Environment and Habitation Around the Ancient Black Sea

Environment and human habitation have become principal topics of research with the growing interest in the Black Sea region in antiquity. This book highlights their interaction around all the coasts of the region, from different perspectives and disciplines. Here, archaeological excavation and survey combine with studies of classical texts, cults, medicine, and more, to explore ancient experiences of the region. Accordingly, the region is examined from external viewpoints, centred in the Mediterranean (Herodotus, the Hippocratics, ancient geographers, and poets), and through local lenses, particularly supplied by archaeology. While familiar disconnects emerge, there is also a striking coherence in the results of these different pathways into the study of local environments, which embrace not only Graeco-Roman settlement, but also a broader range of agricultural and pastoralist activities across a huge landscape which stretches as far afield as ancient Hungary. Throughout, there are methodological implications for research elsewhere in the ancient world. This book shows people in landscapes across a huge expanse, in local reality and in external conceptions, complete with their own agency, ideas, and lifestyles.

„This edited volume brings fresh insights to the investigation of the Black Sea region, collating numerous contributions that present a wide range of perspectives, methodologies, and concrete case studies on the topic of environment and habitation in the classical period. […] To sum up, the volume is a compelling read that advances current scholarship on the history and archaeology of the Black Sea region. I could easily envision this book being directed to undergraduate and graduate students, and scholars working on the Black Sea, as well as the Mediterranean and Caucasus regions." Marta Lorenzon in: BMCR 2022.03.19.