The Oreios’ Letter from Myrmekion

The author has republished a lead letter from the excavations at Myrmekion in 2017, dating from the third or fourth quarters of the fifth century BC. The sender, Oreios, addresses greetings to four recipients: his manager Pythocles, the captain of his ship Diodoros, and two companions — Kerkion and Saittines. In the letter, Oreios expresses his troubles and provides a series of instructions. He requests that Pythocles send him a cloak for himself, along with two additional cloaks for sale. He also asks Pythocles to capture a slave who has robbed him and escaped, and to send two other slaves to an unnamed individual. Furthermore, Oreios requests that the kybernetes deliver a letter to him from a third party. He asks Pythocles to inform Kerkion and Saittines about the opportunities available to them on his ship. The letter portrays Oreios as a wealthy merchant and shipowner engaged in extensive trade, spanning from Eastern Crimea to the Island known as Νῆσος (present-day Taman Peninsula). It also includes the ancient name of the Akmonai Isthmus (Τράχηλος) and introduces three new names: Εὔποντις (or Εὐποντίς), Κερκίων, and Σαϊττίνης. Additionally, the letter provides information about a location on the Akmonai Isthmus that was considered dangerous for travelers in the fifth century BC.