Empire of the Black Sea

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Duane W. Roller
Keyword(s):  
Roman Republic ◽  
Black Sea ◽  
Third Century ◽  
Asia Minor ◽  
The Black Sea ◽  
Northern Asia ◽  
Black Sea Region ◽  
Mediterranean World ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Almost All

Existing from the early third century BC to 63 BC, the Mithridatic kingdom of Pontos was one of the most powerful entities in the Mediterranean world. Under a series of vigorous kings and queens, it expanded from a fortress in the mountainous territory of northern Asia Minor to rule almost all the Black Sea perimeter. This is the first study in English of this kingdom in its entirety, from its origins under King Mithridates I around 280 BC until its last and greatest king, the erudite and cultured Mithridates VI the Great, fell victim to the expanding ambitions of the Roman Republic in 63 BC. Through a series of astute marriage alliances (one of which produced the ancestors of Cleopatra of Egypt), political acumen, and military ability, the Pontic rulers (most of whom were named Mithridates) dominated the culture and politics of the Black Sea region for over two hundred years. This book is a thorough exploration of the internal dynamics of the kingdom as well as its relations with the rest of the Mediterranean world, especially the ever-expanding Roman Republic.

The Founder

2020 ◽  
pp. 25-39
Author(s):  
Duane W. Roller
Keyword(s):  
Black Sea ◽  
Third Century ◽  
Asia Minor ◽  
The Black Sea ◽  
Alexander The Great ◽  
Northern Asia ◽  
Black Sea Coast ◽  
New States ◽  
Hellenistic World ◽  
Sea Coast

The Pontic state began with the ambitions of Mithridates I, known as “the Founder,” a refugee from the unforgiving politics of the generation after Alexander the Great. He sought refuge in the rugged country of northern Asia Minor and declared himself king in the early third century BC, establishing what came to be called the kingdom of Pontos, creating its first capital, the fortress city of Amaseia on the Iris River. He also established a foothold on the Black Sea coast at Amastris. By the time of his death in 266 BC, Pontos had begun to emerge as one of the new states of the Hellenistic world.

The Export of Slaves from Colchis

1989 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 114-125 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. C. Braund ◽  
G. R Tsetskhladze
Keyword(s):  
Olive Oil ◽  
Black Sea ◽  
The Black Sea ◽  
Black Sea Region ◽  
Mediterranean World ◽  
The Mediterranean

Polybius in a familiar passage, lists goods moving past Byzantium between the Mediterranean. world and the Black Sea region; among these goods, slaves are accorded a prominent place:…as regards necessities it is an unidsputed fact that the most plentiful supplies and best qualities of of cattle and slaves reach us from the countries lying round the Pontus, while among luxuries the same countries furnish us with an abundance of honey, wax and preserved fish; from the surplus of our countries they take olive-oil and every kind of wine. As for grain, there is give and-take – with them sometimes supplying us when we require it and sometimes importing it from us

scholarly journals Inventory of inshore Polychaetes from the Romanian coast (Black Sea)

2005 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 51 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. SURUGIU
Keyword(s):  
Geographical Distribution ◽  
Black Sea ◽  
New Record ◽  
Mediterranean Region ◽  
Systematic Position ◽  
The Black Sea ◽  
Polychaete Species ◽  
Black Sea Region ◽  
Inshore Waters ◽  
The Mediterranean

A survey conducted in inshore waters along the Romanian coast of the Black Sea from 1994 to 2000, yielded 24 polychaete species belonging to 10 families as follows: Polynoidae (2), Phyllodocidae (2), Syllidae (3), Nereididae (5), Spionidae (5), Capitellidae (3), Nerillidae (1), Sabellidae (1), Serpulidae (1), and Spirorbidae (1). Polydora websteri (Hartman, 1943) is a new record for the Mediterranean and Black Sea region. P. cornuta (Bose, 1802) is first recorded in the Black Sea. Additionally, two other species, namely Harmothoe imbricata (Linnaeus, 1767) and Typosyllis hyalina (Grube, 1863), are new to the Romanian fauna. The systematic position of some species is discussed. The information on geographical distribution within the Mediterranean region of species found is also provided.

scholarly journals “Locking up the Strait in the fifteenth century’s Ottoman Mediterranean”: The Bosporus’ sea forts of Mehmet II (1452)

X ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincent Ory
Keyword(s):  
Fifteenth Century ◽  
Black Sea ◽  
The Black Sea ◽  
Economic Power ◽  
Byzantine Empire ◽  
Mediterranean World ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
The City ◽  
Bear Witness

In the fifteenth century, the Mediterranean world was in turmoil. A new sultan, Mehmet II, had just inherited a vast empire stretching over two continents in the centre of which the ruins of the Byzantine Empire survived through the city of Constantinople. In order to seal his accession, he therefore undertook important preparations to conquer the “City guarded by God”. Mehmet then ordered the construction, within 4 months, of an imposing fortress nicknamed Boǧazkesen (the throat cutter). This coup de force is a testimony to the incredible military and economic power of this growing empire that masters a new war technology: artillery. The Ottomans, who were still novices in this field, had therefore had to adapt their fortifications to the use of firearms. Using local and foreign architects and engineers, the Ottoman fortifications built in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries bear witness to an architectural experimentation that seems to testify, like the work carried out in Rhodes by Pierre d’Aubusson or in Methoni by the Venetians, to a real research in terms of offensive and defensive effectiveness. In this context, the fortifications of Rumeli Hisarı and Anadolu Hisarı, built on either side of the narrowest point of the Bosporus in 1451-1452, are characterized by the presence of large coastal batteries that operate together. They were to block access to Constantinople by the Black Sea, combining sinking and dismasting fire.

Climate feedbacks in the Black Sea region

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mirna Matov ◽  
Elisaveta Peneva
Keyword(s):  
Black Sea ◽  
Decadal Variability ◽  
The Black Sea ◽  
Sea Temperature ◽  
Black Sea Region ◽  
Siberian High ◽  
Mediterranean Cyclones ◽  
Combining Data ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
The Impact

<p>The Black Sea is a large deep water basin on the border between European and Asian continents lying in the continental mid-latitude climate zone. Due to the prevailing westerlies during the year its climatic influence is better pronounced in the eastern border areas, however the sea is an important climatic factor for all borderline countries (Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Russia, Georgia and Turkey). The open plane in north direction enables the propagation of the Siberian High influence in winter. From the other side, the Mediterranean Sea influence is significant through the Mediterranean cyclones passing frequently the area.</p><p>The impact of the Black Sea on the surrounding area is analyzed combining data from several different sources: atmospheric data from climate reanalysis and regular synoptic measurements in coastal meteorological stations, marine observations from in situ autonomous profilers and satellite data on ice coverage in winter time. The aim is to investigate the interannual-to-decadal variability of the thermal regime and the exchange of heat between atmosphere and sea. In addition, the relation to the intensity of the main climate centers of action (Siberian High and Mediterranean Low) is analyzed. The winter severity is defined in the different zones around the sea through the number of cold days and the connection with the sea temperature is studied.</p>

scholarly journals ON SOME PROBLEMS CONNECTED WITH SOURCES ON THE BEGINNINGS OF THE SCYTHIAN HISTORY

2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 410-417
Author(s):  
A. P. Medvedev
Keyword(s):  
Black Sea ◽  
Cultural Identification ◽  
The Black Sea ◽  
Archaeological Evidence ◽  
Black Sea Region ◽  
Current State ◽  
Literary Sources ◽  
Greek Tradition ◽  
State Of Affairs ◽  
Almost All

The subject of this article is the problem of correlation and verification of ancient literary sources and archaeological evidence with a view to reconstruct the history and culture of the early Scythians. The author analyzes the current state of affairs in cultural identification of the Cimmerians and the Scythians in Russian archaeological and historical science and shows drawbacks of the hypercritical approach to ancient literary sources on the basis of the early Greek tradition on the Cimmerians and the Scythians in the Northern Black Sea region. If we use the methods that have been recently used to analyze the Greek tradition on the Cimmerians, we will have to make a disappointing conclusion that not only the Cimmerians but also the Scythians in the Northern Black Sea region are virtually not mentioned for a period before the middle of the 5th century BC. The archaeological evidence can largely make up for the shortage of narrative sources on the Scythians. The author makes a conclusion that the «old» hypothesis about the arrival of the Scythians in the Black Sea region (based on the third Herodotus’ story) and replacement of the late pre-Scythian culture by the early Scythian one combines almost all known literary and archaeological evidence into a more consistent theory than the «new» approach offered in the 1990s and stating that the Cimmerians were bearers of the Early Scythian culture known only to the west of the Euphrates.

scholarly journals Winter-spring cyclonic variability in the Mediterranean-Black Sea region associated with global processes in the ocean-atmosphere system

2011 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 237-243 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. N. Voskresenskaya ◽  
V. N. Maslova
Keyword(s):  
Black Sea ◽  
El Niño ◽  
El Nino ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
The Black Sea ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Black Sea Region ◽  
Atmosphere System ◽  
Ocean Atmosphere ◽  
The Mediterranean

Abstract. Using global NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data set on 1000 hPa geopotential height (1948–2006), cyclones in the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions were detected and their main characteristics (frequency, depth, integrated area) were calculated. Analysis of their interannual-multidecadal variability in January-March associated with global processes in the ocean-atmosphere system was done. It was shown that North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) manifests in the Black Sea region mainly in the variability of frequency of cyclones while in the Mediterranean – in the interannual anomalies of cyclones' depth and area. Joint NAO and El Nino – Southern Oscillation (ENSO) influence is responsible for about 20–45% of cyclones' frequency variance in the Black Sea region, and in the Mediterranean region for up to 10–25 and 20–30% of the depth and area variance, accordingly. As a result of using a new approach to study ENSO manifestations based on El Nino classification, correlation coefficients between characteristics of cyclones and Southern Oscillation index (SOI) increase at least twice. The influence of the Pacific Decadal and Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillations on variability of cyclonic activity in the Mediterranean-Black Sea region manifests in considerable differences of cyclones' characteristics and their typical location.

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