Chrysomallos
Chrysomallos
Polish Archaeologists in the Black Sea Region. Światowit Supplement Series C: Pontica et Caucasica. Volume IV
Contributor(s): Marcin Matera (Editor), Radosław Karasiewicz-Szczypiorski (Editor)
Subject(s): History, Archaeology
Published by: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
Keywords: Causasus; Scythia; Tanais; Mithraeum at Tyras; Borysthenes; Tropaeum Traiani; Georgia; Olbia; Sarmatia; Adjaria; Apsaros
Summary/Abstract: The fourth volume of the C series supplements to the Światowit yearly entitled: Pontica et Caucasica contains 15 articles divided into two sections: Causasus and Scythia et Sarmatia. The first section, Caucasus, discusses, among other things, discoveries of early metallurgy in Adjaria, as well as olive lamps and amphorae from the Roman fort of Apsaros. Two articles are devoted to the ancient city of Zalissa, identified with the modern village of Dzalisi in central Georgia. Another text discusses the role of the fortress at Petra (on the coast of Lazica) during the Persian campaign of Justinian I the Great. In the section on discoveries from areas belonging to ancient Scythia and Sarmatia, as many as three articles deal with different research projects concerning ceramics, from the Archaic to the Migration Period. There is also a presentation of the results of the latest research on the alleged Mithraeum at Tyras. Further texts discuss the epigraphic map of Tropaeum Traiani and the fortifications of Tanais in the light of geophysical research. The entire collection closes with a paper devoted to the presence of the ancient cities of Olbia and Borysthenes in Old Polish literature. It is worth noting the participation of scientists of the younger generation in the research conducted. This fact is a guarantee that Pontic archaeology will develop and the editorial team led by Marcin Matera and Radosław Karasiewicz-Szczypiorski will be able to work on further volumes presenting new archaeological discoveries from the Black Sea region.
Series: Pontica et Caucasica
- E-ISBN-13: 978-83-66210-36-3
- Print-ISBN-13: 978-83-66210-35-6
- Page Count: 237
- Publication Year: 2024
- Language: English
The Crucial Episode of Lazic War (541–562) – Petra’s Third Besiegement and Its Fall
The Crucial Episode of Lazic War (541–562) – Petra’s Third Besiegement and Its Fall
(The Crucial Episode of Lazic War (541–562) – Petra’s Third Besiegement and Its Fall)
- Author(s):Tamaz Darchidze
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Archaeology
- Page Range:17-33
- No. of Pages:17
- Keywords:Late Antiquity; Byzantium; Sassanian Empire; Lazic War; Southwestern Georgia; Tsikhisdziri; Petra
- Summary/Abstract:In the present article we discuss one of the key and final episodes of the military confrontation between the Byzantine Empire and Sassanid Iran which took place in the Lazica Kingdom, in particular, liberation in 551 by the Byzantines of the last foothold – the Petra fortress. This is examined on the basis of analysis of material obtained as a result of archaeological excavations in Petra-Tsikhisdziri (south western Georgia) carried out at different times and mostly in 2016–2020. Recent archaeological discoveries have produced more knowledge about the besiegement of Petra. This includes information on who was defending the fortress, what the garrison looked like, how it was equipped and supplied, how the siege was developed and finalized, etc. The significance of the findings and their consideration together with the written sources are very important to finally identify the city-fortress Petra, reinforced by the Byzantines, with modern Tsikhisdziri – an issue which is still debatable among the scholars.
A Boundary Stone Discovered in the Sevan Lake Basin
A Boundary Stone Discovered in the Sevan Lake Basin
(A Boundary Stone Discovered in the Sevan Lake Basin)
- Author(s):Krzysztof Jakubiak, Ashot Piliposyan
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Archaeology
- Page Range:35-37
- No. of Pages:3
- Keywords:Armenia; Aramaic inscriptions; boundary stones; Orontid dynasty; land distribution
- Summary/Abstract:The text below is a small contribution to the corpus of the Aramaic inscriptions discovered in Armenia. The inscription was engraved on a so-called boundary stone discovered near the shores of Lake Sevan. The discovery belongs to the group of similar inscriptions recorded in this region and doubtlessly is a reflection of the distribution and spatial organization of arable land and defining of the borders between the land owners.
The So-Called “Sunburst Lamps” Found in Apsaros
The So-Called “Sunburst Lamps” Found in Apsaros
(The So-Called “Sunburst Lamps” Found in Apsaros)
- Author(s):Maria Jaworska
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Archaeology
- Page Range:39-47
- No. of Pages:9
- Keywords:Black Sea; Apsaros; oil lamps; Roman lamps; sunburst lamps; ribbed lamps
- Summary/Abstract:This article focuses on the analysis of two fragments of clay oil lamps discovered during Polish-Georgian excavations carried out in the Roman fort of Apsaros (modern Gonio, Georgia). These fragments deserve special attention as they lead to considerations about the history of the last phase of the Roman fort’s operation - before its destruction in the middle of the 3rd century CE. They differ significantly from the rest of the group of lamps and fragments discovered at the site both in terms of typology and morphology.
Ancient Metal Production Site in the Chorokhi Basin in the Vicinity of the Apsaros Fortress
Ancient Metal Production Site in the Chorokhi Basin in the Vicinity of the Apsaros Fortress
(Ancient Metal Production Site in the Chorokhi Basin in the Vicinity of the Apsaros Fortress)
- Author(s):Nana Khakhutaishvili, Shota Mamuladze
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Archaeology
- Page Range:49-68
- No. of Pages:20
- Keywords:Colchis; Chorokhi iron; slag; smelting
- Summary/Abstract:In this work we tried to show the material connected to the ancient iron metallurgy which was revealed and studied on the territory of historic Colchis, in the vicinity of Gonio-Apsaros site in the Chorokhi gorge. Studies on the ancient centre of iron metallurgy in the Chorokhi basin began as early as 1960s. On the left bank of the river Chorokhi, in the territory of Charnali and Gonio farms, several iron-smelting workshops sector were revealed which were conventionally labelled “Charnali I”, “Charnali II” and “Charnali III”. Simultaneously, the archaeological excavations began at Gonio-Apsaros site on the new Black Sea terrace, on the territory of a dune settlement. In 2001–2002 on the archaeological study of the iron production centres in the Chorokhi gorge was renewed. The excavations have revealed an iron-smelting workshop conventionally named as “Avgia I” with two furnaces (“Avgia I-1” and “Avgia І-2”). One kilometre away from this site, in 2002 – another two iron smelting workshops were studied “Khopcho I” with two furnaces (“Khopcho I-1”, “Khopcho I-2”) and “Khopcho II” (furnace “Khopcho II”). All components necessary for metallurgical production are present in this region: at a distance of some kilometres from the centre of this manufacturing area are copious deposits of magnetitic sands on the Eastern Black Sea littoral, the local forest massifs provided for the production of any kind of charcoal required for bloomery furnaces and in the same region there are abundant deposits of refractory clay. This area thus offered all the conditions for starting large scale metallurgical production.
Transport Containers from the Apsaros Fortress (Modern Gonio), Georgia (1st–7th century AD)
Transport Containers from the Apsaros Fortress (Modern Gonio), Georgia (1st–7th century AD)
(Transport Containers from the Apsaros Fortress (Modern Gonio), Georgia (1st–7th century AD))
- Author(s):Paulina Komar, Andria Rogava, Tatuli Motskobili
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Archaeology
- Page Range:71-90
- No. of Pages:20
- Keywords:amphorae; production; transport; imports; Gonio; Apsaros; Colchis; Black Sea region; Roman period; Byzantine period
- Summary/Abstract:This overview of transport containers from the Roman fort of Apsaros (modern Gonio) in Georgia, excavated by a Polish–Georgian expedition since 2014, presents the most common forms and fabrics based on a database that includes 1243 diagnostic fragments from both the Roman and Byzantine periods. These preliminary results (the excavations are still ongoing) show that the supply of amphora-born commodities came predominantly from the eastern and southern Black Sea region, making it thus a local or regional network. Interestingly, in the 1st–3rd centuries AD, Aegean imports, probably in the form of better quality wine and olive oil for the camp command elite, were much more popular than those from the northern Black Sea region, the latter occurring only sporadically. Moreover, the West Pontic area apparently played no part in supplying Apsaros because containers produced in the territories of modern Bulgaria or Romania have not been identified so far in any of the assemblages from the site. The pattern of supply did not change considerably from the Roman to the Byzantine period, but regionalization evidently increased as indicated by the statistically insignificant number of imports from outside the Black Sea region during Late Antiquity.
Architecture of the Residential Complex in Dzalisi (Georgia)
Architecture of the Residential Complex in Dzalisi (Georgia)
(Architecture of the Residential Complex in Dzalisi (Georgia))
- Author(s):Natalia Alexandria Lockley
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Archaeology
- Page Range:93-104
- No. of Pages:12
- Keywords:architecture; Dzalisi; Iberia Kingdom; Georgia
- Summary/Abstract:During excavations carried out by the Georgian Archaeological Mission of the Archaeological Research Centre of the Academy of Sciences of Georgia in the village of Dzalisi (Georgia) in the 1970s, the remains of a residential complex were uncovered. Georgian archaeologists, expected to discover the archaeological remains of ancient Zalissa, which was mentioned along with other urban centres of Caucasian Iberia by the Alexandrian scholar Claudius Ptolemy, who lived in the 2nd century AD (Ptol., Geog. 5.10.3). Over several seasons of research, impressive architectural remains were uncovered along with richly decorated mosaics. The site was interpreted by Georgian researchers as a palace. This article discusses the residential complex discovered at Dzalisi in the context of the cultural accounts and connections of the Iberian elite with Roman culture and its complex cultural connotations, taking into account the transformations occurring in successive construction phases. A better understanding of the architecture of this intriguing and highly complex site, as well as its infrastructure and artistic programme, may bring us closer to answering the question of the cultural identity of its builders and subsequent generations of users in the context of the dynamically changing geopolitical situation in Iberia and the South Caucasus as a whole during the 2nd–4th centuries AD.
From the Pontic Area and Caucasus to the Nile Valley
From the Pontic Area and Caucasus to the Nile Valley
(From the Pontic Area and Caucasus to the Nile Valley)
- Author(s):Adam Łukaszewicz
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Archaeology
- Page Range:107-114
- No. of Pages:8
- Keywords:Egypt; Tomb of Ramesses VI; visitors; Greek graffiti; Pontus; Caucasus
- Summary/Abstract:This paper concerns written evidence of visits to Egypt of inhabitants of the Pontic area in wall inscriptions found in the tomb of the pharaoh Ramesses VI in the Theban Valley of the Kings. These graffiti belong to the Hellenistic and Roman period and are written in Greek, the international language of the time.
The Ancient City of Zalissa (1st–4th Centuries)
The Ancient City of Zalissa (1st–4th Centuries)
(The Ancient City of Zalissa (1st–4th Centuries))
- Author(s):Davit Sulkhanishvili, Koba Koberidze, Nikoloz Chaduneli
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Archaeology
- Page Range:117-125
- No. of Pages:9
- Keywords:Iberia; Kartli; Rome; Iran; Christianisation; Dzalisi; Zalissa; Harmastica/Harmozika
- Summary/Abstract:A complex of opulent late classical period archaeological remains was excavated in the early 1970s in the vicinity of the modern village Dzalisi (East Georgia). This can be interpreted as the remains of the site of ancient Zalissa one of the important political-administrative centres of the Kingdom of Iberia mentioned by Claudius Ptolemy in his Geography. From 1st century AD beginnings, this site reached the highest level of development in the 2nd–3rd centuries before ending its life in the 4th century. This paper explores some issues concerning how the functioning of the site was affected by changing political alignments between the empires of classical civilization and the Iranian sphere. It seems that the ancient city was affected by the social and political events that developed after declaring Christianity as the state religion in the Kingdom of Kartli (Iberia). It is argued that this led to internal conflict, and that this was the cause of the destruction of the Zalissa and Harmastica/Harmozika complexes in the middle of the 4th century AD.
Pottery from the Cherniakhiv Culture Site of Voitenki and Other Sites in the Surrounding Region (Ukraine)
Pottery from the Cherniakhiv Culture Site of Voitenki and Other Sites in the Surrounding Region (Ukraine)
(Pottery from the Cherniakhiv Culture Site of Voitenki and Other Sites in the Surrounding Region (Ukraine))
- Author(s):Małgorzata Daszkiewicz, Erdmute Schultze
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Archaeology
- Page Range:129-142
- No. of Pages:14
- Keywords:Cherniakhiv culture; pottery; archaeoceramology; MGR-groups; chemical analysis; thin-section studies; K-H analysis
- Summary/Abstract:Pottery from the Cherniakhiv culture site of Voitenki and ten other sites in the surrounding region was the subject of laboratory analysis. This work was done to test the hypothesis that ceramic vessels were made in Voitenki and from there distributed to neighbouring settlements. In addition, pottery fragments recovered respectively from the settlement and cemetery at Voitenki were compared to assess whether the suite of ceramic vessels found in graves was made from different raw materials and based on a different technology to the pottery produced for use at settlements. The following analyses were performed: MGR-analysis, chemical analysis by WD-XRF, and thin-section studies. The physical ceramic properties and functional properties of the pottery were also determined and an estimation was made of forming technique and original firing temperature using K-H analysis. In addition to potsherds, samples of local clay raw materials were also analysed.
The Ethnic Identity of Handmade Pottery from Sites Located on the Northern Shores of the Black Sea
The Ethnic Identity of Handmade Pottery from Sites Located on the Northern Shores of the Black Sea
(The Ethnic Identity of Handmade Pottery from Sites Located on the Northern Shores of the Black Sea)
- Author(s):Aleksandra Deptuła
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Archaeology
- Page Range:145-147
- No. of Pages:3
- Keywords:handmade pottery; northern Black Sea littoral; ethnic attribution
- Summary/Abstract:Handmade ceramics are among the most numerous mass categories originating from the excavation of ancient sites on the northern shores of the Black Sea. One of the issues involved in the study of this group is the question of establishing the ethnic and cultural identity of the producers and users of these vessels. Technological aspects as well as the absence of any standardization of handmade ceramics are considered as possible indicators of the ethnicity of its producers and the issue, in terms of who made these particular vessels, has been hotly debated since the 1960s. The possibility of production by Greek craftsmen has been indicated as a possibility in the case of the early handmade ceramics from sites in the northern Black Sea littoral.
The Assemblage of Archaic Handmade Pottery from V.V. Lapin’s Excavations at Borysthenes
The Assemblage of Archaic Handmade Pottery from V.V. Lapin’s Excavations at Borysthenes
(The Assemblage of Archaic Handmade Pottery from V.V. Lapin’s Excavations at Borysthenes)
- Author(s):Nadiya O. Gavrylyuk
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Archaeology
- Page Range:149-168
- No. of Pages:20
- Keywords:Borysthenes; V.V. Lapin; handmade pottery; quantitative and qualitative methods; chronology of painted ceramics; Greek group; Thracian group; local group; forest-steppe group; Kizil-Kobyn group
- Summary/Abstract:This paper considers a collection of ceramics that has not been published before, from the 1960–1980 excavations by V.V. Lapin at Borysthenes (Berezan’). The material presented here came from the fills of 46 semi-dugouts and 97 household pits of the archaic period from the “Osnovnoi” excavation on the site. Six groups of handmade pottery (“Greek”; “Thracian”; “local”; “forest-steppe” “Kizil-Kobyn” and “Colchian”) were distinguished in the ceramic assemblage of the archaic period of Borysthenes on the basis of their differing origin and contemporary analogies. The development of these groups can be examined in the framework of the three main phases identified on the basis of changes in their composition. The chronology of these phases can be determined, among other things, with reference to the chronology of the painted ceramics determined for the site by A.V. Bujskikh. The first phase dates to the second half of the 7th – the beginning of the 6th century BC; the second – first half of the 6th century BC; the third – the second half of the 6th – the first half of the 5th century BC. Some features of the development of the fine ware, table-ware, kitchen and household pottery were traced on the basis of quantitative and qualitative methods. Of note is the occurrence of the group of “Greek” handmade pottery and its changes in these phases. This group became predominant in the third phase. A number of quantitative and qualitative changes in the composition of the “non-Greek” group of handmade pottery are also identified. These lead to the conclusion that the population of archaic Borysthenes was polyethnic.
Epigraphic Map of Tropaeum Traiani During the Principate
Epigraphic Map of Tropaeum Traiani During the Principate
(Epigraphic Map of Tropaeum Traiani During the Principate)
- Author(s):Adrianna Gizińska
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Archaeology
- Page Range:171-188
- No. of Pages:18
- Keywords:Lower Moesia; Tropaeum Traiani; epigraphic evidence; Principate
- Summary/Abstract:The Roman urban-religious complex Tropaeum Traiani in Lower Moesia province (present day-village of Adamclisi in Romania) has been studied since the end of the 19th century. Despite long-term research, only the Late Antique town has been recognized well, but finds, mainly epigraphic monuments, indicate the existence of the town in the Principate. Seventy-nine epigraphic texts dated to the first three centuries AD from Tropaeum Traiani and its rural territory indicate the existence of a town as early as in the first half of the 2nd century AD. Mapping of these epigraphic finds may be helpful in recreating not only the character of the settlements in the rural territory but also can add some interesting observations on the possible topography of the town in the Principate. The paper presents the current state of research and compares it with the results of mapping the epigraphic finds. Furthermore, epigraphic sources have been compared with concepts of the town’s origin and the topography of the site.
Building with an Apse Outside the Walls of the Citadel at Tyras
Building with an Apse Outside the Walls of the Citadel at Tyras
(Building with an Apse Outside the Walls of the Citadel at Tyras)
- Author(s):Radosław Karasiewicz-Szczypiorski, Krzysztof Misiewicz, Oleg Saveliev
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Archaeology
- Page Range:191-196
- No. of Pages:6
- Keywords:Roman Army; Mithras; Mithraeum; Dolichenum; Tyras
- Summary/Abstract:In the immediate vicinity of the citadel in Tyras (Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi, Ukraine), a Ukrainian-Romanian expedition discovered part of a mysterious building with an apse in the 1990s. Although the structure was located outsidethe defensive walls, in light of the current state of research, it was interpreted as a Christian basilica, headquarters building (principia) or bathhouse (balneum). Dating the accompanying layers to the 2nd–3rd century may indicate a connection to the Roman garrison stationed in the citadel during this period. The location of the extra muros, as well as the plan and size of the structure, prompts a search for analogies among temples where Roman soldiers participated in private worship outside garrisons. Therefore, it was assumed that the building with the apse served as a Mithraeum or Dolichenum. The impossibility of carrying out the excavation verification prompted the authors of this study to conduct geophysical surveys. The obtained results confirmed that the size and proportions of the building with the apse are very similar to such structures as e.g., the temple of Jupiter Dolichenus, founded by Roman soldiers near the fort in Balaklava.
The Fortifications of Western Tanais in the Light of Archaeology and Geophysics
The Fortifications of Western Tanais in the Light of Archaeology and Geophysics
(The Fortifications of Western Tanais in the Light of Archaeology and Geophysics)
- Author(s):Krzysztof Misiewicz, Marcin Matera
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Archaeology
- Page Range:199-219
- No. of Pages:21
- Keywords:Tanais; geophysical survey; electrical resistivity measurements; fortifications
- Summary/Abstract:Geophysical surveys in the western part of ancient Tanais covered in 2018 an area was south of Trench XXV in its immediate vicinity and in 2019 north of the excavation, in place of the presumed northwestern corner of the fortifications in the western part of the town. The results complement the picture of the defences formed on the base of the remains discovered in the Trench XXV, contributing significantly to the overall view of fortifications in western Tanais and revising some earlier assumptions, among others, the depth of the defensive ditch, which turned out to be much deeper than previously thought. Electrical resistivity measurements also revealed the presence of a corner tower at the junction of two curtain walls.
A Olbia and Borysthenes in Old Polish Literature
A Olbia and Borysthenes in Old Polish Literature
(A Olbia and Borysthenes in Old Polish Literature)
- Author(s):Alfred Twardecki
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Archaeology
- Page Range:221-237
- No. of Pages:17
- Keywords:Olbia Pontica; Black Sea; antiquity; Jagiellonian; Old Polish literature; Sigismund II Augustus; Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth; Ochakiv; Berezan; Borysthenes; Hypanis; Dnipro; Southern Buh; Ukraine
- Summary/Abstract:The author presents in the paper the result of his research on the presence of the memory of Olbia as an ancient Greek colony in the literature and history of the Jagiellonian state of Poland and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The paper is a preliminary report rather, because the results of the literature search, which was originally intended to illustrate the state of knowledge about the history of research on today’s archaeological site, exceeded all the expectations of the author. The role of Olbia, also allegorical or purely rhetorical, both in the culture and politics of the Polish-Lithuanian state in the 15th–17th centuries turned out to be much greater than one could have expected. This is due to the broader manner of that epoch (Renaissance and Baroque), the use of ancient scenography and ancient references when describing contemporary events. For this reason, the article only signals this issue by illustrating it with selected examples. The presentation of all the sources identified by the author will require a more extensive publication. The most important types of references to ancient Olbia/Borysthenes indicated in the article are the use of ancient names – city, river, inhabitants – when describing the struggle with the Turks, Tatars, and Muscovites. Also, the geographical orientation on the northsouth axis according to the ancient image of these territories and not their actual location relative to the centre of the state. A very important discovery is the oldest, according to the author’s knowledge, description of the territories around Olbia found in the diplomatic document of the chancellery of King Sigismund II Augustus (1542). We will find there unique and extremely important information about the existence of a crossing near ancient Olbia.
