Evidence of Maritime Trade at the Bulgarian Black Sea Site of Apollonia Pontica (7th-3rd centuries BC)

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

This presentation will highlight the evidence for trade networks and the distribution of goods at the ancient port city of Apollonia Pontica along Bulgaria’s Black Sea Coast. Founded in the 7th century BC by Milesians from western Ionia fleeing an incursion by their Lydian neighbors, Apollonia -- with its two excellent ports and easy access to the Bosphorus -- quickly developed into a major economic and trade center distributing goods from the Aegean, the Black Sea, and the Near East. It appears that Apollonia’s proximity to the copper ore deposits of the Medni Rid mountains and its abundant local fisheries aided its expansion. This presentation will discuss how the presence of certain pottery types, such as South Ionian Archaic Ib–c Wild Goat Style, Attic black-figure, and imported wine amphorae indicate exchange relationships with areas such as Attica, western Ionia, Rhodes, and Chios. The presentation will also explore the evidence for certain types of imported glass, as well as specific kinds of exotic fruits and nuts such as pistachios, dates, olives and pine nuts, to understand what kind of information they can provide about trade relationships between Apollonia and the Aegean, Ionian, and Black Sea regions.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 40287.0