black sea

An exceptional importance for the reconstitution
of Greek life in North-Western Pontus had the
excavations started in 1914, at Histria, by Vasile
Pârvan (1882-1927), the founder of Romanian scientific
archeology.
Istros or Istropolis – the city on the river Istros
by excellence – Histria or Histros for Romans, was
according to tradition a colony of Miletos, established
after Eusebios-Hieronymos, in the year 657
B.C. With less precision Pseudo-Scymnos dated the
moment in the second part of the VII th Century
B.C., thus allowing the archeological support of
ceramic pieces of Ionic imported poteries 14 as well.
For the impact of the Milesian implantation in
these lands the burial ceremony is very significant,
since the VI th Century B.C. in tomb necropolis
around Histria of some Getic leaders. 15 This is a
proof of the normal relation with Getic population,
of leaders’ aspirations towards the Hellenic civilization,
visible also under other Pontic horizons.
However, the growing prosperity of the Milesian
colony in the next two centuries after establishment
is explained by the active commerce with
natives and by the possibility of relatively peaceful
exploitation of the rural domain (chora), which
gradually the city succeeded to take over. Oil,
wines, handicrafts imported or manufactured by
Istros colony penetrated further the great river,
being profitably traded for cereals, honey, furs,
skins, slaves, and especially fish, articles extremely
necessary to Greece and Ionia.
This first stage of evolution was marked by the
great Persian expedition of King Darius, against the
Scythians (513 B.C.), to which were associated the
devastation traces in the archeological sectors of the
Sacred and X zones from Histria. This supposition is
sustained by some funerals in Histrian necropolis and
also by the narration of the Iranian expedition, the
construction of the transdanubian ship bridge taking
place, according to Herodotus, at the mouths of the
Danube, and the army of Darius marching Peuce
island toward the North Pontic steppes.
Reconstruction will not delay, toward the year
480 B.C. the city released its first coins, obvious
sign of a prosperous economic life. It was not exempt
of internal shakings provoked by the accumulation
of notable wealth in hands of a few families
of merchants, ship-owners, bankers, and land
owners, an oligarchy that understood to take over
the political leadership as well. Instauration of democracy
took place under these conditions with
violence and sustained probably by Athens, organizer
during the Peloponnesian war of the known
maritime periplus of Pericles in Pontus (436 B.C.).
The IV th Century had to be perturbed, after its
first half, both by the penetration into Dobroudja
• A part of the
Northern precinct
of Callatis
10 ����� Review of Military History �����