North Black Sea Research Articles

Crimea and the North Black Sea Region in the Context of Russia's National Interests

Crimea and the North Black Sea Region in the Context of Russia's National Interests

Reconstructing Some Elements of Adornment Spread in the North Black Sea Region During the Scythian Era

Reconstructing Some Elements of Adornment Spread in the North Black Sea Region During the Scythian Era

Номенклатура металлов и сплавов из сарматских могильников Нижнего Поволжья II в. до н.э. – первой половины II в. н.э. по данным РФА

The work presents the results of an analysis of the chemical composition of 82 objects from non-ferrous and precious metals dating from the 4th century BC – the first half of the 2nd century AD and originating from the excavation of funeral monuments located in the Lower Volga region. Basically, the analysis of the chemical composition of non-ferrous metal was carried out for objects characteristic of the ordinary population of the region: mirrors, jewelry, clothing or household items, and details of horse harnesses; importantly, sampling was random. The data obtained by the XRF method are very interesting and demonstrate a change in the nomenclature of leading alloys. So, for the period of the 2nd century BC – the border of eras, there is a significant number of objects from tin as well as from tin-lead bronze, with a slight presence of products from a multicomponent alloy, an alloy with arsenic. For the period of the 1st – the first half of the 2nd century AD, there is a significant change in the leading types of alloys: zinc-containing alloys such as two- and three-component brass dominate the sample; also significantly increased the share of triple bronze, highly alloyed with lead; there are also products made of copper and tin bronze. Silver products made of silver from different samples are present in all stages. Analysis of alloying components and impurities in the identified alloys made it possible to distinguish in the sample of the 2nd century BC –the border of eras, the influence of the North Caucasian center of non-ferrous metalworking; recorded changes in the nomenclature of alloys of the 1st – the first half of the 2nd century AD arose, most likely, under the influence of the North Black Sea center of non-ferrous metalworking. The presence of high-zinc brass objects in the sample during the period of the 1st – the first half of the 2nd century AD also does not exclude the receipt of this type of brass from the production center located in Central Asia, which is characterized by an extremely high zinc content in the alloy.

Scythian Jewelry Meshes and the Problem of Their Interpretation

This article explores the phenomenon of a specific type of personal adornment worn by members of the Scythian elite in the North Black Sea region in the second half of the 5th century and throughout the 4th century BCE. The discussion juxtaposes the records from 19th-century and early 20th-century excavations with contextual analyses of very recent discoveries from Ukraine, which shed significant new light on the appearance, production, and meaning of Scythian jewelry. The reconstruction of the shape of the jewelry type in question is greatly complicated by two factors: the lack of relevant depictions in the contemporary corpus of Scythian and Greco-Scythian figure scenes and misleading scholarly references to supposed analogies in a Roman-era mosaic, which became the chief reason for the misinterpretations of the ornament’s appearance. Composed of numerous gold or gilded silver tubes; beads; pendants; and, sometimes, “buttons,” this jewelry type is reconstructed in two gender-specific variants in this article: one mesh-like and the other with a cross-chest form. For over a hundred years, scholars have considered only the mesh variant to be the correct reconstruction. As a result, many costume reconstructions of this jewelry form in specialist research and museum displays alike are still proposed without a sufficient evidentiary base.

Looking at the Evidence of Local Jewelry Production in Scythia

This article considers finds from the Scythian monuments of the North Black Sea area that can be connected to local jewelry production from the 7th century to the end of the 4th century BCE. I wish to draw attention to the problem of prolonged bias in this area of study. The prominence of the famous masterpieces by West Asian artisans (Lyta Mohyla and Kelermes Kurgans) and of the Greco-Scythian goldwork from the North Pontic kurgans (Chortomlyk, Solokha, Tovsta Mohyla, etc.) invited the view that the vast majority of the gold objects that the Scythians used during their lifetime and later took into their graves were imported rather than locally produced. Instead of trying to consider all artifacts that could potentially be Scythian-made, my goal in this article is to review the direct archaeological evidence of local jewelry production in the form of punches, matrices, and recorded cases of workshops at Scythian settlements. Gathering this evidence, as I will argue, gives us compelling insight into the high level of Scythian goldsmithing from the beginning of Scythian culture in the 7th century BCE and its improvement and adaptation of new techniques in the 5th and 4th centuries BCE, probably in the context of intensified cultural exchanges between Scythians and Greeks.

Traditional Knowledge of Medicinal Plants in Relation to Local Customs and Practices of the North Black Sea Coast Population

Abstract This comprehensive ethnobotanical study was conducted along the North Black Sea coast area to find of the extent to which indigenous knowledge of medicinal plants and their relation to Bulgarian traditions and customs is preserved. We aim to identify the tendencies of passing this knowledge to future generations. The survey was conducted in 2015 in various urban and rural North Black Sea coast areas, using a face-to-face interviews technique. We used the Chi-square test to analyse the results. Pearson correlation coefficient was used for the assessment of the impact of demographics on respondents' answers. More than half of the respondents (61.08%) are not familiar with rituals and traditional practices related to medicinal plants. Moderate influence on respondents' answers is rendered by age only. For the local population of the North Black Sea coast, Enyovden turns out to be the most popular holiday related to medicinal plants. Enyovden is the herbalists' feast and is cited by 20% of respondents. The same percentage of interviewees mention Geranium spp. and Ocimum basilicum L. as the most favoured herbs related to local traditions and customs. Traditional knowledge of the relation between Bulgarian rituals and customs to medicinal plants and their magical powers is fading.

Двусторонние геммы-литики из погребения № 13 кургана № 1 могильника «Богомольные пески-I»

The article examines five double-sided glass gems found as elements of a bracelet on the left wrist of a child aged 2,5–3 years in the burial no. 13 of the kurgan no. 1 of the “Bogomol’nye peski-I” group near the village of Nikol’skoe, Enotaevskiy District, Astrakhan Region. The inventory of the burial gives grounds for its dating within a broad frame of the 1st – first half of the 2nd century AD. As in the Scythian burials of the Dnieper region, glass gems in the kurgan of the “Bogomol’nye peski-I” group were found in a child’s burial. They were considered by their owners as items of jewelry and amulets, and not as a means for imprinting images. It is worth noting that the images on the sides of the same gem are rarely semantically related to each other, but rather give the impression of a rather random choice of subjects. In many cases, the motives go back to gems of the late Classical and Hellenistic periods. Given the fact that the images on the glass gems were mechanically reproduced from intaglios, there is reason to suppose that these were works of glyptics from the late Hellenistic period, which could theoretically be used for making glass gems at a later period. The uniqueness of double-sided glass gems, on the one hand, and their distribution in the North Pontic region in the 6th–4th centuries BC, on the other hand, give grounds to suggest the possibility of the origin of finds originating from the Sarmatian burials of the Lower Volga region from the workshops of the North Black Sea region, possibly of the Bosporan Kingdom.

Древневенгерское погребение у с. Глиное на левобережье Нижнего Днестра

The article analyzes the early medieval grave Glinoe 13/2 investigated in 2008 on the left bank of the Lower Dniester. The burial was sunk into the Scythian barrow. The inventory included a knife, an earring, an awl and a fireflint. The sheep femur lay behind the skull of the buried. An analysis of the funerary rite and inventory made it possible to date the Glinoe 13/2 grave to the 9th—10th centuries. Radiocarbon dating of human and sheep bones made it possible to specify the time of the internment until the end of the 9th — the first half of the 10th century. An analysis of the peculiarities of the placement of sacrificial food remains and the composition of species in it in the medieval burials of the North Black Sea region confirms the Early Hungarian attribution of the published grave. This burial is included in the group of Early Hungarian graves near the Glinoe village, which reflects the presence of a large family in this microregion. These circumstances, together with the date of the Frumusica graves and evidence from the written sources, allow us to state the presence of the Early Hungarians in the Lower Dniester region at the beginning of the 10 th century.

Ursus etruscus from the late Early Pleistocene of the Taurida сave (Crimean Peninsula)

ABSTRACT The present work describes the dentognathic remains of Ursus etruscus Cuvier, 1823 from the recently discovered Taurida cave in central Crimea at the north Black Sea area. The bone-bearing layer of Taurida cave corresponds to the Psekupsian Faunal Assemblage of Eastern Europe and to the Late Villafranchian of Western Europe (ca. 1.8–1.5 Ma). Here, we describe unpublished ursid material unearthed during the excavations performed at the cave in 2020–2021, further comparing it with coeval chronologic and geographic sites around Europe. Our anatomical and biometrical analyses suggest the inclusion of the studied specimens in the hypodigm of the Early Pleistocene medium-sized species Ursus etruscus. The finds of the U. etruscus from the southern part of Eastern Europe provide a link between the western and eastern parts of the species range. Therefore, the finds from Crimea are important for understanding of the morphological diversity and evolution of U. etruscus which is the putative ancestor of both cave bears and brown bears. Furthermore, the study of these remains is also important for understanding the processes of the forming of the large mammal assemblages in the late Early Pleistocene and its relationships with the dispersal of the genus Homo.

THE INFLUENCE OF NATURAL FACTORS ON THE EMERGENCE OF LARGE SCYTHIAN SETTLEMENTS AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF TRADE ROUTES

This article considers the impact of changes in the natural environment on historical processes that took place in the steppe and forest-steppe zones of Ukraine in the XI—V centuries BC. It is determined that one of the main reasons for the emergence of large Scythian settlements was a natural factor. Changes in climatic conditions in the steppe zone led to the almost complete outflow of population from its territory in the XI—V centuries BC. The establishment of a more favorable climate in the south of Ukraine, which began in the VII century BC, led to an increase in the population in the forest-steppe zone and the emergence of large Scythian settlements on its territory.
 The article also considers the question of the emergence and functioning of the main trade routes that existed in the Northern Black Sea region at that time. South Bug, Dnieper and Don rivers were used as trade routes beginning ХV century BC. The Scythian penetration to forest-steppe zone and the construction of big sites of settlements started before the start opening the north coastal Black Sea territory by Greek colonists. The Scythians appeared in the forest-steppe zone in the first half to mid- VII century, and the Greek opening of the coastal areas starts at the end of VII century BC. That time the South Bug, Dnieper and Don rivers became waterways connecting North Black sea area with central East Europe and Baltic countries. It were the estuaries of these rivers where appeared the biggest early Greek settlements: Berezan at the Bug and Dnieper estuary’s conjunction and Taganrog at the Don estuary. In the VII—V centuries South Bug was the main trade route. This point is supported by the fact that the Olvia state capital-Olvia city was established on the right bank of the Bug estuary.
 The Greek centers exported to these areas, possibly ceramics, vine, olive oil, jewelry etc. These are the ceramic residuals which make it possible to determine the big Scythian settlements lifetime. Greek traders as reported ancient authors imported from forest-steppe areas, where these settlements were established, cattle, slaves, copper, furs, wax, salted fish, amber etc. The climate improvement at the North Black Sea area started opening of these unsettled steppe areas. This process resulted in gradual decadence of big Scythian settlements. The Grate Scythian center moves to the lower reach of Dneaper river, which followed by main trade route transfer to that exact river. So the natural factor seriously influenced the South Black Sea areas historical processes in the VII—V centuries BC.

Степная дипломатия Гиреев. Послание хана Джанибек-Гирея 1633 г.

A letter from the Сrimean Khan Janibek Giray to the Nogay Horde of 1633, preserved in the Stock 123 “Russia’s Relations with the Nogay Tatars” of the Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts, is published here. At that time, the Nogay Horde was in a state of complete decline and decay. Intestine strife of Nogay nobles, destructive strikes against the Kalmyks, who occupied the former Nogai pastures over the Volga river, oppression by Russian Astrakhan local governors led to the fact that the Nogays used to move to neighboring countries – in an intention to find peace and protection there. One of desirable and traditional areas of migration were the North Black Sea steppes, which were under the authority of the Girays. The Khan’s message was addressed to the mirzas and ignorant leaders of the nomadic communities, but not to the nominal ruler of the Horde biy Kanay, because in the 1630s he completely lost his remaining authority. One of the reasons of the Khan’s appeal was the search of new human resources (albeit in the form of relatively poor, but numerous steppe people) to strengthen his power in the state, thoroughly weakened by long internecine turmoil – the feud between the aristocratic clans of Shirins and Mansurs. In addition, extension horsemen were needed for raids on the Russian borders, which became more frequent at a time when the forces of the Moscow state were diverted to the Smolensk war. In the address to Nogays the Khan does not designate specific conditions of their stay in his subjection, he only names the area of the Dnieper, through which migrants from the East would roam. Janibek Giray placed the main emphasis on co-belief and called for Islamic solidarity. Loyal to the Russian authorities, mirzas delivered the Crimean letter to Astrakhan, from where the governors sent it to Moscow. The archive keeps the original letter and its Russian translation, made by the Foreign affairs’ office (Posol’sky prikaz). This publication introduces the facsimile of the document and its translations (of the 17th century and modern).

Предметы с неопределенной функцией и магия зеркал

This paper deals with the discussion about the item, which is named in the literature as the Sauromatian “mirror”. A round disk (with a flat side handle) shows a corrugation on its two sides. The purpose of such a thing that does not have a reflective surface is difficult to determine. However, it cannot be called a “mirror” due to corrugation, so the function of the object has not yet been determined. Having identified an object from the Oguz barrow as a mirror, its researchers established the role of mirrors in the funerary rite of the Pontic Scythia. They put forward the postulate that the mirrors in the composition of the accompanying equipment, laid under the back or left forearm of the deceased, are documented in the 5th—4th centuries BC funerary complexes of dependent women of Scythia. However, regularities are not traced in the arrangement of mirrors for the buried in the North Black Sea region. This does not allow us to present a real picture of the role of mirrors in the funerary rite of the Scythians or their neighbors and to clarify the social status of those buried by the location of these objects. Studies of the funerary rite show that nomads were united only by the desire of the owners of the mirrors to protect their mirror surface from damage that could distort the image of the owner. Therefore, it seems not advisable to equalize objects having double-sided corrugation on the disk with mirrors, without taking into account the differences.

New Noctuoidea taxa from the Silver Coast of Bulgaria (Insecta: Lepidoptera)

Three new Noctuoidea subspecies are described as local endemics from the Silver Coast, part of the Bulgarian North Black Sea Coast: Eutelia adoratrix platinea ssp. n., Lacanobia praedita canescens ssp. n. and Hadena adriana petergyulaii ssp. n. They are characterised by a pale forewing ground colour corresponding to the colour of the calcareous sediments dominating their habitats. These new subspecies, in comparison with the nominotypical taxa, show greater differences in external appearance than in the female and male genitalia, including the everted vesica. Furthermore, the new subspecies cannot be separated from the nominotypical subspecies by DNA barcoding.

Changes in the ethnic picture and its impact on the internal political situation in the Bosporus after Rheskuporis VI

The article examines the influence of ethnic change in the North Black Sea region on the internal political situation in the Bosphorus kingdom in the mid-6th century – the first quarter of the 6th century AD. The main ethnic groups that appeared in the Bosphorus at the specified time, the degree of their influence on the state institutions of the kingdom and the nature of political changes are determined. It is assumed that, as a result of the movement of barbarian groups throughout the North Black Sea region, representatives of these groups have taken power in the Bosphorus kingdom. We can refer to these Sarmatian-Alan representatives and Gothic nobility. With the appearance of the Huns in the North Black Sea region, the Bosphorus falls into the sphere of influence of the Huntribal union, under the de facto rule of the Gothic nobility. With the appearance in the Northern Black Sea region of the Huns-Utigurtribes, power in the Bosphorus returns to the hands of the pro-Roman nobility, to which King Diuptun can be assigned.

Formation of new approaches to the research practice and preservation of architectural and archaeological monuments of the North Black sea area (Comparative castellology and digital technologies)

The article is dedicated to the investigation of the current tasks of the modern study and preservation of the architectural and archaeological heritage of the peoples of Eastern Europe in the North Black Sea area based on comparative castellology and digital technologies. The comparative analysis of two outstanding monuments - the Belgorod fortress in the western part of the region and the Tyagin fortress in the eastern part, which historically go back to the history of the Moldavian and Grand Lithuanian principality of the XIV-XV centuries, is made and general trends and features in the planning structure and the architecture of the monuments are considered. The positive results of the work of scientific teams, representing scientists from different countries of the world united by special projects to study outstanding monuments, the use of modern methods of studying architectural complexes, including modeling individual objects and creating computer models of monuments in general, are presented. Questions were raised about the need for joint efforts for the preservation and tourist use of the cultural heritage, the development of good neighborly relations between the countries of the Black Sea region and Europe as a whole.

Application of medicinal plants for decorative purposes by the local populatuion on the North Black Sea coast (Bulgaria)

Abstract The aim of the present study is to identify medicinal plants used for decorative purposes by the local population along the Northern Black Sea coast (Bulgaria). A survey was conducted in the period 2014-2020. The interviews with the local population were conducted “face to face” with the help of pre-prepared original questionnaires. The surveyed locals are 709 people from 32 settlements. Respondents were randomly selected. They are of different age groups, gender, ethnicity, education and employment. The folk names of the used medicinal plants are recorded. The results show that a significant proportion of respondents (52.89%) use medicinal plants for decorative purposes. The medicinal plants used for decorative purposes by the locals are 73 species, belonging to 61 genera from 30 families. The present study is part of a larger ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants in the region of the North Black Sea coast.

THE UKRAINIAN HORIZONS OF THE NORTH BLACK SEA AREA: HISTORICAL AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS

The important role in the history of Ukrainian lands belong to the North Pontic Area. Last decades the revision of old position from one side and the growing of the attention towards the problems of this region take place. The beginning of own ethnical development of Slavs tribes, known by «Ants» name or «Okrainni» by Indo-Iranian language. On the next stage of history, the tribes of Russ chronicle: Ulichi and Tyvertsy settled on Black Sea region. Colonization of this area by the Slavs lasted through more than 500 years, which created the fundamental ethnical base of autochthone population. With formation of Kyiv Russ the North Black Sea area take the important place in political, economic, ethno cultural and trade fields of the new country. The numerous settlements fixed on the Lower Dnieper and other rivers in spite of numerous nomadic tribes: every society occupy the own part of the landscape in connection from their economic type. In the of Post Kyiv Russ and Lithuanian-Russ federation, the South Russ principalities preserved their traditions and continue the progressive development. At the end of the XIV — at the beginning of XV centuries the new fortification line built under the chief of the Great Prince Vitovt in the North Black Sea Area, which opened the new stage of fortification: stone fortresses. The brilliant example of this kind is the first stone fortress Tyagin of the South part of the Lithuanian-Russ principality, as a part of the early Ukraine. In the time of Crimean-Ottoman administration in region, the Christiania autochthone population with Ukrainian part also, continue to live in the North Black sea area and became the region of Cossack colonization. The artefacts of Ukrainian culture founded in the course of the archaeological excavation (Akkerman, Ochakiv) even in the Ottoman fortresses. The anthropological investigations support the existence of great part of the settled population, which take the considerable morphological contacts with Ukrainians of the South, Central and West regions of the XVII—XIX centuries. The important factor of the living of Christian population, including Ukrainians, was the existence and activity of the Brailiv metropolis of the Konstantinopol patriarchate in the middle of the XVI—XIX cent., which escape the large area from Braila to Tyagin. The archaeological investigation of the South Ukraine increase the possibility of the knowledge of the Ukrainian history from the new modern position.

Бронзовые плоские черешковые наконечники стрел с жальцами из Северного Причерноморья

The article considers the currently known bronze flat petiolate arrowheads with stings found in the steppe and forest-steppe zones of the Northern Black Sea region, along with new finds. In total, 19 petiolate arrowheads with stings and 3 negatives of similar products on casting molds were taken into account. The distribution area of such items covers the entire western part of the region, between Danube-Carpathian region and the Dnieper basin. The finds are concentrated in the southern part of the Middle Dnieper region (9 items), the North-West Black Sea region (5 items), and the Upper Dniester region (3 items). One arrowhead was found in Podolia and another one was discovered in Northern Bukovina. All currently known casting molds for manufacturing petiolate arrowheads stings come from the North-Western Black Sea region, which allows to localize there one of manufacturing centers. Based on the design features of petiolate, it is proposed to divide all flat petiolate arrowheads with stings into five types. In addition, it is considered the possibility of selecting sub-variants if necessary: by the width of the feather, by the length of the petiole, by the presence of rib in the middle of the feather, by the asymmetry of the stings, by massiveness, etc. Arrowheads of the discussed type, with their archaeological context being reliably known (Magala, Novoselitsa, Volkovka, Gordeevka, Petrikov, Stary Buyukany), are associated with closed complexes of the BrD – HaB1 period (XIII–X centuries BC) in the North Black Sea region. All occasional finds from the region can be dated within these limits. The arrival of bronze petiolate arrowheads with stings in the Northern Black Sea region may have been influenced by contacts with the Balkan-Carpathian and Middle Eastern cultural centers. It cannot be ruled out that the regional manufacturing of such arrowheads could be based on imitating local flint implements of the same type, found in various Bronze Age cultures.

Комплекс металлических изделий завершающего этапа эпохи поздней бронзы с территории Войцеховского могильника

The paper publishes and analyzes the set of metal products of the Late Bronze Age, discovered in 2013 by the Fastov archaeological expedition in the arable layer of barrow group 6 of the Voitsekhovka cemetery, located on the left bank of the Middle Sluch river in Eastern Volhynia. The collection includes 31 items, mostly highly fragmented. These are 7 knives, 5 sickles, 4 celts, 3 knives-daggers, a fragment of a sword blade, 4 spearheads, a cheekpiece, a fragment of a pin-wand of Gordeevka type, 2 bracelets, a fragment of a rod, 2 bronze ingots. Finds can be dated preliminary to the BrD—HaA period. It cannot be excluded that at least some of the finds were part of a plowed-up hoard/hoards buried in the area of the cemetery. The article is the first complete publication of this finds. The authors suggest analogies from the sites of the Carpathian-Danube region and the North-Black Sea region.

Scythian Burial of the Child with the Sword Model in the Lower Dniester

The paper for the first time publishes and analyzes the materials obtained in the study of the burial of the child no. 10 in the barrow 16 of the “Sluiceway” group near the Glinoe village, Slobodzeya district, on the left bank of the Lower Dniester. The grave dates back to the third quarter of the 4th century BC and contained the burial of a small child. The western part of the pit was intended to sacrificial food and a knife, and the eastern part was intended for the body of the child and grave goods, where a “bed” was made of a mixture of natural clay and humus. Two Cypraea moneta shells, one glass bead, as well as an iron model of the sword were part of the necklace. The last find is a unique item in the Scythian burials of the North Black Sea region. It imitated swords of the Solokha type (with claw-shaped tops and false-triangular crosshairs), known in the Scythian burials of the Northern Black Sea Region from the last quarter of the 5th century BC until the end of the 4th century BC. It is noteworthy that it was such a sword that was found in the pair burial of the same barrow where the burial of the child was sunk. There is no doubt that the model of the sword in the necklace of a child was a votive object. Perhaps it indicated the child's belonging to the estate of the warriors.