Interconnectivity in the Mediterranean and Pontic World

during the Hellenistic and Roman Periods

In Memory of Professor Heinz Heinen

PONTICA ET MEDITERRANEA
Vol. III

Editorial Board:
Victor Cojocaru (editor-in-chief)
Glenn Bugh, Altay Cokun, Mdlina Dana,
Cristian Gzdac, Alexander Falileyev, and Joachim Hupe

Interconnectivity in the Mediterranean

and Pontic World during the Hellenistic
and Roman Periods

Editors:

Victor Cojocaru, Altay Cokun, Mdlina Dana

The Proceedings of the International Symposium organized by the Iai Branch

of the Romanian Academy, the Museum of National History and Archaeology
Constana, the Research Project Amici Populi Romani (Trier Waterloo ON), and
the Cultural Complex Callatis Mangalia (Constana, July 812, 2013), supported
by a grant of the Romanian National Authority for Scientific Research, CNCS
UEFISCDI, project number PN-II-ID-PCE-2011-3-0054

Mega Publishing House

ClujNapoca
2014

DTP and cover:

Francisc Baja
Cover photo:
Map of the Greek geographer Claudius Ptolemy,
following a 15th-century manuscript

Descrierea CIP a Bibliotecii Naionale a Romniei

Interconnectivity in the Mediterranean and Pontic World during the
Hellenistic and Roman Periods / ed.: Victor Cojocaru, Altay Cokun,
Mdlina Dana. - Cluj-Napoca : Mega, 2014
Bibliogr.
Index
ISBN 978-606-543-526-1
I. Cojocaru, Victor (ed.)
II. Cokun, Altay (ed.)
III. Dana, Mdlina (ed.)
902

Editors, 2014

Editura Mega | www.edituramega.ro

email: mega@edituramega.ro

Contents Inhalt Table des matires

Preface
Note on Abbreviations
Contributors

9
17
19

Altay Cokun
Interconnectivity In honorem & in memoriam Heinz Heinen (19412013)
With a Complete Bibliography of His Scholarly Publications
25
Victor Cojocaru
Die Beziehungen der nordpontischen Griechen zu den auerpontischen
Regionen und Dynastien, einschlielich der rmischen Hegemonialmacht:
Historiographische bersicht
73

Po ntica & Micr o- A siat ica

Alexandru Avram
La mer Noire et la Mditerrane: quelques aspects concernant la mobilit
des personnes
99
Mdlina Dana
DHracle Trapzonte: cits pontiques ou micrasiatiques?

133

Blent ztrk
Some Observations on Tianoi Abroad and the External Relations of Tieion
/ Tios (Eastern Bithynia)
155
Adrian Robu
Byzance et Chalcdoine lpoque hellnistique: entre alliances et rivalits 187
Thibaut Castelli
Linterconnexion des rseaux conomiques: les changes entre le nordouest du Pont-Euxin et Rhodes lpoque hellnistique
207
Sergej Uakov, Sergej Boarov
Chersonesos Taurike und die gis im 5.3. Jahrhundert v. Chr.: Neue
archologische Fundkomplexe
229

Florina Panait Brzescu

Wandering Cult Images between the Aegean and the Black Sea Cities in
Hellenistic and Roman Times: from Dionysos Kathegemon to Dionysos
Karpophoros
251
Iulian Brzescu
Some Remarks on Hellenistic Terracotta Offerings in the Western Pontic
Sanctuaries
269
Johannes Noll
Appearance and Non-Appearance of Indigenous Cultural Elements on the
Coins of Asia Minor and Thrace
281
Costel Chiriac, Lucian Munteanu
Trade Connections between Asia Minor and the Western Pontic Area in the
4th Century CE. Some Sphragistic Considerations
299

Sele ucidica & Mi t hridat ica

David Engels
Je veux tre calife la place du calife? berlegungen zur Funktion der
Titel Groknig und Knig der Knige vom 3. zum 1. Jh. v. Chr.
333
Mustafa H. Sayar
Lysimacheia. Eine hellenistische Hauptstadt zwischen zwei Kontinenten
und zwei Meeren: Ein Ort der Interkonnektivitt
363
Glenn R. Bugh
Mithridates the Great and the Freedom of the Greeks

383

Marie-Astrid Buelens
A Matter of Names: King MithridatesVI and the Oracle of Hystaspes

397

Pontica Ro mana
Maria Brbulescu, Livia Buzoianu
Lespace ouest-pontique sous lempereur Tibre la lumire dun dcret
indit dcouvert en Dobroudja
415
David Braund
Neros Amber-Expedition in Context: Connectivity between the Baltic,
Black Sea, Adriatic and India from Herodotus to the Roman Empire
435
Florian Matei-Popescu
The Horothesia of Dionysopolis and the Integration of the Western Pontic
Greek Cities in the Roman Empire
457

Ligia Ruscu
Becoming Roman? Shifting Identities in the Western Pontic Greek Cities

473

Ioan Piso
Le sige du gouverneur de Msie infrieure

489

Marta Oller Guzmn

Recherches sur la prosopographie des magistrats dOlbia du Pont daprs
les inscriptions pour Achille Pontarchs
505
Costel Chiriac, Sever-Petru Boan
Roman Glass Vessels in the Western Pontic Area (1st3rd Centuries CE).
General Remarks
525
Giorgio Rizzo
Pontus and Rome: Trade in the Imperial Period

555

Micro-Asiatica Romana
Federico Russo
The Function of the Trojan Myth in Early Roman Expansionism in Greece
and Asia Minor
581
Hale Gney
The Economic Activities of Roman Nicomedia and Connectivity between
the Propontic and the Pontic World
605
Michael A. Speidel
Connecting Cappadocia. The Contribution of the Roman Imperial Army 625
Filiz Dnmez-ztrk ()
Erste Ergebnisse epigraphischer Feldforschungen in Bithynien (Gynk
und Mudurnu)
641
Indices

663

Preface

1. Building Bridges

or centuries, the people of the Khasi in the Indian province of Megha

lay have been constructing bridges in a unique way: they cultivate the
roots of rubber trees on both sides of a river, buttressed on the slim trunks
of betel nut or bamboo trees. It takes about 15 years for the roots to grow
into a bridge of 20 to 30 metres. Considering that such living bridges tend
to resist storm and weather for about half a millennium, the patience of
the Khasi seems to be paying off. And it is to be hoped that fathers will
continue passing on their special knowledge to their children.

For decades, some scholars have been working towards re-establishing

connections that bridge the divides between Classical scholarship in the
western and eastern hemispheres. First attempts had been made during the
Cold War, but the fall of the Iron Curtain brought about a range of new
opportunities. Western Europeans could now visit many more areas of the
Black Sea coast, integral parts of the ancient oikoumene, which had previ
ously been inaccessible to them; some of these scholars generously hosted
colleagues from eastern countries, helped them secure scholarships, sup
ported the development and publication of their investigations and gradu
ally cultivated interpersonal networks of exchange and communication.
The Interconnectivity Conference held in Constana ultimately has roots
in such a network that Heinz Heinen started to grow a whole generation
ago. In his later years, he repeatedly hosted Victor Cojocaru, who vis
ited Trier as a DAAD Fellow (2003) and Humboldt Fellow (20072009)
to devote himself just as his colleague Altay Cokun, who then was a
research associate (20022008) at Trier to interstate friendship relations
in the ancient world. He had already met Joachim Hupe in Odessa in 2001,
when the latter was pursuing the research project The cult of Achilles in
the Northern Black Sea region. All three of them were then mentored by
Heinz Heinen.
9

Preface

Our symposium was preceded by the epigraphic colloquium that took

place at the University of Trier in February 2009 and was dedicated to
the study of documents from the Black Sea area and Asia Minor. The
meeting was attended by Michael Wrrle and Christof Schuler, the for
mer and the current directors of the Commission for Ancient History and
Epigraphy of the German Archaeological Institute (DAI), both of whom
had hosted Victor Cojocaru in Munich previously. Other participants
included Alexandru Avram, professor at the University of Maine, and
Elmar Schwertheim, professor at the University of Mnster.
A conference on [the] foreign relations of the cities of the Black Sea area
and Asia Minor in Hellenistic and Roman times followed in 2010. It was
held in the Museum of National History and Archaeology at Constana in
close cooperation with Livia Buzoianu, Maria Brbulescu and Gabriel Cus
turea thanks to a generous grant by the same Museum. The publication of
the proceedings has been made possible through the support of the DAI.
Both meetings underlined the timeliness of the topic and fostered the
establishment of a permanent discussion group for the study of the
external relations of the Pontic cities. The latter caucus in particular soon
developed further into an interdisciplinary network of Romanian special
ists (epigraphists, historians, classical archaeologists and numismatists)
who aim at pursuing collaborative projects at the same level as Western
European institutions. In 2011 a proposal was submitted to the Romanian
Research Fund to support the creation of a synthesis of the external rela
tions of the Pontic cities during the Hellenistic and Roman periods (www.
ponticgreekcities.ro). At the same time, it was hoped that the proposed
research would also yield a valuable contribution to the international
debates on ancient poleis.
Moreover, the organizing of an international symposium on the external
relations of the Pontic Greek cities in Hellenistic and Roman times was
then envisaged as a central milestone of this project. A broad consultation
process began early in 2012, in which Altay Cokun was included as a
co-organizer. He was then based at the University of Waterloo ON, from
where he directed networks on the study of the foreign friends of Rome
(www.amiciropuliromani.com) and on the Seleucid Empire (seleucidgenealogy.com/ssg.html). In order to allow for a somewhat larger frame
work of analysis as well as for a further extension of the Pontic networks,
the conference topic was modified to: Interconnectivity in the Mediter
ranean and Pontic World. During the conference in Romania in July 2013,
10

Preface

Mdlina Dana generously accepted the organizers invitation to share the

burden of the editorial work.
In the spring of 2013, we communicated the title and program to Heinz
Heinen, when it was becoming uncertain whether he would live to see the
conference that had been planned to honor his achievements. We would
like to quote the following lines from his letter of reply (2 May 2013) that
attests to his dedication to and skills of bridge-building:
Lieber Altay, auf Deinen lieben Brief mchte ich wenigsten kurz antwor
ten, kurz deshalb, weil ich morgen schon wieder fr mehrere Tage statio
nr ins Brderkrankenhaus muss. () Dass Du und Victor Cojocaru die
Tagung in Constanta zu meiner Ehre durchfhren wollt, hat mich natrlich
sehr berhrt und erfreut. Wie gerne wre ich selber dabei, um die gemein
same Arbeit fortzusetzen! Jedenfalls wnsche ich der Veranstaltung einen
erfreulichen Verlauf.
Den Begriff Interconnectivity finde ich sehr passend, denn net-working
im Schwarzmeerraum war sehr wohl ein Anliegen der Pontosanrainer,
vor allem in rmischer Zeit. Die Idee, den ganzen Raum zu einem politi
schen Ganzen zusammenzuschmieden, ist in vorrmischer Zeit anachro
nistisch, trotz der Auseinandersetzungen mit den einheimischen Vlkern
und Stmmen. Erst das Rmische Reich hat die Voraussetzungen dafr
geschaffen, den Gesamtraum im Sinne eines kooperierenden Ganzen im
Imperium zu positionieren. Vielleicht habe ich unter dem Druck der hie
sigen (gesundheitlichen) Umstnde manches zu rasch formuliert, aber Ihr
knnt vor Ort ja alles Zweifelhafte auf den Prfstand stellen.

2. The Proceedings
Out of the 47 papers presented in Constana, 25 have been included into this
volume; one (by F. Russo) was further admitted as a very fitting contribution
to the subject of interconnectivity. In addition, the two opening addresses
that were biographic and historiographic in nature have been developed
further into longer articles that now form the beginning of the proceedings.
The two complement each other: the former (by A. Cokun) acknowledges
the merits of Heinz Heinen as one of the prime promoters of Pontic Studies
in the West, delineating the decisive steps in his career and summarizing
his main achievements through a biographical essay and a comprehensive
bibliography; the latter (by V. Cojocaru) presents an historical panorama of
the ideological confrontations among Classical scholars between East and
West, focussing on the external relations of the cities of the Northern Black
Sea coast, particularly as reflected in the epigraphic evidence.
11

Preface

The subsequent collection of papers has been organized according to geo

graphical and chronological criteria. They can be accessed easily through
abstracts in all three conference languages. In what follows, we intend to
provide a more systematic overview of the studies, based on how the main
themes of this volume are addressed: interconnectivity between cities and
regions of the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, as often manifested in
political and cultural networks or in local responses to major trends.
a) Several contributions deal with geopolitical implications. Adrian Robu
analyses the relations between the two most important cities on both sides
of the Thracian Bosporus, Byzantium and Chalcedon, studying the con
ditions for either solidarity or rivalry between them. For neighbouring
Bithynia, Filiz Dnmez-ztrk () reports on recent topographic and epi
graphic surveys: they were conducted in two hitherto neglected areas
that were strategically located near Juliopolis on the road that connected
Byzantium with Ancyra. A similar interest in regional history, but this
time for the Northern Pontic coast, is displayed by Sergey Ushakov and
Sergey Bocharov: based on two archaeological complexes (mainly unpub
lished ceramics), they draw conclusions on the political development of
the Taurian Chersonesos during the Classical and Hellenistic periods.
Five further studies enquire into the geopolitical framework of the South
ern Pontic coast or Asia Minor: David Engels reflects on the title of Great
King during the later Hellenistic period, concluding that its appearance in
the sources is less indicative of an anti-Seleucid trend but of a continuity
since the Persian Empire. Mustafa H. Sayar synthesizes the history of Lysi
macheia, a city located between two continents and two seas, whence it
was possible to control both the Northern Aegean and the entrance into the
Dardanelles. While the possession of the city changed over time, its strate
gical function remained the same. Glenn R. Bugh revisits a classical theme:
Mithradates VI Eupator and the freedom of the Greeks, though not from
a Pontic but Micro-Asiatic perspective; he argues that the king resumed
aspects of the Seleucid ideological framework, including marriage alli
ances. In the case of the oracle of Hystaspes, Marie-Astrid Buelens sug
gests that the same Mithradates took over and adapted Persian traditions
in Pontus. Finally, Federico Russo analyses the circulation of the myth of
Troy as a means of justifying Roman expansion into the East, whereby he
particularly elaborates on the agency of Attalus I of Pergamum.
Another four articles, still within this geopolitical group, look at the political
implications of the Roman presence on the Western Pontic coast. Two of them
treat an important inscription each: Maria Brbulescu and Livia Buzoianu
12

Preface

present a new document on a governor of Moesia Inferior who had hitherto

been unattested; Florian Matei-Popescu revisits a famous boundary dispute
arbitrated by Roman authorities. Both articles make valuable contributions
regarding the integration of the Left Pontus into the Roman administrative
system. Likewise, Ioan Piso opens a debate about the residence of the gover
nor of Moesia Inferior: based on archaeological and epigraphic evidence, he
prefers to identify the latter with Durostorum instead of Tomi as is the com
mon opinion. Ligia Ruscu studies the political and cultural changes under
Roman provincial rule by focussing on the spread of Roman citizenship and
the establishment of the institution of gerusia in the area.
Finally, Michael A. Speidel analyses the mobility of army units and the
gradual integration of Cappadocia into the Roman East, paying due atten
tion to the shift from an Oriental to a Mediterranean-Pontic framework.
Marta Oller Guzmn traces the civic life of Roman Olbia in the 2nd and 3rd
centuries CE, pointing out the citys dynamism at a time when it is consid
ered by most scholars to have been in a state of decline.
b) A second cluster of articles concentrates on the economic connections
of the Black Sea and its integration into commercial networks. Thibaut
Castelli studies the economic relations of northwestern Pontic cities with
Rhodes, pointing out their close ties with the Mediterranean as well as
their function of redistributing goods into the hinterland. Hale Gney dis
cusses the maritime networks of Nicomedia, pointing out the mobility of
the naukleroi, their wide-spun economic connections and the relations of
the Nicomedians with the Propontis, the Black Sea, the Aegean and even
further into the Mediterranean. Costel Chiriac and Lucian Munteanu dis
cuss commercial links between the Western Pontic coast and Asia Minor
during the 4th century CE, based on the study of lead seals inscribed with
the names of the cities that the goods originated from. David Braund traces
the routes by which amber was traded into the Black Sea in ancient times;
denying that the evidence warrants the existence of direct connections
from the Baltic area, he points out that amber from the north was normally
transported first south into the Adriatic and then eastwards; besides, one
has to reckon with supplies from India, coming in through the Caucasus.
Costel Chiriac and Sever-Petru Boan survey the evidence for glass arte
facts in the Northern and Western Pontic area, reflecting on their prove
nience (from Asia Minor, the Aegean and places further east) as well as on
their usage as either everyday or luxury goods. If this contribution serves
to illustrate the circulation of products into the Black Sea region, Giorgio
Rizzo pursues an opposite agenda, trying to identify what kinds of goods
from the Pontic and Propontic regions were exported towards the south
13

Preface

and west; this study is mainly based on amphorae and other archaeologi
cal materials found in Ostia and Rome.
c) A third group assembles those contributions that are dedicated to the
mobility of persons, artworks or cultural concepts. Alexandru Avram
presents an exhaustive investigation of personal mobility from and into
the Black Sea. Despite the lacunose nature of the evidence, some foci of
migration, such as Sinope and Heraclea on the South-Pontic coast and
Athens in the Aegean can be identified. Mdlina Dana further dwells on
the cities of the northern coast of Asia Minor; she asks if particular mobil
ity trends impacted the cities identities, such as by yielding an inclination
to inclusiveness versus exclusiveness, or by fostering the creation of par
ticular regional networks.
Blent ztrk synthesizes the history of Tieion/Tios from its foundation
as a Milesian colony down to the Byzantine period; a special emphasis is
placed on Tieians attested abroad and on the citys subjection to neigh
bouring powers. Florina Panait Brzescu analyses the circulation of differ
ing traditions of the Dionysus cult between the Aegean and the Black Sea
areas during the Hellenistic and imperial periods, accounting for the trans
formation of the perception of the divinity. The spread of iconographic
models in the West-Pontic cities is also the concern of Iulian Brzescu: by
looking more closely into the workshops of terracotta figurines, he tries to
distinguish between mere copies of general models and local adaptations.
Finally, Johannes Noll compares the iconography of coins from the Greek
cities of Asia Minor and Thrace: while the former are very rich in repre
senting motifs of local cultic traditions, the latter are not, probably because
of the hostile relations between Graeco-Romans and Thracians.

3. Acknowledgements
We would like to take the opportunity to express our sincere gratitude to
the many individuals and institutions that have supported the Intercon
nectivity Conference in Constana or the publication of its proceedings.
The symposium was organized by the Iai Branch of the Romanian Acad
emy, the Museum of National History and Archaeology Constana, the
Research Project Amici Populi Romani (Trier Waterloo ON), and the
Cultural Complex Callatis Mangalia. We are particularly grateful to
Meda Glea, Livia Buzoianu, Gabriel Custurea, Constantin Chera, Irina
Nastasi, Tatiana Odobescu and Mihai Ionescu. Their continuous and gen
erous support in the run-up to and during the conference was invaluable.
14

Preface

Among the other institutions involved, first mention is owed to the Roma
nian National Agency for Scientific Research (CNCS UEFISCDI): we are
grateful for its financial support of the conference as well as for subsidizing
the present publication. Moreover, the Kommission fr Alte Geschichte
und Epigraphik des Deutschen Archologischen Instituts (Munich)
offered ideal conditions to Victor Cojocaru for the last corrections of the
manuscripts and the preparation of the indices. The latter work was fur
ther supported by our colleagues Marta Oller Guzmn (Barcelona) and
Johannes Noll (Munich), to whom we are greatly indebted. We also owe
particular thanks to George John Bilavschi (Iai) for editing the illustra
tions of this volume.
As the three editors of the present volume, we would further like to
express our deep gratitude to our colleagues within the editorial board of
the book series Pontica et Mediterranea: Glenn R. Bugh (Virginia Tech,
Blacksburg VA), Alexander Falileyev (Aberystwyth), and Joachim Hupe
(Trier) have generously supported us in their capacities as reviewers and
language editors. Last, but not least, we would like to kindly acknowledge
that our collaboration with the Mega Publishing House has been very col
legial and efficient, so that we look forward to continuing this cooperation
in the future.

4. Epilogue
It would be presumptuous to hope that the current volume might con
tinue to be of interest to the Classical community for as long as one of
the rubber-tree bridges from Meghalay. We would nevertheless feel that
our efforts have been rewarded if the proceedings as a whole or individ
ual contributions contained therein not only serve as reference works for
topics of the ancient Black Sea area and its adjacent territories, but also
as stepping stones for further research and encouragement for construc
tive dialogues between scholars from West and East. If so, we would take
great pleasure in having made a modest contribution to the agenda set
out by Jeanne & Louis Robert (BE 1958, 320): Nous faisons, dans toute
la mesure de nos forces et de nos possibilits, un lien entre les savants de
tous pays sans aucune distinction et nous cherchons les servir tous par
nos analyses. After all, the same was the lifelong credo of Heinz Heinen,
to whose memory the present volume is dedicated.
August 2014

Victor Cojocaru, Altay Cokun, Mdlina Dana

15