Ancient Cities

Ancient cities on the Black Sea coast were established between the 8th and the 6th centuries BC as a result of the so-called Great Greek Colonization.

In the 8th century BC, the first Greek settlements emerged on the southeastern coast of the Black Sea, primarily serving as bases for raiding parties. The oldest among them are Sinope and Trebizond. In the second half of the 8th century BC, Cimmerians destroyed these new settlements, and only by the end of the 7thcentury BC and 6th century BC did Greek colonization begin again: in the 30s of the 7th century BC, Miletus, a Greek city on the coast of Anatolia, established a new colony in Sinope; while in the 7th century BC, city of Phocaea helped settle Amisos.

In the second half of the 6th century BC, new Greek settlements appeared on the eastern coast of the Black Sea, specifically: Phasis (near Poti), Dioscurias (near Sukhumi), and Gyenos (with Ochamchire).

During the period of Greek colonization, city-type settlements with the highest political organizational structure already existed in Colchis. It had developed a commodity and production-based economy (metalworking, ceramics, textile production, artistic craftsmanship) and a monetary economy. These cities were mostly located on the coastal strip of the Black Sea. Therefore, apart from agriculture and crafting, their economic activity was closely linked to the sea (processing iron sand and fishing). These circumstances determined the failure of Greek colonization and its relatively small scale in the eastern Black Sea region. In the 6th to 5th centuries BC, the existence of Colchis and local cities impaired the creation of Greek poleis with independent socio-economic basis that could exploit the local rural population. Greek settlements on the shores of Colchis were mostly emporions, which facilitated trade and economic relations between Colchis and the Antique World.

The cities on the Black Sea coast had active commercial and economic relations with the Mediterranean centers of that time. From here, the Black Sea cities imported vanity items, clay and metal products, olive oil, precious metals, textiles, perfume, etc. The main export from the Black Sea cities was grain (from the northern Black Sea coast), livestock, salted fish, wood (from Colchis), etc. Almost all the cities minted their own copper or silver coins.

Greeks did not bring advanced forms of Hellenistic social and political organization to the eastern coast of the Black Sea (Colchis). Thus, they had no significant role in the formation of the socio-political institutions of Colchis and the development of its material culture. Archaeological materials confirm the existence of cultural unity of coastal and inland Colchis, which was based on the centuries-long Colchic tradition of the Bronze Age.

At the end of the 2nd century and the start of the 1st century BC, King of Pontus, Mithridates VI Eupator conquered cities on the south-east and north Black Sea coast. In the 1st century AD, Romans conquered these cities and turned them into military camps.  

In the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD, the "Barbarian" tribes actively began to emerge (for example, there was rapid Sarmatization of cities along the Bosphorus). In the 3rd and 4th centuries AD, Black Sea coastal settlements experienced increased attacks by the Goths. During this period, trade and economic relations with the Greek cities of the Mediterranean abruptly stops. The rapid decay of these settlements began and by the end of the 4th century AD, they ceased to exist. Only a few of them (Trapezus, Histria, Chersonesus, etc.) were revived in the Middle Ages.

Literature: ლომოური ნ., კოლხეთის ბერძნული კოლონიზაცია, თბ., 1962; ლორთქიფანიძე ო., ანტიკური სამყარო და ძველი კოლხეთი, თბ., 1966; Аничные города Северного Причерноморья. Сб. Статей. Под ред. В. Ф. Гайдукевича и М. И. Максимовой, М.-Л., 1955; Блаватская Т. В., Западнопонтийские города в VII – I веках до н. э., М., 1952; Блаватский В. Д., Античная археология Северного Причерноморья, М., 1961; Гайдукевич В. Ф., Боспорское царство, М. Л., 1949; Жебелев С. А., Северное Причерноморье, М.-Л., 1953; Инадзе М. П., Приченоморские города древней Колхиды, Тб., 1968; Шелов Д. Б., Античный мир в Севером Причерноморье, М., 1956.

G. Lortkipanidze