North Pontic Research Articles

North Pontic Indo-Europeans in Troy

The paper contains the text of author’s lecture at the conference “Trojan colloquium” which took place in Kyiv in May, 30th, 2018. The questions of connections between ancient Asia Minor population and North Pontic region are considered on the base of archaeological sources and Indo-European studies. The lower Troy layers contain the traces of several invasions of Anatolian group of Indo-European peoples from the Balkans (the Hittites, Palayans, Luwians) and also the Phrygian and Armenian ancestors. They had been formed in the Danube River region in the 4th millennium BCE under the influence of Chalcolithic migrants from the North-Western Pontic region. Migration of the Hittites-Luwians from Balkans to Asia Minor in the 3rd millennium BCE was a part of great spread of Indo-European tribes in the Chalcolithic-Bronze Era from two centers of Indo-European ethno-genesis which situated in the north of Central Europe and in the North Pontic region. The fall of Homer’s Troy (layer VІІа) clashes with the invasion of “sea people” and the destruction of the Hittite Kingdom (about 1200 BCE). A leading role, in opinion of I. Diakonov and L. Klein, in Troy’s fall and in the Hittite Empire disintegration was played not by Mycenaean Greeks, but by Phrygian and Armenian ancestors, militant “musks” of the Assyrian sources. During the invasion of “Sea Peoples” they came to Asia Minor from the West — from the Balkans. The beginning of the mentioned ethnic groups formation was linked with the Lower Danube and the North-Western Pontic region, in particular, with Usatovo-Chornavoda II cultures population. Traces of the contacts of native languages: Thracian, Phrygian, Armenian, Greek with the Indo-Iranians bind them to Northern Pontic region. Just here the majority of researchers place the Indo-Iranian motherland, the ancestors of whom they consider the Yamna and Catacomb cultures population. Archaeological and literary sources testify the participating in the Asia Minor ancient history of three more peoples from the North Pontic Steppe — Sabatinovka culture tribes, Cimmerians and Scythians. “Sabatinians” apparently took part in the invasion of “Sea Peoples” which is proved by finds of bronze weapons, typical for the final Bronze Age of the North Pontic region, at the Middle East territory. Cimmerians in 675 BCE destroyed the Phrygian state with the capital of Gordion and founded the Gammira state. The latter was destroyed in 605 BCE by Scythians who had come to Asia Minor, as well as the Cimmerians, through the Caucasus.

Troy in the Discourse of Ukrainian Archaeology

Troy (Illion, Vilusa) have entered the discourse of Ukrainian archaeology in the period of its revival after losses during the Great Terror period and World War II. The stratigraphic column of the cities of Troy has become the basic for clarifying of chronology of the Bronze Age sites on the territory of Ukraine and South of Eastern Europe in general. The search for analogies to certain categories of artifacts from the steppe zone in the stratified layers of Troy was also productive. Attention to the cultural complexes of Troy increased during the period of the restoration of Ukraine’s independence due to the discovery and excavation of fortified settlements of the Final Bronze Age along the North Pontic area and the Lower Dnieper basin (Dykyi Sad, in Mykolaiv; Kartal, at the Lower Danube River, etc.). Reliable materials appeared to synchronize the sites of the Northern Pontic region with the horizons of Troy VII. The possibilities of the participation of the Late Bronze Age steppe tribes in the campaigns of the “Sea Peoples”, which also touched the inhabitants of Troy in the 13th—12th centuries BCE now are under discussion. The concretization of the cultural connections between the bearers of archaeological cultures of the Bronze Age steppe zone and the appropriate cities of Troy is now acquiring a certain dynamic. Further progress in the study of the processes that took place in the Circumpontic area in the 3rd—2nd centuries BCE depends largely on the establishment of effective contacts between the archaeologists of Turkey and Ukraine. The revitalization should be facilitated by the materials of the Trojan colloquium held in Kyiv in May 2018. At the same time, the author warns native archaeologists against the abuse of the Troy name during the presentation of archaeological sites of our country.

Topos of Scythia in theMedieval Origogentis

The concept of ‘Scythia as an ancestral homeland’ played an important role in the Medieval Origogentis. The narratives about the origin of peoples aimed to contribute the construction of new identities in Europe after the Roman empire declined. Iordanes and Isidore of Seville considered Scythiaas either starting or passing point of the Gothic migrations. Bede the Venerable and anonymous authors of Lebor Gabála Érenn named Scythia as a homeland of the Picts and Scots, while in the IcelandicYnglinga sagait was considered as a native land of the Norse gods. It is widely accepted that the medieval intellectuals used the phonetic similarity of the ethnic and geographical terms Scythae/ Scythia, Gothi, Scotti, Svíþjoð (Sweden) and Scedenig (Scandinavia) to construct links between the new ethnic and political entities, Classical history and biblical genealogy of peoples. This supposition is undoubtedly correct, however, it tends to oversimplify the conditions of the Early Medieval historiography’s development. The aim of the article is to show that the reasons why Scythia became to be considered the ancestral homeland for the Medieval ethnic communities were much more complicated. The author uses methods of the intellectual historyto demonstrate that apart from the Bible, the authors of the Origogentis had to take into account at least two other important narratives. One of them was a still alive in the 8th century Anglo-Saxon Britain and 13th century Iceland epic tradition, which dealt with the presence of the Goths and other Germanic peoples in the North Pontic area. Greek and Roman geography was another narrative, which medieval authors had to regard. This hypothesis determines the scientific novelty of the paper. According to Pomponius Mela, Plinius the Elder and other Classical writers, the lands of Scythia, Scandinavia, mythical Hyperborea, Britain and Ireland made up a single region – northern periphery of the inhabited world. Visualization of Scandinavia as an island laying opposite to Scythia, coming from the Greek and Roman geography, explains why the description ofAsgard in the Ynglinga saga is to a large extent dependent on the Hyperborea’s depictions in the Classical cosmographies. Conclusions. To sum up, one should not consider the stories about the Scythian origin of some Northern and Western European peoples as a complete fiction for at least two reasons. Firstly, some of the Origogentis appealed to the folklore tradition, which, in its turn, preserved a reminiscence of the historically and archaeologically attested events (such as the Gothic migration from the Baltic littoral to the North Pontic area). Secondly, from the viewpoint of educated medieval Scandinavians, British and Irishmen, their own homelands were a part of a single region, neighboring Scythia and being closely connected with it.

Regarding one Rare Roman Amphorae Type from Tyras

The paper deals with the publication of amphorae finds from Tyras classified as the early variant of type VIII according to A. Opaiţ. These vessels are attributed as one of the rarest varieties of the late Roman pottery ware. In Tyras these vessels are represented by several fragments of profile parts. Their center of production has not been localized yet. However judging by the visually distinct features of the clay composition, one can assume that they were made in the Eastern Mediterranean. The morphological features indicate that these amphorae were intended for transportation and storage of wine. The spread area of such vessels is the territory of provinces Moesia Superior and Moesia Inferior. They are very rare in the North Pontic region. The only known sample was found at the “Sovkhoz 10” cemetery located in the vicinity of Chersonesus. Almost all amphorae of this type were found during the excavations of Roman military camps or cities, where Roman soldiers were stationed during the 2nd — 3rd centuries CE. Such a distribution of findings is hardly accidental and may be related to the provision of Roman military contingents. That observation may also apply to Tyras, where the vexillatio was shifted from the Moesia Inferior since the beginning of the 2nd century CE. The Roman military presence in the city is evidenced by the epigraphic and archaeological data. Perhaps, the variety of transport amphorae under study occurred in Tyras together with Roman soldiers from Moesia Inferior when shifting the vexillatio or during further rotations of troops during the 2nd — first half of the 3rd century CE. It is also likely that the wine contained in these vessels was imported from the Lower Danube River region as a result of mediatorial commercial trade.

Maternal genetic features of the Iron Age Tagar population from Southern Siberia (1st millennium BC).

Early nomads in the Eurasian steppes since the beginning of the 1st millennium BC played a key role in the formation of the cultural and genetic landscape of populations of a significant part of Eurasia, from Eastern Europe to Eastern Central Asia. Numerous archaeological cultures associated with early nomads have been discovered throughout the Eurasian steppe belt. The Tagar archaeological culture existed in the Minusinsk basin (Sayan Mountains, Southern Siberia, Russia) in the northeastern periphery of the Eurasian steppe belt from the 8th to 1st century BC during the pre-Scythian, Scythian, and Early Xiongnu-Sarmatian periods. In this study, we evaluated mtDNA diversity in the Tagar population based on representative series (N = 79) belonging to all chronological stages of the culture. The Tagar population had a mixed mtDNA pool dominated by Western Eurasian haplogroups and subgroups (H, HV6, HV*, I, K, T, U2e, U4, U5a, and U*) and, to a lesser degree, Eastern Eurasian haplogroups (A*, A8, C*, C5, D, G2a, and F1b). The Tagar population showed a similar mtDNA pool structure to those of other Iron Age populations representing the “Scythian World.” We observed particularly high similarity between the Tagar and Classic Scythians from the North Pontic region. Our results support the assumption that genetic components introduced by Bronze Age migrants from Western Eurasia contributed to the formation of the genetic composition of Scythian period populations in Southern Siberia. Another important component of the Tagar mtDNA pool was autochthonous East Eurasian lineages, some of which (A8 and C4a2a) are potential markers of the westward genetic influence of the eastern populations of the Scythian period. Our results suggest a genetic continuity (at least partial) between the Early, Middle, and Late Tagar populations.

Święte 11, Feature 1149: Sequence of Funerary Rites Practiced by Corded Ware Peoples and Early Bronze North Pontic Cultures

Abstract A set of sources embodied by features 1149A and 1149B at Święte 11, Jarosław District, Podkarpackie Province, is one of a kind in Lesser Poland as it includes a vessel associated with steppe cultures of the Northwest Black Sea Coast. The vessel has been discovered in a stratigraphic context that is not fully clear. It probably constituted an offering (trizna) connected with the male burial identified in the niche grave underneath. The vessel appears to be linked to the late Yamnaya/early Catacomb horizon. Such chronological attribution is further supported by an absolute date of the 2nd half of the third millennium BC established for bones. The vessel sits alongside other finds that provide corroboration for connections the population of the younger Corded Ware phase in Lesser Poland had with eastern European regions.

Chronometry of the Final Eneolithic Cemeteries at Święte, Jarosław District, from the Perspective of Cultural Relations Among Lesser Poland, Podolia and the North-Western Black Sea Region

Abstract The research on archaeological materials from sites 11, 15, and 20 at Święte produced a series of 13 radiocarbon dates for niche graves of the Corded Ware culture (CWC). The results are coherent and point to a range of 2550-2350 BC. This corresponds well with other results obtained for nearby CWC cemeteries in the Rzeszów Foothills, and is consistent with dates obtained for CWC graves in other regions in Lesser Poland: the Lesser Poland Upland, the Sokal Ridge, and the Lublin Upland. At the same time, the obtained absolute age range corresponds with a wave of influences from the North Pontic circle of steppe cultures and the Middle Dnieper culture. It can be synchronized with the beginning of the development of the classic variants of the Catacomb culture: the Ingul and Doniec variants.

Скляний посуд V—I ст. до н. е. з розкопок Тіри

The core-formed glass vessels from the excavation of the ancient city of Tyras in 1959-2001 are analyzed in the paper. Materials are kept in the the Institute of archaeology (Kyiv) and the Odesa Archaeological Museum of the NAS Ukraine. All vessels are fragmented. Thirteen fragments of amphoriskoi, alabastra, oenochoai and unguentaria have been examined. The first glass vessels have been delivered to the city during ca. 5th - early 4th centuries BC. The fragment of oenochoe (mid-4th - early 3rd centuries BC) can reflect the ties of Tyras with the West Mediterranean basin, probably Italy. Most fragments are dated to the 3rd-2nd centuries BC and were the parts of amphoriskoi and unguentaria. Similar amphoriskoi were discovered in the workshop on Rhodes. The finds of these fragments are the evidence of the trade and economic relations between Tyras and Rhodes. The last period when core-formed glass flacons entered Tyras is marked by the fragments of vessels of the late 2nd - early 1st centuries BC. They were supposedly produced in Syria andPalestine region and on Cyprus. Glass vessels were rather expensive and their finds could be considered as the indicator of the wealth of population. The glass of the Hellenistic period in Tyras are better represented by typological variety than anywhere in the Black Sea north region. The analyzed materials fill the gaps in general picture of the dynamics of import of this type of goods to the cities of North Pontic area and are the valuable source for the further research.

HEURESIBIOS SON OF SYRISKOS AND THE QUESTION OF TYRANNY IN OLBIA PONTIKE (FIFTH–FOURTH CENTURY BC)

This paper examines the ancient written, numismatic and archaeological sources that pertain to the political history of Olbia Pontike in the fifth and early fourth centurybc. Several Olbian inscriptions that mention a certain Heuresibios son of Syriskos have been connected with a possible episode of tyranny that may have taken place in the city of Olbia. Most of the inscriptions are in a poor state of preservation and their interpretation has often been based on uncertain reconstructions of the texts; therefore, a re-examination of these inscriptions is provided alongside an analysis of other evidence that provides a broader historical background to the political situation in Olbia during that time. Olbia's status in the Delian League and the Athenian political and cultural influence on Olbia are examined. It is argued that the introduction of a political cult of Zeus Eleutherios was a reaction to a political change in Olbia that resulted in the establishment of democracy. Lastly, the economic and political relationship of the Achaemenid Empire with the North Pontic region, especially in relation to local coinage, is discussed, which allows for a synthesis of the material gathered.

The Aetiological Myth of the Russian Empire and the Study in Russia of Cultural Changes in the North Pontic Region from the 3rd Century bc to the 3rd Century ad (Prior to the 1920s)

Abstract Cultural change in the “barbarian” world of the North Pontic region from the 3rd century bc to the mid-3rd century ad was not a special field of interest for ancient authors. Classical narratives only contain information about certain manifestations of such processes. In Russia, interest in studying the cultural changes that took place in the steppes of Eastern Europe in Antiquity appeared in the early 18th century, in connection with the accession of new territories to the East and West. The core of the cultural-historical model, which took shape and then developed in Russian historical research, was the idea of a constantly changing succession of peoples in the North Pontic region and of the historical role of this region as a buffer zone between East and West. On this basis, an aetiological myth of the Russian Empire took root, justifying its impressive size, its length along the meta-geographical axis of Eurasia and its historic role in the destiny of Europe. This concept assumed its definitive form in the early 20th century in the works of Mikhail Rostovtsev.

A Systematic Outline for the Osseous Industries in the North Pontic Palaeometallic Age

A Systematic Outline for the Osseous Industries in the North Pontic Palaeometallic Age

Diverse origin of mitochondrial lineages in Iron Age Black Sea Scythians

Scythians were nomadic and semi-nomadic people that ruled the Eurasian steppe during much of the first millennium BCE. While having been extensively studied by archaeology, very little is known about their genetic identity. To fill this gap, we analyzed ancient mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from Scythians of the North Pontic Region (NPR) and successfully retrieved 19 whole mtDNA genomes. We have identified three potential mtDNA lineage ancestries of the NPR Scythians tracing back to hunter-gatherer and nomadic populations of east and west Eurasia as well as the Neolithic farming expansion into Europe. One third of all mt lineages in our dataset belonged to subdivisions of mt haplogroup U5. A comparison of NPR Scythian mtDNA linages with other contemporaneous Scythian groups, the Saka and the Pazyryks, reveals a common mtDNA package comprised of haplogroups H/H5, U5a, A, D/D4, and F1/F2. Of these, west Eurasian lineages show a downward cline in the west-east direction while east Eurasian haplogroups display the opposite trajectory. An overall similarity in mtDNA lineages of the NPR Scythians was found with the late Bronze Age Srubnaya population of the Northern Black Sea region which supports the archaeological hypothesis suggesting Srubnaya people as ancestors of the NPR Scythians.

Subdivisions of haplogroups U and C encompass mitochondrial DNA lineages of Eneolithic-Early Bronze Age Kurgan populations of western North Pontic steppe.

Prehistoric Europe experienced a marked cultural and economic shift around 4000 years ago, when the established Neolithic agriculture-based economy was replaced by herding-pastoralist industry. In recent years new data about the genetic structure of human communities living during this transition period began to emerge. At the same time, the genetic identities of the Eneolithic and Early Bronze Age (EBA) inhabitants from a prehistoric cultural crossroad in western North Pontic steppe region remain understudied. This report presents results of the investigation of maternal genetic lineages of individuals buried in kurgans constructed during the Eneolithic-EBA transition in the western part of the North Pontic Region (NPR). Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) lineages from the interments belonging to the Eneolithic as well as the EBA cultures such as Yamna (Pit Grave), Catacomb and Babino (Mnogovalikovaya or KMK) were examined. In the 12 successfully haplotyped specimens, 75% of mtDNA lineages consisted of west Eurasian haplogroup U and its U4 and U5 sublineages. Furthermore, we identified a subgroup of east Eurasian haplogroup C in two representatives of the Yamna culture in one of the studied kurgans. Our results indicate the persistence of Mesolithic hunter-gatherer mtDNA lineages in western NPR through the EBA, as well as suggesting a mtDNA lineage continuum connecting the western NPR inhabitants of the Early Metal Ages to the North Pontic Neolithic population groups.

Finnish vatsa ~ Sanskrit vatsá and the formation of Indo-Iranian and Uralic languages

Finnish vatsa ‘stomach’ < PFU *vaćća < Proto-Indo-Aryan *vatsá- ‘calf’ < PIE *vet-(e)s-ó- ‘yearling’ contrasts with Finnish vasa- ‘calf’ < Proto-Iranian *vasa- ‘calf’. Indo-Aryan -ts- versus Iranian -s- reflects the divergent development of PIE *-tst- in the Iranian branch (> *-st-, with Greek and Balto-Slavic) and in the Indo-Aryan branch ( > *-tt-, probably due to Uralic substratum). The split of Indo-Iranian can be traced in the archaeological record to the differentiation of the Yamnaya culture in the North Pontic and Volga steppes respectively during the third millennium BCE, due to the use of separate sources of metal: the Iranian branch was dependent on the North Caucasus, while the Indo-Aryan branch was oriented towards the Urals. It is argued that the Abashevo culture of the Mid-Volga-Kama-Belaya basins and the Sejma-Turbino trade network (2200–1900 BCE) were bilingual in Proto-Indo-Aryan and PFU, and introduced the PFU as the basis of West Uralic (Volga-Finnic) into the Netted Ware Culture of the Upper Volga-Oka (1900–200 BCE).

Мастер Тишины: новое «имя» в истории вазописи керченского стиля

The article attempts to identify a new vase-painter. In his works he usually didn’t even mark the mouths of the figures on the B-sides of the vessels; therefore we suggest calling him the Silence Painter. Here enumerated are 20 pelikai, including a fragmented one, that were supposedly painted by him. The vessels were divided into four groups according to their size and subjects. Some of the subjects are discussed in detail. The Silence Painter worked in the middle — the third quarter of the 4th century BCE. Some of his vessels were discovered in Olynthus, Lesbos and Karia, but the main customers lived in the North Pontic region, where fifteen pelikai were found. Their subjects and compositions are typical for the Kerch style. The Silence Painter was a mediocre craftsman, who used themes and designs that had been already invented by his predecessors.

Jednosieczny miecz ze scytyjskiego grobu koło Myrne, stepy ukraińskie

This paper analyses a unique single-edged sword recovered from the Scythian grave 2, barrow 2, excavated near the village of Myrne in the Kherson Region, and provides typological and chronological analyses of similar artefacts from the North Pontic region. The paper also looks at the origin of such swords.

A Sub-Geometric Skyphos from Borysthenes

In the Borysthenes collection a fragment of Sub-Geometric skyphos has come to light, which is most likely to have been manufactured in Miletus. The shape of the vessel and the stylistic features of its painted decoration enable us to date it to the second quarter of the 7th century bc. This skyphos, like other vessels in the Sub-Geometric style from barbarian sites in the North Pontic region, was taken there by colonists, who had founded the early apoikiai of Histria and Borysthenes. For this reason, vessels dating from the first half of the 7th century bc cannot be cited as evidence for pre-colonial ties having existed in the Pontic region.

Celto-Scythians and Celticization in Ukraine and the North Pontic Region

Celto-Scythians and Celticization in Ukraine and the North Pontic Region

Античное наследие и его влияние в фокусе современных исследований

As it comes from the ideas of the leading theorists of art, in the course of the 20th century the category of “Classical” became a key-concept in understanding the development of West-European art. Today’s studies in the history of Greek and Roman art meet the problem of its influence, its chronological and spatial transformations. The paper gives an overview of main trends and milestones in art history about Classical antiquity and its legacy telling us in details about today’s scholarly activity at the Hermitage Department of Classical Antiquities. “Classical” expansion to the periphery of oecumene, to the North Pontic area, has been remaining in focus of investigations held by the Russian scientific school. The author points out main characteristic features of the Black Sea version of ancient art, analyzes the patterns of its development, determining the role of the region as a mediator of artistic tradition, not only between peoples, but also between two historic stages of civilization. The second scholarly direction covers Hellenistic studies searching into interaction and conformity between Greek and Oriental art and cultures of Asian countries. The newest field of research is an actively developing history of restoration, while the significant specificity of the Hermitage collection is that the historical restoration should have been preserved in their places.

Geoarchaeology of the North Pontic Steppe – Holocene Landscape History of the Pre-Azov Plain, Southern Russia

Geoarchaeology of the North Pontic Steppe – Holocene Landscape History of the Pre-Azov Plain, Southern Russia