Ceramics from Sinope in Olbia Pontica

Ancient Civilizations from Scythia to Siberia 16 (2010) 467-477 brill.nl/acss

Valentyna V. Krapivina

Abstract Connections between Olbia Pontica and Sinope were ﬁrmly established by the 5th century BC. The quantity of Sinopean goods in Olbia was especially numerous in the last quarter of the th4 to the ﬁrst third of the 3rd century BC. Tiles, louteria, amphorae containing wine and oil, and architectural terracottas were all imported from Sinope. These connections continued until the middle of the 1st century BC, when Olbia was destroyed by the Getae. They were renewed again in the 1st century AD and continued until the last quarter of the 4th century AD, when the settlement of Olbia came to an end.

Keywords Olbia Pontica, Sinope, Tiles, Amphorae, Trade

Connections between Olbia Pontica and Sinope were firmly established by the 5th century BC, as confirmed by two inscriptions and other archaeologi- cal materials found at Olbia. The first inscription is dated to the early th5 century BC. It is a decree in honour of Ietrokles, the son of Hekataios, a citizen of Sinope, who received the right of atelia together with his descendants.1 The second inscription from Olbia is dated to the third quarter of the 5th century BC. This is a decree in honour of the Sinopean tyrant Timesileos and his brother Theopropos. After they were banished from Sinope, Olbia granted thempoli- tia and atelia.2 Architectural terracottas of Sinopean production – such as antefixes and acroteria with palmettes – have also been found in Olbia.3 Furthermore, sinopis (iron minium) – the red paint from Sinope that was so famous in the Classical world – is mentioned in a graffito on a black-glazed calyx of the 5th century BC from Olbia.4 Thus the th5 century BC marks the beginning of trade connections between Olbia Pontica and Sinope.

1 This inscription is the earliestproxenia from the northern Black Sea coast and is the earliest source which conﬁrms connections with Sinope: IOlb, 13-14. 2 Vinogradov 1989, 109-111. 3 Skudnova 1958, 81-82, ﬁg. VII. 4 Vinogradov 1981, 80. © Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2011 DOI: 10.1163/157005711X560453

468 V. V. Krapivina / Ancient Civilizations from Scythia to Siberia 16 (2010) 467-477

In the first three quarters of the 4th century BC amphorae from Heraklea Pontica prevailed in Olbia5 as well as in other centres on the Black Sea coast.6 Amphora production in Sinope began later than in Heraklea, not earlier than the first quarter of the 4th century BC.7 The earliest examples of Sinopean amphorae found in Nikonion have been dated around 385-370 BC (fig. 1.1).8 The earliest Sinopean amphorae found in Olbia have been dated to the end of the 370s to the beginning of the 360s BC. They belong to type I (conical), variant I A (according to the classification of S.Yu. Monakhov) (fig. 1.2, 3). As a rule, these amphorae are not stamped, but on the neck of one vessel found in Olbia there was an oval stamp with the legend APXE(-).9 In the middle and the third quarter of the 4th century BC tiles from Sinope were more numerous in Olbia than local ones, and they were the main article of import from this centre (fig. 3).10 This state of affairs was surely connected to the increasing scale of building activity in Olbia, when the local production of tiles was insufficient. Later, the quantity of imported tiles decreased slightly, probably because of the expansion of local Olbian production. At the same time, imports of wine and olive oil from Sinope were increasing.11 The quantity of goods imported in Olbia from Sinope was especially numerous in the last quarter of the 4th to the first third of the 3rd century BC, when imports from Heraklea were decreasing12 before ceasing completely by approximately the first third of the 3rd century BC.13 Tiles, louteria (fig. 2.1-4), amphorae containing wine and oil, and architectural terracottas were sent from Sinope14 along with, possibly, at least some pithoi (fig. 2.5).15 Amphorae from Sinope were especially numerous in Olbia during the 3rd century BC, when they formed about 50.5% of all imported amphorae according to I.B. Brashinskiï16 and not less than 30% according to N.A. Leïpunskaya.17 These were mainly amphorae of pithoid type (variant II-E-2 or 3, after S.Yu. Monakhov) (fig. 1.4-14). Sinope became one of the main suppliers not only

5 Leïpunskaya 1981, 63. 6 Monakhov 1999, 158. 7 Monakhov 2003, 145. 8 Monakhov 1999, 190-191. 9 Monakhov 2003, 146-147. 10 Brashinskiï 1964, 302. 11 Brashinskiï 1963, 141. 12 Leïpunskaya 2010, 63-68, pls. 38-39. 13 Monakhov 1999, 426. 14 Brashinskiï 1963, 141; Leïpunskaya 1980, 36-40. 15 A study of this group of ﬁnds from Olbia has not been conducted. 16 Brashinskiï 1984, 164. 17 Leïpunskaya 1981, 76.