black sea

1 The term Pontus means the open and far stretching
sea: Hom.Il. VI 29, Hom. Od. III 158. Pontus
(meaning Euxinus): Herod. VII 147, Aesch. Pers. 878,
Aristoph. Vesp. 700. Euxinus Pontus: Herod. I 6, Thuc.
II 96, Eur. Iph. Taur. 123.
2 For a detailed account of the Argo Expedition
see: Pind. Pyth. 4,117-187, Schol. Apoll. Rhod, Arg. 1,
20 sqq. Apollod. 1,111-113. Also see: K. Meuli, Od.
und Argonautika, Berlin 1921, I.R. Bacon, The Voyage
of the Argonauts, Methuen 1925, R. Roux, Le
problème des Argonautes, Paris 1949, H.V. Geisau,
Argonautai (Áñãïíáýôáé), LA 1 (1979) 537-539. Ðñâë:
M. -M. Simpsas, The Navy in Greek History, I (in
Greek), published by the Hellenic Navy General Staff,
Athens 1982, 45-47.
3 Strab, Geogr. 7 3,18.
4 S. E. Lykoudes, The Euxine (Åýîåéíïò Ðüíôïò),
MEE 11 (1929) 756.
5 Hom. Od. ×É 15 - 16. As Strabo (7 3,8) states,
Apollodorous accuses Homer of presenting false evidence
as true due to ignoring the actual elements of
the geography of the Euxine.
6 Strab. 7 1,1 The maximum length of the Euxine
is 980 klm and its maximum width between Herakleia
and the mouths of the river Hypanis is 530 klm. See:
Chr. Danoff, Pontos Euxeinos, LA 4 (1979) 1051. More
about Euxine see idem, Pontos Euxeinos, RE Suppl.
IX 866-1175.
6a B.W. Labaree, How the Greeks sailed into the
Black Sea, AJA 61 (1957) 29 sqq.
7 Apollod. De navium, II (= Strabo 7 3,7). E.H.
Minns, Scythians and the Greeks, Cambridge, 1913.
8 Dion. Perieg. l. 146, Scymn. Ch. Peripl. l. 734,
Eust. Parecb. in Dion. Per. l. 146.
9 Scymn. Ch. Per. l. 733.
10 2 J. Berard, La colonisation grecque, Paris 1957 .
Also R. Drews, The Erliest Greek Settlements on the
Black Sea, JHS 96 (1976) 18-31.
11 Chrys. P. Kardara, Introduction into Ancient
History. The creation and development of Greek Cities
(1200 – 500 BC) (in Greek, ÅéóáãùãÞ åéò ôçí
Áñ÷áßáí Éóôïñßáí. Äçìéïõñãßá êáé áíÜðôõîéò ôùí
åëëçíéêþí ðüëåùí 1200-500 ð.×.), Athens 1981, 104.
For a very detailed account of the relevant elements
see El. K. Petropoulos, Ancient greek Colonies in the
Black Sea, I – II, BAR, Oxford 2007.
12 Markedly, Constantine Paparrigopoulos in his classic
work “History of the Greek Nation” «Éóôïñßá ôïõ
Åëëçíéêïý ¸èíïõò», I, Athens 19255 , 521 classifies the
Euxine colonies as ‘Milesian Institutions (Colonies)’.
12a T. S. Noonan, The grain Trade of the Northern
Black Sea in Antiquity, AJPh 94 (1973) 231-242.
13 Michael Sakellariou, The prosperity of Ancient
Greeks (in Greek, Ç áêìÞ ôïõ Áñ÷áúêïý Åëëçíéóìïý),
IEE, II, Athens 1971, 244-245 and 275. About
Cimmerians see: Ann Kammenhuber, Kimmerier, LA
3 (1979) 210-211.
13a El. K. Petropoulos, Aspects of the Early History
of the Euxine (in Greek, ÌåñéêÝò ðôõ÷Ýò ôçò
ðñþéìçò éóôïñßáò ôïõ Åõîåßíïõ Ðüíôïõ), journal
«Áñ÷áéïëïãßá» 76 (2000) 61-64.
14 D. A. Zakythinos, History of the Byzantium (324
– 1071) (in Greek, ÂõæáíôéíÞ Éóôïñßá (324 – 1071)),
Athens 1972, 73.
15 K. Karapli, Daras, a city-fort in Upper Mesopotamia
(6 th – 11 th century) (in Greek, ÄÜñáò, ìéá ðüëç
– öñïýñéï óôçí ¢íù Ìåóïðïôáìßá (6 ïò – 11 ïò áé.),
Kletorion, in memory of N. Oikonomides, Athens –
Thessalonica 2006, 147-8.
16 J. – R. Palanque, La préfecture du prétoire de l’
Illyricum au IV e siècle, Byz. 21 (1951) 5 sqq.
17 Ibid, Zakythinos, 96.
18 Concerning the Slavic activity in connection to
Istria based on the archaeological evidence see: E.
Condurachi, Histria à l’ époque du Bas – Empire d’
après les dernières fouilles archélogiques, Dacia (N.S.)
1 (1957) 245 spp. Also see: Ion Nestor, L’ établissement
des Slaves en Roumanie à la lumière de
quelques découvertes archéologiques récentes, Dacia
5 (1961) 429 sqq.
19 Concerning the origin of the Bulgarians and their
relationships with Byzantium and the Slavs see: Gy.
Moravcsik, Byzantinoturcica, I, Berlin 1958 2 , 108 sqq.
20 G. Ostrogorsky, Histoire de l’ état Byzantin,
Paris 1956, 198. Also see: Kath. Christophilopoulou,
Byzantine History (in Greek, ÂõæáíôéíÞ Éóôïñßá), II 1
(610 – 867), Athens 1984 2 , 126 – 127.
21 Christophilopoulou, op.cit., 166-177 and 180.
22 Ostrogorsky, op.cit., 134.
23 A. Pertusi, La formation des thèmes byzantins,
Berichte zum XI. Internationalen Byzantinisten – congress
München 1958, 26 sqq.
24 The Byzantines, already from the time of
Heraclius to reinforce the defence of the north shores
of the Euxine formed an alliance with the nomadic
race of the Khazars, that in time manage to establish
a kingdom in the North of the Caucasus. Thanks to
that alliance, the Empire managed to obstruct in the
Arab’s expansionist aims and tendencies to the north
coast of the Euxine through the Caucasus. Around
the end of the VII th and the start of the VIII th century,
the relations between Byzantium and the Khazars
worsened because of their intentions to limit the
Empire’s control over the Climates in Crimea. Since
711 and thereafter the relations of the Byzantines
with the Khazars improved again. See: Th. Nooman,
Byzantium and Khazars : a special relationship? In the
collection J. Shepard – S. Franklin (ed). Byzantine
Diplomacy, Variorum Reprints 1992, 220-241.
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