Maritime Greek Trade

For a long time, it has been assumed that the place names for the regions east of the Ganges in Claudius Ptolemy's geographical guide refer to loci in countries such as Malaysia, Vietnam and China. The careful analysis of a few detailed map representations according to Ptolemy's text, however, leads to different and also surprising conclusions. In these geographical maps that were made at the end of the Middle Ages, at the beginning of the age of discovery, we could recognise the oldest charts of the territory of today's state of Myanmar, former Burma. Changes and continuity regarding the settlement history and landscape become particularly plain through the depictions.

İzmir Arkeoloji Müzesi’nde korunan çok sayıdaki ticari amphora arasında az sayıda da olsa Arkaik Dönem’e tarihlenen örnekler yer almaktadır. Çalışma kapsamında, İ.Ö. geç 7. yüzyıl ile erken 5. yüzyıl arasına tarihlenen sekiz amphora ele alınmıştır. Buluntular içindeki en büyük grubu üç örnekle Lesbos üretimleri oluşturmaktadır. Lesbos amphoralarından iki tanesi “Gri” biri ise “Kırmızı” kil hamuru rengine sahiptir. Beyaz astarlı Khios amphoraları iki örnekle, Klazomenai ve Miletos ise tek bir amphora ile temsil edilmektedir. İzmir Arkeoloji Müzesi’ndeki son örnek, bölgesel bir üretim anlayışı içinde İonia üretimi olarak sınıflandırılmıştır.

This paper studies the motif of the palmette on Greek bronze ovoid situlae, mainly of the 4th century BC. It traces its origin through Late Archaic and Early Classical examples to Ionia and Athens and discusses the two principal groups named after the find-spots of two typical paradigms: the Vratsa and Waldalgesheim groups. A detailed typology of several subgroups is developed in the text and organised in a catalogue as an appendix. The spread of the motif on various toreutics and jewellery is documented from Hellenistic Bactria to the Celtic North and West, as well as in Thrace and Scythia. The paper argues that this wide diffusion of the palmette-and-scrolls motif owes much to the circulation in these areas of Greek metal vases, and especially of bronze situlae.

In his treatise on cartography, Claudius Ptolemy also wrote about the Taprobane Island, which is Sri Lanka today. In the surviving text books of this work, vivid depictions of this island were enclosed. Compared to maps of the ancient island of Taprobane known to us, which were printed in the late 15th and in the 16th century, others contained in late mediaeval manuscripts show a multitude of details. Especially one map from Burney MS 111 and one other by Nicolaus Germanus offer unsurpassed accuracy. Unexpectedly, one can also detect much information contained in the drawings of the islands surrounding Taprobane on these depictions. Even identifications of present-day settlements and localities are better possible with these mediaeval hand-drawn maps.

L’article fait la synthèse des connaissances sur sept épaves méditerranéennes (Tanit, Elissa, Mazzaron 1 et 2, Rochelongue, Giglio, Bajo de la Campana), peut-être datées du VIIe siècle, et présente les conclusions historiques que l’on peut en tirer sur les échanges maritimes au moment où les Grecs et les Phéniciens colonisent la Méditerranée.

The far western area of the Mediterranean and its Atlantic extension beyond the legendary Stelai of Hercules were famous in Antiquity among other things for its renowned salted fish products, in addition to the maritime character of many of its cities, the frenetic activity of its ports and its skill in navigating the unexplored ocean. In this area, recent archaeological developments and the emergence of additional pathways of approach (such as Archaeo-zoology, Archaeology of Salt, etc.) have made it possible to overcome outdated debates and integrate data into a single historical discourse that gradually enables a better understanding of the archaic origins of fishing, salt-fish and preserved-fish trade by the western Phoenicians, technologies brought and improved by the first waves of Levantine settlers as well as potter’s wheel or complex kilns, intensive farming, etc. This industrial activity linked to fish processing, pottery production and commerce expanded greatly from 6th/5t...

The ancient city of Tios is located in the Filyos township of the Çaycuma District of Zonguldak province, in the western Black Sea region. The archaeological excavations at Tios were started with the co-operation of the Museum of Karadeniz Ereğli and the Department of Archaeology, University of Trakya in the summer of 2006, and continued in the summer of 2007, under the direction of Prof. Dr. Sümer ATASOY. The excavations are financed by the Governorship of Zonguldak and Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

Visible remains of the ancient city – the coastal defensive walls, castle walls, aquaduct, theatre, defensive tower, vaulted gallery, a number of tombs and the port with its breakwaters – dated to the Roman and Byzantine periods. Field work in 2007 included excavations at the acropolis, city centre, theatre and necropolis, surface artefact collections were made, and geomagnetic studies were carried out. In the city centre the remains of a nymphaeum, bath, and paved roads were partially uncovered; many small finds
were made. In addition, work started on evaluating the Greek and Latin inscriptions of the city.

Investigations in the harbors of Burgaz (Old Knidos) on Turkey’s Datça Peninsula have been conducted by Brock University and Stanford University since 2011 in tandem with excavation by Middle East Technical University of the Archaic through late Classical habitation site. After the late Classical period, settlement at Burgaz declines and the site is refashioned as an industrial complex. Built dolia and workshop or storage spaces along shore testify to a flourishing industry of wine production. That the town also continues to utilize—and in some places expand—its harbor structures and fortifications into the Hellenistic period, even as the settlement changes its focus toward industry, may suggest that the design of the harbors likewise shifts to meet new needs of local production and distribution. With the growth of Knidos as the region’s preeminent center, looking outward to a larger Hellenistic world, Burgaz does not recede into the economic background. Continued proximity to key resources—fertile agricultural land, raw materials, and ceramic production areas—allow Burgaz to expand its industrial focus on land and at sea, serving as a supplier of products within its immediate region and beyond through integration with the growing maritime economy of Knidos.

L’article correspond à un extrait adapté de la première partie de la thèse. Les textes antiques mentionnent souvent les plus gros navires en précisant qu’ils possèdent une capacité de charge de « dix mille unités de jauge » (myriophoros). Mais quelle était l’unité de jauge ainsi désignée ? Etait-ce le talent (26 kg), le médimne (52 l) ou encore le modius (8,7 l) ? Le choix de l’unité de jauge détermine ainsi le seuil maximum du tonnage des navires de commerce antique. Cette mise au point historiographique permet de mieux comprendre les erreurs commises par Cecil Torr et par Fernand Benoît. Contrairement à ce que proposent ces derniers, H. T. Wallinga suggère que l’unité de jauge correspondait certainement à l’amphore (en tant qu’objet réel). La fouille de l’épave de La Madrague de Giens par Patrice Pomey et André Tchernia confirme cette interprétation.

Transport amphorae were produced on the Western Anatolian coast and the nearby islands starting from the middle of the 7th century BC onwards. Klazomenai, Chios, Miletos, Samos and Lesbos were the leading production centers. The new data obtained in the recent years show that alongside these centers, transport amphorae were also produced in centers like Erythrai, Ephesos, Knidos and Teos.

The Stadiasmus of the (Great) Sea is a compilation work of compilation
works based on a long and very diverse tradition, combining
documentary layers, the oldest of which can be traced back to at least
the 4th century BCE and the most recent of which were not later than
the Emperor Augustus. Successive compilers have never tried to unify
its content or form. It therefore offers a case study that is ideal enough to
figure out the diversity of the tradition of the ancient periplography. This
contribution is based on a comparison between the forms and contents
of the various parts of the Stadiasmus and the rest of the written tradition
and identifies the dominant features of a literature that establishes
variable combinations between two extreme poles: the practical experience
of sailors and the expectations of an urban public.

Excerpt from article: The southern Levant and the Black Sea area are two regions that exhibit this broad, but thin, spread of Campana A ware. By considering the distribution of Campana A and its appearance in well-defined use contexts in these two regions together, we hope to elucidate the economic and social background behind this intriguing pattern of distribution.

In 1930, Calza published two terracotta reliefs found at Isola Sacra. They showed two scenes related to the profession of the deceased. They were identified as tabernae of a water seller, as in the inscription of one of them is present the name aquatari(us). In this article we argue that these are two tabernae but, in wich oil and wine were sold, as a result of the identification of the types of amphorae. The three types of oil amphorae from the scenes are in complete agreement with the three existing types of amphorae at Monte Testaccio (Roma) in the levels belonging to the late second century AD

Keywords: Oil amphorae, wine amphorae, Dressel 20, Monte Testaccio, Ostia, Isola Sacra, tabernae, terracota reliefs, water seller.

En 1930 Calza publicó dos relieves de terracota encontrados en Isola Sacra. En ellos se mostraban dos escenas relativas a la profesión del difunto que fueron identificadas como tabernae de venta de agua. Esta teoría se argumentaba en que en la inscripción de una de ellas está presente el término aquatari(us). En este artículo defendemos que se trata de dos tabernae de venta de aceite y de vino como consecuencia de la identificación de la tipología de las ánforas. Por otro lado, destacamos que los tres tipos de ánforas olearias de uno de los relieves son totalmente coincidentes con los tres tipos de ánforas existentes en el Monte Testaccio (Roma) en los niveles pertenecientes a finales del siglo II d.C.

Palabras clave: ánforas olearias, ánforas vinarias, Dressel 20, Monte Testaccio, Ostia, Isola Sacra, tabernae, relieves de terracota, aguador.

Paper for the conference “Olkas. From Aegean to the Black Sea. Medieval Ports in the Maritime Routes of the East”, Thessalonike, December 2013 (cf. http://www.olkas.net/com/9_Conference) .

Published in: Medieval Ports in North Aegean and the Black Sea.
Links to the Maritime Routes of the East. International Symposium
Thessalonike, 4-6 December 2013. PROCEEDINGS. Edited by Flora Karagianni. Thessalonike 2013.

In 2012, the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft granted funding to the major
collaborative research focus “Harbours from the Roman Period to the Middle Ages”
(SPP-1630) with the aim of interdisciplinary research on the phenomenon of the
“harbour”. One of these projects, “Ports and landing places at the Balkan coasts of
the Byzantine Empire (4th-12th century). Monuments and technology, economy and
communication”, focuses on the coastline from Dalmatia via the Aegean Sea to the
western Black Sea and the Danube delta. Based on an analysis of all available
sources and archaeological evidence, the aim is a complete survey of the coastal
towns, bays and estuaries documented in these regions for the period 300-1204 AD;
this should make possible differentiations with regard to the respective local significance
of harbours for regional communication as well as for long-distance trade.
The project will use the well-established methodological toolkit of the Tabula
Imperii Byzantini for the survey of the historical and monumental evidence in order to
augment the data basis of the already existing volumes of the TIB. At the same time,
we intend to combine this information with digital geo-data both from published material
(in print and online) as well as from own exploring voyages in the region; on
this basis, modern tools of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) can be used for
the analysis of maritime sites and transport systems. The aim of the present paper is
a demonstration of the explanatory value of instruments of GIS as well as of network
analysis on various levels for research on maritime sites, regions and networks with
three short case studies in order to illustrate the potential of our approach within
Byzantine maritime studies. These three case studies have been selected from regions
within the modern borders of Greece (respectively beyond for the last one),
which is the area of responsibility of the author of this paper in the above mentioned
project.

"Since its initial survey in 1995, the West Embiez 1 wreck has undergone four periods of excavation between 2001 and 2004. These deep dives (56m) are justified by the rarity of the main cargo, made up of raw glass, window glass (flat glass and oculi) and vessels. An additional cargo of amphoras for quality wine (Campanian Dressel 2/4 and oriental amphoras) has also been found. The pottery used on board is similar to the
kitchen ware found in western Mediterranean ports, which places this wreck on the border between the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. The absence of Late Roman A constitutes, at this moment in time, the most pertinent terminus ante quem. These initial results lead to a preliminary analysis on the function and the commercial value of this cargo and on the probable sea route."

In: Armit, I., Potrebica, H., Črešnar, M., Mason, P. & Büster, L. (eds) 2016. Cultural Encounters in Later Prehistoric Europe. Budapest: Archaeolingua.

This paper aims at analyzing cross-culture trade (i.e. trade between people of local origin and seaborne traders coming from Greek or Phoenician colonies or from Italy) in the northern part of the Iberian world (i.e. modern-days eastern Aragon, Catalonia and the southern part of the Languedoc), during the Iron Age and previously to the Roman invasion.  It will discuss the prevalent and often implicit assumption according which trade would have been made according to norms established by the seaborne traders themselves. It will briefly review the institutions of trade typical of the ancient Eastern and Central Mediterranean, and outline the materiality of such institutions. Through comparison, it will emphasize the specificities of the Iberian trading practices, mainly based on interpersonal relationship and mutual trust, and show that the seaborne traders adapted themselves to this peculiar reality. Last, it will discuss the modalities of this adaptation, by reconsidering the well-known Greek text of Pech-Maho (Sigean, Aude, France).

Using deposits recently excavated from the Panayia Field, this volume substantially revises the absolute chronology of Corinthian Hellenistic pottery as established by G. Roger Edwards in Corinth VII.3 (1975). This new research, based on quantitative analysis of over 50 deposits, demonstrates that the date range for most fine-ware shapes should be lowered by 50-100 years. Contrary to previous assumptions, it is now possible to argue that local ceramic production continued in Corinth during the interim period between the destruction of the city in 146 B.C. and when it was refounded as a Roman colony in 44 B.C. This volume includes detailed shape studies and a comprehensive catalogue. With its presentation of this revised "Panayia Field chronology," Corinth VII.7 is a long-awaited and much-needed addition to the Corinth series.

The archaeological project in Sungai Batu discovered more than 90 mounds  (sites) that may contain monumental archaeological findings. SB2B and SB2D are two of those  sites unearthed nearby ancient  river which connected to the Sungai Batu riverine network. The findings in those two sites include brick  structure  with possible floor  features, potsherds, beads, stone tools and  iron  slags. Based on the radiocarbon dating on  charcoal sample, the site dated from the 5th CE. These sites might have been a remnant of an ancient  jetty  used to load and unload trade
commodities that may include iron ores. These sites can be used as an evidence of the existence of an upriver-downriver economical interaction.  The discovery of these two river jetties may affirm the complexity of the Site of Sungai Batu not only  as a centre for religious and production activities, but also the exchange of commodity, namely the iron based trade. This paper discusses the result of preliminary research done on those two sites, in terms of forms and its functions, and  relation to the history of Sungai Batu.

На протяжении полевого сезона 2015 г. ЮКАЭ продолжила исследования поселения Тарасова Балка. Исследования велись на 3-х участках, было раскопано 170 кв. м.  Раскоп 2 в северной части продемонстрировал уменьшение мощности и насыщенности культурного слоя по мере продвижения от склонов холма к плоской его части. Раскоп 3 в западной части памятника, заложенный на месте магнитной аномалии открыл место, усыпанное артефактами - возможно, остатки очага и жилого сооружения.  Обнаружена однослойная выкладка из галечника, где найдены удила, псалии, часть акинака, фрагменты разбитых черпаков, обломки клазоменских амфор. Возможно, выкладка имела ритуальное назначение.

The Stadiasmus of the (Great) Sea is a compilation work of compilation works based on a long and very diverse tradition, combining documentary layers, the oldest of which can be traced back to at least the 4th century BCE and the most recent of which were not later than the Emperor Augustus. Successive compilers have never tried to unify its content or form. It therefore offers a case study that is ideal enough to figure out the diversity of the tradition of the ancient periplography. This contribution is based on a comparison between the forms and contents of the various parts of the Stadiasmus and the rest of the written tradition and identifies the dominant features of a literature that establishes variable combinations between two extreme poles: the practical experience of sailors and the expectations of an urban public.

S'occupant de l'Hydrie grecque en bronze mise au jour à Artánd (Hongrie) et publiée par J. G. Szilágyi dans son ouvrage Le rayonnement des civilisations grecque et romaine sur les cultures périphériques (Paris, 1965, pp. 386-390) et en attendant l'ample étude annoncée par Mihály Parducz, l'auteur de l'article essaye d'établir l'itinéraire de ce vase jusque sur le territoire de la Hongrie actuelle. Acceptant l'hypothèse avancée par J. G. Szilágyi, selon laquelle le vase aurait suivi la route qui reliait la plaine de la Tisza à l'Adriatique et à la Grèce, l'auteur produit à l'appui de cette hypothèse un argument supplémentaire, fourni par l'étude de la diffusion des différents types d'Hydries de bronze, d'après l'ouvrage d'Erika Diehl, Die Hydria. Formengeschichte und Verwendung im Kult des Altertums (Mayence, 1964). II ressort de la carte de leur distribution géographique qu'au VIe s. av. n.e. les Hydries de bronze n'avaient pénétré ni au nord et à l'est de la mer Egée, ni dans les colonies grecques du littoral du Pont-Euxin, alors que leur présence était signalée sur les côtes de l'Adriatique et dans les territoires voisins. Le vase mis au jour à Artánd datant de la première moitie du VIe s., a dû par conséquent suivre cette route. Par contre, l'Hydrie de Bene (Ukraine subcarpatique) que E. Diehl date des années 470-440 av.n.e. peut provenir d'un centre nord-pontique, étant donné que de tels vases, datant des Ve-IVe s. ont été mis au jour dans cette région.

The far western area of the Mediterranean and its Atlantic extension beyond the legendary Stelai of Hercules were famous in Antiquity among other things for its renowned salted fish products, in addition to the maritime character of many of its cities, the frenetic activity of its ports and its skill in navigating the unexplored ocean.

In this area, recent archaeological developments and the emergence of additional pathways of approach (such as Archaeo-zoology, Archaeology of Salt, etc.) have made it possible to overcome outdated debates and integrate data into a single historical discourse that gradually enables a better understanding of the archaic origins of fishing, salt-fish and preserved-fish trade by the western Phoenicians, technologies brought and improved by the first waves of Levantine settlers as well as potter’s wheel or complex kilns, intensive farming, etc. This industrial activity linked to fish processing, pottery production and commerce expanded greatly from 6th/5th centuries BC and established itself as a key of the regional economy, and furthermore as an essential feature of the regional seascape. 

Although we are sure that many of the Phoenician colonies and Punic cities of this privileged biological environment took part in fishing, canning and the commercial activities to which we refer, most likely the main reference in this field is the one provided by Gadir/Gades (modern Cádiz Bay), whose salted-fish products were repeatedly mentioned by ancient Greek and Latin authors. Moreover, the archaeological evidence now makes possible to characterize not only their salt-fish factories, pottery workshops, salt-works, species caught, etc., but also to approximate the systems of exploitation and marketing of these famous products appreciated in countless homes all around the ancient Mediterranean. The aid of faunal remains (fish bones, scales, etc.) is being useful as well for discussing about the primary goods manufactured, mainly tàrichos (salted fish meat), and maybe variants of gàron (fish sauces) that were made not only from tuna but also from other types of fishes of different sizes.

This particular case, on which will focus especially our attention, could also help us to illustrate the complex process by which the traditional Phoenician salt-fish industry evolved during the two centuries preceding the princeps under the control of Rome to adapt, expand and reach levels of development even greater than those achieved in earlier phases. We will undertake this task following diachronic criteria, from its origins to its dissolution in the Roman late-republic, examining issues such as fishing, preserved-fish and fish sauces, pottery production and salt in the western basin of the Mediterranean.

This article deals with on early group of Klazomenian transport amphorae that exhibit common characteristics in terms of clay composition, shape and decoration features. In relation to the small number of amphorae from Klazomenai the examples found at the sites overseas are not numerous. This unique type of amphorae found at sites besides Klazomenai are generally labeled as Chian production and are dated to the late 7th century B.C. The archaeological evidences at Klazomenai strongly support the identification of Klazomenai as the major amphora production centre of this particular type. All the available comparanda suggest a date between 650-620 B.C.

Ευχαριστώ θερμά τον Στρατηγό, Νομικό και Συγγραφέα κ. Νικόλαο Τασιόπουλο για την τιμη που μου έκανε να συμπεριλάβει τη βιογραφία και το συγγραφικό έργο μου στο εξαιρετικό πόνημά του, το οποίο αναφέρεται στην προσφορά στις Επιστήμες και τις Τέχνες των απανταχού Γαλαξειδιωτών ανά τους αιώνες.