New research on Aegean & Pontic transport amphorae of the ninth to first century BC, 2010–2020

2020 ◽  
Vol 66 ◽  
pp. 117-144
Author(s):  
Mark L. Lawall ◽  
Chavdar Tzochev

Research on transport amphorae in the Aegean and the Black Sea regions during the past decade has progressed significantly, both accumulating, synthesizing and interpreting new and old data, and increasing attention given to previously neglected areas and periods. Much work has been done on identifying places of production, defining typological development and refining chronologies. Greece and Turkey are achieving greater prominence in the field, as is attention to the Early Iron Age. Old debates – such as on the purposes and the meanings of amphora stamps – have been reignited with new ideas and the roles of transport amphorae in socio-economic systems continue to draw attention. Another emerging trend is the effort to consider amphorae in the longue durée. As material grows and the field becomes more cosmopolitan, amphora studies increasingly face the challenge of aggregating and synthesizing data in a way that can encourage participation in the broader dialogues of economic historians.

2020 ◽  
Vol 95 (1) ◽  
pp. 238-266
Author(s):  
Malgorzata Daszkiewicz ◽  
Nadezhda Gavrylyuk ◽  
Kirsten Hellström ◽  
Elke Kaiser ◽  
Maya Kashuba ◽  
...  

AbstractIn an archaeometric research project supported by the Volkswagen Foundation (Project 90216 [https://earlynomads.wordpress.com/]), working groups consisting of chemists, geologists and archaeologists in Berlin, Kiev and Saint Petersburg collaborated on analysing pottery recovered from Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age burials and settlements from sites of different archaeological cultures in the steppes and forest steppes north of the Black Sea. The article presents the results of the classification of 201 samples using energy-dispersive X-Ray fluorescence spectrometer (pXRF) compared to the results of MGR-analysis and WD-XRF of these samples. Fingerprints for the seven sites studied could be defined.


2016 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 277-290
Author(s):  
Marcin Ignaczak ◽  
Yuriy Boltryk ◽  
Oleksandr Shelekhan ◽  
Oksana Lifantii ◽  
Łukasz Olędzki

Abstract The most challenging question regarding the defensive settlements of the Pontic forest-steppe is the reason behind their construction at all and size. The most frequent interpretations centre around two questions: were they to protect from external threats (i.e. the nomads) or were they the result of a carefully planned construction strategy related to the economic and social pressure from the Greek colonies in the Black Sea region? It is also possible that both explanations are true.


Author(s):  
Valenina Mordvinceva ◽  
Sabine Reinhold

This chapter surveys the Iron Age in the region extending from the western Black Sea to the North Caucasus. As in many parts of Europe, this was the first period in which written sources named peoples, places, and historical events. The Black Sea saw Greek colonization from the seventh century BC and its northern shore later became the homeland of the important Bosporan kingdom. For a long time, researchers sought to identify tribes named by authors such as Herodotus by archaeological means, but this ethno-deterministic perspective has come under critique. Publication of important new data from across the region now permits us to draw a more coherent picture of successive cultures and of interactions between different parts of this vast area, shedding new light both on local histories and on the role ‘The East’ played in the history of Iron Age Europe.


2018 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-27
Author(s):  
Daniel Pioske

Over the past twenty years our understanding of Philistine Gath's history (Tell es-Safl) has been transformed by what has been revealed through the site's early Iron Age remains. But what has received much less attention is the effect these ruins have on how we read references to the location within the Hebrew Bible. The intent of this study is to draw on the archaeological evidence produced from Tell es-Safl as an interpretive lens by which to consider the biblical portrayal of the site rendered in the book of Samuel, where the material traces of more amicable associations between Gath and highland populations invite us to reconsider the city's depiction in this ancient literary work.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 351-360
Author(s):  
Matthew D. Howland ◽  
Brady Liss ◽  
Thomas E. Levy ◽  
Mohammad Najjar

AbstractArchaeologists have a responsibility to use their research to engage people and provide opportunities for the public to interact with cultural heritage and interpret it on their own terms. This can be done through hypermedia and deep mapping as approaches to public archaeology. In twenty-first-century archaeology, scholars can rely on vastly improved technologies to aid them in these efforts toward public engagement, including digital photography, geographic information systems, and three-dimensional models. These technologies, even when collected for analysis or documentation, can be valuable tools for educating and involving the public with archaeological methods and how these methods help archaeologists learn about the past. Ultimately, academic storytelling can benefit from making archaeological results and methods accessible and engaging for stakeholders and the general public. ArcGIS StoryMaps is an effective tool for integrating digital datasets into an accessible framework that is suitable for interactive public engagement. This article describes the benefits of using ArcGIS StoryMaps for hypermedia and deep mapping–based public engagement using the story of copper production in Iron Age Faynan, Jordan, as a case study.


2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 1695-1722 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. K. Korotaev ◽  
V. L. Dorofeev ◽  
S. V. Motyzhev ◽  
V. N. Belokopytov ◽  
A. Palazov ◽  
...  

Abstract. Regular observations in the Black Sea basin started in the past century, and quite good multidisciplinary observing system operated in the 70–80ies based on the ship observations. Modern oceanographic observing system in the basin is built according to the GOOS principles. It includes space remote sensing observations, data of free floating buoys and costal observational network. Integration of the observing system and its real-time operation were started within the framework of the FP5 ARENA project and later were improved during the FP6 ASCABOS project. The coastal observing system which includes time series from the coastal platforms and multidisciplinary surveys of the coastal areas fulfilled by the research vessels was set up during the ECOOP. Paper describes all components of the Black Sea observing system operated during the ECOOP project and its applications in the framework of the project.


Author(s):  
Aleksandre Gogaladze ◽  
Mikhail Son ◽  
Matteo Lattuada ◽  
Vitaliy Anistratenko ◽  
Vitaly Syomin ◽  
...  

Aim The unique aquatic Pontocaspian (PC) biota of the Black Sea Basin (BSB) is in decline. Lack of detailed knowledge on the status and trends of species, populations and communities hampers a thorough risk assessment and precludes effective conservation. This paper aims to review PC biodiversity trends using endemic molluscs as a model group. We aim to assess changes in PC habitats, community structure and species distribution over the past century and to identify direct anthropogenic threats. Location Black Sea Basin (Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, Ukraine and Russia). Methods Presence/absence data of target mollusc species was assembled from literature, reports and personal observations. PC biodiversity trends in the NW BSB coastal regions were established by comparing 20th and 21st century occurrences. Direct drivers of habitat and biodiversity change were identified and documented. Results A very strong decline of PC species and communities during the past century is driven by a) damming of rivers, b) habitat modifications negatively affecting salinity gradients, c) pollution and eutrophication, d) invasive alien species and e) climate change. Four out of 10 studied regions, namely, the Danube Delta – Razim Lake system, Dniester Liman, Dnieper-South Bug Estuary and Taganrog Bay-Don Delta contain the entire spectrum of ecological conditions to support PC communities and still host threatened endemic PC mollusc species. Distribution data is incomplete, but the scale of deterioration of PC species and communities is evident from the assembled data, as are major direct threats. Main conclusions PC biodiversity in the BSB is profoundly affected by human activities. Standardised observation and collection data as well as precise definition of PC biota and habitats are necessary for targeted conservation actions. This study will help to set the research and policy agenda required to improve data collection to accommodate effective conservation of the unique PC biota.


Radiocarbon ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 645-654 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Chochorowski ◽  
Marek Krąpiec ◽  
Sergej Skoryj ◽  
Vadim Skrypkin

In 2002–2003, excavations were carried out within the early Iron Age fortified settlement of Motroninskoe Gorodishche in Mielniki (central Ukraine, obl. Cherkassy). The excavations revealed relics of a charred wooden structure in the core of the earth rampart, originally forming the outside fortification line of the settlement. Dendrochronological analysis of 20 charred pieces of the oakwood from the rampart demonstrated that they all represented a single construction phase. However, the chronology produced from them spanned only 62 yr, and the attempts of dating against the European oak standards were unsuccessful. For absolute dating, radiocarbon analysis was conducted on nine samples consisting of 4–8 tree rings, relatively dated and coming from selected timbers, of which dendrochronological sequences defined the above chronology. The wiggle-matching method allowed to determine the two most plausible periods tree cutting: 665–630 or 625–520 BC. The construction date of the rampart outlines the beginning of construction of the fortification system of one of the most heavily reinforced strongholds in eastern Europe raised by the local, settled population for defense against the nomadic Scythians invading from the steppe. Taking into account historic data and other dated artifacts, it may be assumed that the first period, 665–630 BC, would be more probable. This conclusion supports the historical process (crucial for eastern Europe) of migration of the Iranian Scythians from inside Asia and settling in areas around the Black Sea.


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