The Northern Black Sea in Antiquity: Networks, Connectivity, and Cultural Interactions

This article first appeared in ISAW Newsletter 20 (Winter 2018).

Valeriya Kozlovskaya (ISAW VRS 2008-9), ed., The Northern Black Sea in Antiquity: Networks, Connectivity, and Cultural Interactions (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2017).

The Northern Black Sea region, despite its distance from the centers of classical civilizations, played an integral role in the socio-economic life of the ancient Greco-Roman world. The chapters in this book, written by experts on the region, explore topics such as the trade, religion, political culture, art and architecture, and the local non-Greek populations, from the foundation of the first Greek colonies on the North Pontic shores at the end of the seventh and sixth century BCE through the first centuries of the Roman imperial period. This volume closely examines relevant categories of archaeological material, including amphorae, architectural remains, funerary and dedicatory monuments, inscriptions, and burial complexes. Geographically, it encompasses the coastal territories of modern Russia and Ukraine. The Northern Black Sea in Antiquity embraces an inclusive and comparative approach while discussing new archaeological evidence, offering fresh insights into familiar questions, and presenting original interpretations of well-known artifacts. (Cambridge University Press)