From the Black Sea to Athens During the Archaic and Classical Periods
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The trade in salt-pickle d hsmsi and other fish from the Black Sea to Athens during the Archaic and Classical periods Muzaffer Dernir (Jniversil' o.l' M ull a, Ttrrkey Abstract This paper discusses the ancieni evidence for the catching and processing of hcunsi: which can be illuminatecl by' many modern accounts. The trade in small-fry, which could be salt-pickled as salsamerrta or turnecl into a salty, aromatic fish sauce (ganun), was as important as the more conspicuous trade in salted pelantl,s (palamut). which was one of the staples of the economy of Byzantium. Erzidence from Classical Athens implies that both locall1, producecl ancl imported small-frv (in the latter case predominantly hamsil wete a regular part of working people's diets, and an important item of trade between the Black Sea and the Aegean in the Archaic and Classical periods. Özet Bu Eahgmada, modern verilerin de rqrk tuttugu hamsinin vakalanmasr ve iqlenmesiyle ilgili antik kal,naklag tartl$- maktayrz. Antik Qa$'da küEük bahklar saisamenta adr aitrnda tuzlanmakta veya tuzlu-kokulu bahk sosuna (gcu-unl dönüqtürülebiimektevdi. Bu küEük bairklann ticareti, Byzantium ekonomisinin temel mahsüllerinden birini oluqturan ve ondan daha cazip görünen tuzlanmlq palamut (pelamr')'un ki kadar önemliirdi. Klasik Dönem Atina gehir devletinden sünümüze ulagan de1i1ler. hem verel üretilmig, hem de ithal edilmiq kügük balgrn (ithal edilenlerde hamsi a$rr basmakta), qahqanlann beslenmesinde sürek1i ver aldr$rnr, avnca Arkaik ve Klasik Dönem'lercle Karadeniz i1e Ege Denizi arastndaki ticaretin önemii bir kalemini meydana eetiriiisini ima etmektedir. (Engraulis fJantsi ertcrasichohLs) is a small, but very their name (Slastenenko 1956:92-93). ln general, pliny I Iprolific species of fish (fig. 1; Aelian, De Nattu-ct (31.95) states that the Romans call tinv fish aptLa, the Attintalitmt 8.18; Oppian, Halieutica 4.46S-500). In Greeks aphye (äqüfi, as this tiny fish is bred out of rain humourous magazines, jokes are even made that all (see aiso Pliny 9.160, Athenaeus 1.284r. However, fishes descend from hamsi, and it is humorously asserted Athenaeus (7.284f\ states that there are several kinds of that, if the hamsi had not been touched or harmed at all, aph-ue and 'a second kind is that ca1led gudgeon; this they could have fil1ed all the seas in the world (Hantsi comes fiom the small and paltry gobies which live in the 1951: 9). It is from the family Engraulidae. There are sand. and from precisely this small-fry others are two species. One is Engraulis Encrasicholus Pontictts. generated which are called ettcrasicholi' They are found all around the Black Sea. However, if we (öyrpoolloÄor; also see Aristotle, Historiq Animalitutt draw a line in the,middle of the Blacli Sea verticallv from 569b 16). Athenaeus (7.3001 328e) adds tltat ettctttsi- north to the south, the bulk of this type of lnntsi stock cltoli arc mentioned by Aristotie as being very small live in the western Black Sea. An insignificant fishes and non-migratory in his treatise On Aninnls and proportion of them migrates to live in the east. The other Fish.es. They are called öpiripog by the Chalcedonians. is Engraulis Encrasicholus Maeoticus (hantsi of the On the other hand, Aelian and Oppian (De Natw"a Maeotian Sea or eastern Black Sea hamsfi. They live in Artinmliwn 8.181- Halieutica 4.468-70) prefer to call southeastern parts of the Black Sea and in the Maeotian them eyypcruli5, although Aelian also points out that Sea at certain times of the year, from which they take some call Ihem encrasicltoli and he had even heard a 51 Tlte BIack Sea: Past, Present cutd Futtn'e aliegediy tluew themselves on the shores. Since they are very small, hantsi cannot oppose strong waves and the1, 1et themseives go. Because of this, they travel in large groups ciose to the sea surface. Most ofien. when they are quite exirausted and weak, they are thrown onto the iand. On 19 April 1928 (Friday) the shores were fuil of hamsi from the coastal town of Qömlekci in Trapezus to the torvn of Of (ihsan 1933: E). This mai. also be confirmed by ancient sources. Dio Chrvsostoni 1-;:.2+-S, 35.25) also claims that flsh simply threw themselves on the shore Fig. ,/. Hamsi at Byzantium. Although Braund (1995: 166) is cautious in accepting this. as it could derive tiom the political and moral judgments of the author, actual examples of this are thild name, 'woll--mouths' (Äv<öo'roUoS). So. this lecorded, as mentioned above. As shoais of lmmsi particuiar type of aplwe. Engroulis Enrasichoftrs. seems ti'equented shaliow waters and river mouths, and migrated to correspond to our hamsi. cl.assified by Slastenenko through the narrow waters of Cimmerian and Thracian (1956: 92). Russians call Engraulis EncrasicholtLs Bosphorus. it cannot have been difficult to catch large fuIueotictts'xamsa' or 'Azovka' (Slastenenko 1956: 96). quantities in antiquity by the simple methods which were In Engiish, they are called anchovies (Tliornpson 1941:. used even in the last century. For example, the flshermen 58: Davidson 1981: .18). Yet, I think it is still difficult to used torches rvhen they found the main source of lnmsi, applv this term definitely to a specific modern flsh. as in as they are attracted to the light. The casting-nets they the ancient sources some other sna11 tlshes. Iike used are like a barred cage with a long stick fol a handle, F.uppüs, are aiso referred to as anchovies (Thompson on wlrich the fire to attract the hunsi was set. Gas in a 1947:32). tin with a wick was used to create the light. After the Hontsi has come third in terms of the rveight of fish lrurnsihad moved to the light and filled up this iron cage. caught in the Sea of Azov, and first in the Black Sea knots were drawn tight to coilect it. Then it was taken to (Slastenenko f 956: 99). Hamsi especiallv contributes to the boat. The same process r.vas continued until the boat the economl' o1' the Black Sea region of Turkey as the lvas lullv loaded. These simple metirocls were employed most cauglrt fisir (Bi1ge 1912: 37-32l- Kutavgil 1978: 33: for catching lwnsitn the territorial waters of Trapezus in Ztunsrt [10 Januarv 1999], a daily newspaper in Turkev" the 1930s (ihsan 1932: 2l-24). also reported that hamsi and palanwt were the trvo larqest In the travel book which Evliva Qelebi wrote in the fish stocks caught in the Black Sea in the previous first half of the 17th century AD. lnntsi is especially season). Eighty-tive per cent of the tota,l lttunsi associated with the citv of Trapezus. To sum up the -l991 production of Turkev in came fi'om the eastern account of llvliva Qelebi. of all flsh. the people of Black Sea region (Mutlu 199.1: 1). Its procluction has Trapezus are especialiv fond of ltuttsi and lhev even continued to pla1, a substantial role in the Turkish fishing quarrel with each other in order to buv it flrst from the industrv, especiallv in the eastern Black Sea region of market. Part of the r'vinter season. callcd Rüz-r hamsi, Turkev (Anonvm. 1t175: 26; MLrtlu I994: 1: Bektas 1972: hstins j{) drys fronr 1 February to 20 Malch, clerives its 54--5-5). In the 1930s. its excess was being used extcn- name fi'orn it. The reason whv it appears during these sively as lertiliser (Anonvm- 1975: 1{J). lt was sprerci da1's is that in the time of Alexander the Great, in order over vegetable fielcls and garclens as it is useful tbr all to obtain lbocl 1bl the religioLrs ciuss" a spiritual person sorts of agriculturai prorlucts (ihsan ,t()-ll: 3()-31). The mastereLl a religious cercmony to in1'luence the coming of proclucts of llshine. especially llclt,r'i. have sLrbstantiltllv Itutn.yi,ltv throwing ir lrcrrr,rr:slrapecl lrronze object into the helpecl, in particular. thc cconomv of thc province of sea. Due to this^ il7 the lwtnsi of the Black Sca came to Trapezus (Biige 1 972: i2). tirc llor'l of Trapezus. ancl sotne even thter,v themselves Wc clo not have anv specific Iitelalv er,'idence onto thc shores. Tlre alrival ot ltunt.si at tlre rnarl<et is regarcling tlre export of lutntsi Irnm tlie lJlacli Sel rcui,rrt announcecl hv callers bkrrving pipes. Wlten thcy hear the in antiquitv. Neverthcless. givc:n the rroclern eviclcncc sound of the pipes. thc pcoplc. ar.rd cvcr.r the pricst in the above. I thinl' that /rrlnr,rr. w'hich has constitutccl the rnain irosque. ]cave their praviru artcl rush to thc nrarkct to bu1, fish source ol'the lllacl< Sca lirr ccnturies. r'nust have becn huttt.si. -fltey then put the rr ir.rto a piece o['e loth. Jokes l<rror,vn ancl r.vitielv caugirt in thc Blacli Sca since thc r,vere told at tlre f ish salcs. Whcn people see that water Archric and Llllssicll petiocls. l'hc troclet ti sorrrce s is pouring llor.n thc cloth. they shout.'do not rvaste it. us inclicatc that lit limr:s thcv wcro so tbr-rnclant that thev vou can nake rice out o1'the wlltcr'. Sornconc" trarlcd 58 Dctrrir (iiEo lliisevin, is sricl 1o have talien larri.sr 1r.om his putrirn bulli oi Ihe Jrant.si wcrc causht clurilg thc anlumn. u'intcr b1' 1i,t.. cluring i1s sale in thc rnlrli.cl. Whcn lhev ireul the ancl spring. bclween 1hc tronths o1'Novcnrbel ancl April. sound ol pipes. even the people in the bath rush to the esllcciallv bv the end ol .lanuar\' (Soe Ernrin 19-t(r: 7; ()7f,: markct.