THE COMPLEX OF FINDS FROM THE EXCAVATIONS IN TYRAS IN 1978. CHERNYAKHIV PERIOD OF THE ANCIENT CITY

Abstract

Studies of ancient Tyras (North-Western Pontic region) have shown that the late Roman period of the city was associated with the population of the Chernyakhiv culture, a significant part of which were Germanic Goths. But the importance of this population in the city’s history has not been studied sufficiently, so new publications of finds should be of great interest. During the excavation in 1978 three vessels were discovered which were located probably in a small light building. These are a gray-clay wheel-made mug and also a handmade jug and bowl. The mug is a typical product of Chernyakhiv culture, and the jug is a primitive imitation of Roman forms. As for the bowl, it is difficult to find analogies for it. This assemblage belongs to the latest layer of ancient Tyras which can be framed by the second half of the 3rd — early 5th century AD. Several other objects belong to the same period, as well as some Chernyakhiv finds from the cultural layer. These are fibulae (early items of them are dated to the middle — late 3rd century), axe-shaped pendants, combs made of deer horn. The types of amphorae of the late Roman period, known in Tyras, are also common on the Chernyakhiv settlements. Table and kitchen gray vessels clearly represent the types of dishes common throughout the territory of the Chernyakhiv culture. Occasionally there are fragments of vessels typical for the Wielbark (Gothic) culture. In the cultural layers of the Roman Tyras also the earlier group of gray-clay tableware presents, which is typologically different from the Chernyakhiv ware. Local workshops produced it (as well as red-clay products) until the mid-3rd century AD, when the activity of Greco-Roman craftsmen ceased. Later the new inhabitants of Tyras brought their own pottery. An important difference between the production technology of Greco-Roman and Chernyakhiv potters was the use of a fast potter’s wheel in the first case, and a slow wheel in the second one. The barbaric slow wheel has not been compared favorably with a fast one but the Chernihiv’s people have not the fast wheel. We propose an approximate reconstruction of the history of Tyras in the late Roman period. The military victories of the barbarians (the Gothic Wars of 238—270) caused the evacuation (between 248 and 253) of the Roman garrison and, probably, the inhabitants of the city. The period of the history of Tyras as an ancient city was over, however the merchant ships came to its port even during wars. To continue mutually beneficial trade (from the mid-3rd century and especially in the second half of the 4th century, when the peak of imports is observed) there was a fairly small number of «Chernyakhiv residents» in the destroyed city. Their activity might have been seasonal and limited to a few months of navigation per year. They handled the ships and transferred the goods to «their» merchants for resale in the depths of Chernyakhiv territory. These people built new houses among the ruins but their standard of living did not reach the level of Chernyakhiv rural settlements. Judging by the finds, they had a small number of wheel-made ceramics and replaced the shortage of ware by primitive handmade products. Summarizing the available materials, we can conclude the following. The last phase of ancient Tyras, known as the «post-Gothic» period, should be more reasonably called the «Chernyakhiv period». In the mid-3rd century Tyras lost the signs of a city, and till the early 5th century became a Chernyakhiv trade settlement.