Urban development in Antiquity at the border of the Greek oikoumene. Archaeological investigations in the outer urban territory of Olbia Pontica

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Jochen Fornasier
• Subject Area: Classical, Roman, Christian and Islamic Archaeology
• Term: from 2014 to 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 264558729

The aim of this joint German-Ukrainian project is to explore the development, size and structure of the outer urban territory of Olbia Pontica as an important urban component of a Greek Black Sea colony. Thereby, the continuation of the successful archaeological work of the first application phase and creation of new networks including geophysical prospection and geochemical ceramic analyses provide the basis for gathering as much information as possible in the second phase of the project. In this connection geophysical prospection offers opportunities to answer questions as to the extension and structure of the suburb as well as to its ancient western border. Thus, the related magnetograms from the test areas show clearly distinguishable anomalies in the assumed suburb area and in the already known necropolis area. Within one measuring segment between these areas even a linear anomaly of ca. 45 m length was located as potential evidence of an originally fortified western border of the suburb. Targeted archaeological fieldwork will be conducted on the basis of geophysical prospection, at the same time serving for checking and updating the results. The acquired data will be used to clarify the actual composition of the evidence, to trace lines of development and together with the spectrum of finds facilitate the chronological classification of the selected structures. Therefore, the assumption needs to be verified whether the development of the suburb began along the western route, slowly spreading inland, and whether differences according to the quality and execution of residential structures can be determined in relation to their distance from the representative traffic route. Altogether, three representative excavation areas have been selected, the findings of which will form the basis for comparative analysis. At the same time, the situation in the vicinity of the presumed fortified border of the suburb needs to be archaeologically examined. Finally, systematic ceramic analyses are intended to accompany the archaeological fieldwork, which are, in this form, a novelty for Olbia and will serve for investigating the development of local ceramic production in the 6th/5th century BC. The objective is to set up a reliable database which will take into account particularly the ceramic spectrum of finds from the suburb, ideally providing further insights relating to the determination of origin as well as the local and supra-regional trade relations. For completing the find spectrum additional comparative samples are planned to be taken in the Greek colony Borysthenes in the south and the indigenous settlement Nemirov in the north which could be very significant for the reconstruction of local trade relations, as an extensive locally and Greek determined ceramic spectrum is known from both settlements.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Ukraine
• Co-Investigator: Privatdozentin Dr. Alla Bujskich
• Cooperation Partner: Dr. Andrej Ivcenko