidence – Francesca Fariello

Macedonia and Scythians in the second half of the 4th century BC – Luigi Gallo

Comparative research into the andrones from the Hellenistic houses of Macedonia and the Greek colonies of the northern Black Sea – Peli Plika

Session 4 New Excavations and Projects

Settlement pattern and exchange networks at the border of the territory of Apollonia Pontica: the fortified settlement of Malkoto Kale – Teodora Bogdanova, Alexandre Baralis, Maguelone Bastide, Dimitar Nedev, Nicolas Morand and Tsvetana Popova

Development of the city plan of ancient Sinope: infrastructure as ideology – Owen Doonan

Travelling in the Ionian and Dorian colonies of ‘Thracia Pontica’. Results of the implementation of an innovative museological project – Maria Girtzi and Athanasia Bountidou

Early Roman amphorae from Tropaeum Traiani (Constanța, Romania) – Bianca-Elena Grigoraș and Adriana Panaite

The sacred sea spaces of Byzantium and the mythology about its origins – Vanya Lozanova-Stancheva

The temple(s) of Apollo in Sinope. A preliminary study – Eleni Mentesidou

The Early Roman burials from Histria – Liana Oța

An important bothros from Oluz Höyük: the oldest Zoroastrian ritual finds in Anatolia – Mona Saba

Strabo’s ‘Ancient Chersonesus’: new discoveries (phrourion, acropolis, temple of the acropolis) – Angelina Zedgenidze

Session 5 Varia

Cases of ‘premature colonisation’ in Greek history of the 8th–5th centuries BC – M.A. Kolesnikov

Appendix 1: Programme. Seventh International Congress on Black Sea Antiquities

Appendix 2: Summaries of Papers. Seventh International Congress on Black Sea Antiquities 

• Edited by Gocha R. Tsetskhladze
• Edited by James Hargrave
• Edited by Manolis Manoledakis