Callatis

The paper presents a new approach in the research and data management of historical 2D topographic documentation, by means of potentially widely accessible and various technologies. Although historical maps and city plans database archives are plenty on the web, none apparently address their detailed information content (graphic elements such as streets, plots, houses etc.; attached text such as street and building names, toponyms etc.). Still, the content of a map or city plan is usually what interests us the most, whether we are historians, architects, real estate developers, students or simply amateurs for our city's history. Starting from a quite different range of interest - antique urban settlements' configuration, with all it implies -, the many challenges that occurred in the research flow often brought me to various technical issues of data management, of which one is data content of image based documentation. In this material I've detailed such issues related to cartographic representations, through a case study on the antique city of Callatis (today Mangalia, Romania).

Bust thymiateria, or images of goddesses with almost half a figure and with cups on their heads, are quite common in the
Ancient Greek centres of the Black Sea area in the Hellenistic period. Despite their origin in other regions, large number
of them were found in Pontic cities, such as in Olbia Pontica, Gordion, Amisos, Tauric Chersonesos, Myrmekion, Odesos,
and Callatis, while in Gorgippia and Hermonassa, such items were found one in each. Thymiateria depicted Aphrodite or
the participants of Dionysiac cult, rarely Mother of the Gods or Isis.
In Olbia, there are several variants of bust thymiateria depicting a goddess without any attributes necessary for cultic
image attribution. Terracottas of one of such variants are published and analyzed in this paper. They find their precise
analogies among the materials of Callatis and Myrmekion. They are the images of a goddess wearing stephane, which
is shown already in the mould, and earrings, with long strands of hair put on the shoulders and without clothes shown.
They were found in a single context of the botros at the Eastern (Central) Temenos. This botros was situated not far from
the coroplast’s workshop. This fact leads to the assumption that most of them were moved into the botros directly from the
workshop and were never used. Peculiarities of the production technology, namely, manually shaped back and similar
manner of processing the inner surface and the lower edge evidence that all of them were made by the same coroplast in
the mould, perhaps imported, of which only one, the facial, side was available.
The question whom the bust thymiateria serially produced in Olbia and known in other Ancient Greek centres of the Black
Sea area depicted cannot be flatly answered. It can be only presupposed that considering the finds of bust thymiateria
depicting Aphrodite found in the same botros, the lack of clothes, and the attention paid to the jewellery in the image, the
terracottas analyzed here also could be related to this cult.

A die-study is given of the late posthumous staters in the name of Lysimachus struck by the cities of Istros (14 coins for 1 obverse die), Tomis (57 coins for 7 obverses) and Callatis (48 coins for 6 obverses). These issues which may be dated from the beginning of the 1st c. BC may have served the ambitions of Mithridates Eupator, king of Pontus, although it is unlikely that the portrait of Mithridates himself is to be recognized under the traits of Alexander.

This paper aims to present the Isiac community which evolved during the second and the third centuries A.D. in the coastal settlement of Callatis, on the western shores of the Black Sea. The author presents the findings, namely a marble plaque with a Greek inscription, mentioning Hekateios, an Isiac follower, two cases of burials with mummifications (although one of them is questionable) with exquisite funerary inventory and numerous coins minted during the reigns of Commodus, Septimius Severus and Gordian III in the above mentioned polis.  Put together, all this data suggests the fact that in Callatis must have existed a strong religious community adorning the goddess Isis, a community that was most probably formed by a wide variety of people, with different geographical origins and different social backgrounds and not necessarily coming from Egypt. This data suggests also the fact that the cult of Isis was public in Callatis (and highly likely of Sarapis, too) during the second part of the second century and during the third century, probably as a result of the supporting-policy of these cults by the Severian emperors. Last but not least the evidence show that in Callatis, like in near-by Tomis, a sanctuary/temple dedicated to Isis must have been erected during the Principate.

This paper examines the epigraphic habit of the North-West Pontic region. The research is carried out on the basis of the statistic analysis of the epigraphic material collected from four Greek poleis, which includes two Ionian poleis: Olbia Pontike and Istros, and two Doric poleis: Kallatis and Mesambia. The epigraphic curve demonstrated in the paper is interpreted with regard to the history as well as the political and economic development of these cities.

This paper intends to underline the unknown natural and historical resources of Seceani, one of the smallest and until recently isolated villages in Timiş County, Orţişoara Commune, Banat, Romania. Two are the objectives with great natural tourism potential in the commune : the resource of geothermal water and the muddy volcanoes. Their exploitation would ensure the economical development of the area, as well as the experimentation of alternative tourism, such as ecotourism and therapeutic tourism. Besides this, there is also the vicinity of the biggest Bronze Age Fortification from Corneşti and a medieval fortress just in the centre of the village. The promotion of a rural and historic tourism in Seceani will enhance the progress of the area and also will increase the image of Banat, as a tourism destination not only in Romania, but in all Europe and even further. Its purpose may be to educate the traveler, to provide funds for ecological conservation, to directly benefit the economic development and political empowerment of this local community, or to foster respect for the authentic Banat culture and mentality.

Le Colloque international organisé à Parutino-Olbia, le 5-9 septembre 1994, a été la première occasion offerte aux gens de l'équipe de fouilles d'Istros de voir le site, les fouilles et les dépôts d'Olbia. L'auteur essaie d'en dégager quelques idées, en partant de ses propres observations et de trois ouvrages ukrainiens dédiés au développement du territoire rural de cette colonie milésienne. Il s'agit des caractères géomorphologiquesde cette région, des changements de la ligne littorale, de l'histoire du climat. Il jette ensuite un regard sur une possible histoire parallèle entre la structure de la chôra olbienne et celle d'Istros et de Callatis.

Depictions of gods in terracotta thymiateria or on walls of miniature altars are more reliable markers of a ritual performed at home, at a burial, or in a polis’ sanctuary. Serving in cults was their only function. Having cup on the top, bust thymiateria were used for burning or keeping the incenses, or for other processing of small amounts of liquids or materials. Such terracotta miniature altars and bust thymiateria had common types used in Pontic region in the Hellenistic period. Though originating in other areas, they were found in large number here.

Tetradrachms of Lysimachus which are likely to have been struck at the mint of Kallatis (Callatis) are few and do not be confused with those given to Kalchedon even if the same letters KAL appear on both coinages. The acquisition of one of them by the Brussels Coin cabinet gives the opportunity to give the list of 6 of them (5 obverse dies). From a stylistic point of view (similarities with Lysimachi of Byzantium), these rare issues seem to hav been struck in c. 180-160 BC and 110-90 BC). It is thus tempting (but highly speculative) to connect them with the Perseus and the Mithridatic wars.

Faisant le point des informations que l'on a tenté de dégager dans cette étude, l'auteur propose le schéma chronologique suivant: 343/2: Kersobleptes exerce une pression du côté des cités pontiques et hellespontiques, qui appellent au secours Philippe II. 342/1: Philippe II soumet la Thrace de l'Est, qui devient province macédonienne; en même temps il s'assure l'alliance des cités pontiques jusqu'à Odessos. Le roi scythe Ataias qui domine la Dobroudja et les villes grecques (y compris Callatis) est en guerre avec les Histriens; il demande une aide militaire à Philippe II, qui entend en profiter d'une double manière: prolonger sa domination jusqu'aux bouches du Danube, en faisant d'Ataias son vassal, et détruire complètement la force des Histriens. 340: Mort du roi des Histriens; Ataias croit pouvoir profiter des revers de Philippe devant Byzance pour rompre l'alliance macédonienne et se déclarer indépendant. 339: Riposte de Philippe et mort d'Ataias.

This book represents the author's PhD thesis published as such (in Romanian), with no further upgrades, in 2009.
The book has an introduction that describes the methodological approach and a first chapter on Moesia Inferior's historical evolution (with special attention given to aspects relevant to the imperial cult). The next two chapters focus on the imperial cult in the Greek colonies on the Black Sea shore, at an urban and regional (koinon) level, followed by a chapter dedicated to the imperial cult in Roman settlements and towns in the province. The last chapter focuses on peripheral manifestations of the imperial cult, and there are final considerations and annexes (catalogue, tables and bibliography).

Ce travail se propose de reconstituer les réseaux de mobilité des cités mégariennes du Pont Euxin. L’analyse des différents documents permet de mettre en évidence plusieurs types de réseaux : des réseaux de proximité dont témoigne la circulation de personnes entre cités voisines, à l’intérieur de la mer Noire ; un réseau mégarien de mer Noire avec des échanges plus développés entre les cités mégariennes de cet espace et enfin un réseau égéen, qui outre des grandes villes comme Athènes ou Alexandrie, comprend des sanctuaires comme Oropos ou Delphes.

Ce travail se propose de reconstituer les réseaux de mobilité des cités mégariennes du Pont Euxin. L’analyse des différents documents permet de mettre en évidence plusieurs types de réseaux : des réseaux de proximité dont témoigne la circulation de personnes entre cités voisines, à l’intérieur de la mer Noire ; un réseau mégarien de mer Noire avec des échanges plus développés entre les cités mégariennes de cet espace et enfin un réseau égéen, qui outre des grandes villes comme Athènes ou Alexandrie, comprend des sanctuaires comme Oropos ou Delphes.