The Lands of Aegean and the Black Sea - International Conference

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The Lands of Aegean and the Black Sea - International Conference
(Volos 21st to 23rd October, 2004)






The international conference entitled: "The Lands of Aegean and the Black Sea. From the Argonautic Expedition to the Black Sea Co-operation" has been organized at the "Gianis Kordatos" Amphitheater of the University of Thessaly from 21st to 23rd of October 2004 with initiative of the Municipality and the Center for Historical Research and Documentation of Volos, and the scientific support of the 13th Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities and the Department of History, Archaeology and Social Anthropology of the university.

The purpose of the meeting was the scientific documentation of the relations through the ages of the inhabitants of the Aegean region with the lands surrounding the Black Sea. Discussions topics included: institutions, economic relations, social organization, acculturation and cultural identity, relations with the co-habitant populations and the local political authorities, and relations with the rest of the Hellenic world.

The first day was dedicated to the relationships between the Aegean and the Black Sea region in the antiquity and particularly to the quest of the time of the immigration of inhabitants of the Aegean in the region mentioned above and the historical background of the myth based on the recent archaeological finds, the situation of the Greek trade posts (Emporeia) and the "colonies" as well as their relationships (trade, political and social institutions, cults) with Athens and the Aegean region during the Archaic Classical and Hellenistic time and finally the production and diffusion of the Greek pottery in the Black Sea region.

Regarding the relationships between the two regions during the Prehistoric time Christos Doumas professor emeritus of the University of Athens maintained that these contacts should be sought in the Early Bronze Age or probably earlier in the 4.000 B.C. based in very interesting archaeological facts like the shell spondylus gaederopus, the metal exploitation and the introduction and the cultivation of the vineyard and the pomegranate from the Black Sea region.

Dr. Vassiliki Adrymi, the Director of the 13th Ephorate of Prehistoric& Classical Antiquities of Volos set to the foreground the current issue of one hypothetical immigration of the Mycenaeans in the Black Sea region during the late Bronze Age approaching the finds which show metal exploitation in the Mycenaean Iolkos and posing the question of the search of raw materials-mainly gold- at the region of Colchis. The historical background of the Argonautic expedition has been drawn once again to the attention of the participants. They have unanimously supported, that the time of the mythical narration, which is mainly a literary product, should not be confused with the time of the historical events, despite some traces of presence of the Mycenaeans in the Black Sea region in the Late Bronze Age and a commercial activity, in spite of the settlements absence, are observed.

The paper of Professor Revaz Papuashvili and Dr. Vakhtang Licheli of the Center for Archaeological Studies, Georgian Academy of Sciences concerned the influence of the Greeks in the Colchis area before the main colonization. They have studied burial groups from the colchic cemeteries from 2.000 to 8th century B.C.which show that a part of the local pottery production was apparently influenced from Aegean patterns.

Regarding the additional examination of the Greek settlements in the Black Sea region during the historical time some basic motives were suggested concerning their foundation in the archaic time. Dr. Alan Greaves of the University of Liverpool even he mentioned that the trade was the main reason for the massive colonization, however, he stressed particularly that demographical reasons as well as the lack of land and the shortage of food let them to the search of a new homeland. The role of the religion and particularly of the oracles was also mentioned concerning the movement of the population and the distribution of the "colonies".

The date of the foundation of most of the colonies was placed from 7th to 6th century B.C. Basic changes of their cultural identity during the centuries were also examined. Prof. Dr. G. Tsetskhladze of the University of Melbourne detected the basic street planning and architectural changes which occurred in the Greek colonies of the Black Sea region from the end of the 6th to begin of the 5th century B.C. as well as the adoption of futures of the Greek city like the agora, the temenos and the fortifications. The above mentioned changes were historical connected with the coming of the Athenians in the region in 480/70 B.C.

Prof Jan Bouzek, Charles University Praga and Dr. L. Domaradzka, Archaeological Institute of the Bulgarian Academy of Science in their paper concerned the trade post Pistiros on the river Hebros which was the main station of the diffusion of Thasian products in the Black Sea region have illustrated the trade of products and mainly wine among settlements, which were on the crossroads of trade routes between Aegean and Black Sea during the Classical time.

Prof. Michael Vickers, University of Oxford and Dr. Eminar Kakhidze, Director of Archaeological Museum of Batumi have presented the rich finds of the 5th and the 4th century B.C. from the cemeteries of a Greek colony of Pichvnari in the Colchis region. The coexistence of local colchian and Greek ceramic from the middle of the 5th century was very interesting.

The diffusion of the Greek pottery in the region during the Classical and Hellenistic time was discussed also intensively in this meeting. Dr. Dimitris Paleothodoros, University of Thessaly has presented the diffusion of the Attic red figured pottery in the Black Sea region through rich examples of attic vases which illustrate the effort of the Athenian painters to penetrate in the local markets using themes favourite in Attica.

Dr. Catherine Morgan, Head of the Department of Classic's King's College London worked on the search in the introduction of the attic pottery in the 6th and the 5th century B.C. particularly in the Taman peninsula in South Russia mentioning that around 480 B.C. the apex of ceramic imports is observed. On the other hand analyses of the local clay have shown that it was not suitable for the production of black figured vases.

In the last paper on this topic Dr. Mikhail Treister, Freie Universitat Berlin has presented some examples of a specific group of bronze vases of 4th century which were found in the North Pontic area.

Concerning further the Greek influence in the region Dr. Iphigeneia Leventi, lecturer of the University of Thessaly presented an Eleusinian relief from Pantikapaion (Kerch), which proves the introduction and the integration of the worship of the Greek gods at the region not only by the Greek colonists but also by the native aristocracy.

Dr. Yvon Garlan, professor emeritus, University of Rennes presented a group of Greek amphoras for the transport of wine and garum (fish sauce) and their trade in the Aegean and Black Sea region and their presence in the Greek settlements there.

Finally Dr. Argyroula Intzesiloglou, Director of the Archaeological Institute for Thessalian Studies presented the very important and everlasting trade of wine of Peparethos (Scopelos) and Ikos to the Black Sea region. She stressed once again the social and political influence of Athens in the 4th century B.C. to the production of the local workshops of the two islands with help of the temporary archaeological finds and of the ancient Greek literary sources.


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