For the Discussion on the “Black Sea” and “Globular” Amphorae in Byzantine Taurica. Some Observations concerning Their Chronology and Attribution in the Light of New Archaeological Data

This article addresses the results of modern studies of the main types of transport amphorae in the Byzantine Taurica for the period of the “Dark Ages.” The analysis attracts new archaeological complexes from the Crimea, the Lower Don Area, the Taman Peninsula, and the North Caucasus containing imported “Globular” amphorae and the “Black Sea” amphorae produced in the pottery centres of the Crimean Peninsula and published over the past 15 years. The conclusion is that from the second half of the seventh to the first half of the eighth centuries, the main type of amphora products on the local market were imported Byzantine “Globular” amphorae, which continued to arrive to the Northern Black Sea Area also later, as long as the middle or the second half of the ninth century. First of all, it comes from the materials excavated at the castle of Mangup in the mountainous Crimea. However, the dominant type of transport vessels from the second half of the eighth and ninth century were the “Black Sea” amphorae of two main types: smooth-walled with zones of fine corrugation and those with a grooved body (types 1 and 2 according to A. L. Iakobson). Despite the indicative stratigraphic situation revealed in Sougdaia and Phanagoreia, there is still no need for their chronological desynchronization. The examples excavated at the ancient town of Mangup, production centres and settlements on the Southern Coast of the Crimea generally show the synchroneity in the manufacture and circulation of these types of amphorae. The “Black Sea” amphorae continued to be used in the trade of the Byzantine Taurica as long as the beginning or the first half of the tenth century. In addition to the traditional eastern direction (Taman Peninsula, Don and Azov Sea Areas), they were also largely exported to other regions of the Black Sea and, most likely, the Eastern Mediterranean. This is indicated by the finds of grooved amphorae of type 2 along the Southern and Western coasts of the Black Sea, in the port area of ​​Constantinople, and, possibly, if one pays attention to their morphological similarity to the amphorae of the Butrint 2 / Bozburun 1 / Yenikapu 12 types and the unsolved question of the centre of production of the latter, in the Aegean and the Adriatics. In conclusion, there appeared arguments that historiographic attempts in historiography to set aside the clarification of the traditional typological scheme of the development of the “Black Sea” amphorae and to replace it with the international system of their attribution are too anticipatory. As the review of the most important modern discoveries in the field of research of Mediterranean “Globular” amphorae has shown, their study is still at the stage of forming a presentable source base, which is comparable to the situation with their analogues from the Crimea.