 The ruins of Olbia | |
  Shown within Mykolaiv Oblast | |
| Alternative name | Olbia |
|---|---|
| Location | Parutyne,Mykolaiv Oblast, Ukraine |
| Coordinates | 46°41′33″N31°54′13″E / 46.69250°N 31.90361°E /46.69250; 31.90361 |
| Type | Settlement |
| Length | 1 mi (1.6 km) |
| Width | 0.5 mi (0.80 km) |
| Area | 50 ha (120 acres) |
| History | |
| Builder | Settlers fromMiletus |
| Founded | 7th century BC |
| Abandoned | 4th century AD |
| Periods | Archaic Greek toRoman Imperial |
| Cultures | Greek,Roman |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 1901–1915, 1924–1926 |
| Archaeologists | Boris Farmakovsky |
| Condition | Ruined |
| Official name | Стародавнє місто Ольвія (Ancient city of Olbia) |
| Type | Archaeology |
| Reference no. | 140027-Н |
Pontic Olbia (Ancient Greek:ὈλβίαΠοντική;Ukrainian:Ольвія,romanized: Olviia) or simplyOlbia is anarchaeological site of anancient Greek city on the shore of theSouthernBug estuary (Hypanis or Ὕπανις) inUkraine, near the village ofParutyne. The archaeological site is protected as theNational Historic and Archaeological Reserve. The reserve constitutes a research and science institute of theNational Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. In 1938–1993 it was part of theNASU Institute of Archaeology as a department.
The Hellenic city was founded in the 7th century BC bycolonists fromMiletus. Its harbour was one of the mainemporia on theBlack Sea for the export of cereals, fish, and slaves toGreece, and for the import of Attic goods toScythia.[1]
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The site of the Greek colony covers the area of fifty hectares and its fortifications form an isosceles triangle about a mile long and half a mile wide.[2] The region was also the site of several villages (modern Victorovka and Dneprovskoe) which may have been settled by Greeks.[2]
As for the town itself, the lower town (now largely submerged by the Bug river) was occupied chiefly by the dockyards and the houses of artisans. The upper town was a main residential quarter, composed of square blocks and centered on theagora. The town was ringed by a defensive stone wall with towers.[3] The upper town was also the site of the first settlement on the site in thearchaic period.[2] There is evidence that the town itself was laid out over a grid plan from the 6th century – one of the first after the town ofSmyrna.[2]
By the later period of settlement, the city also included anacropolis and, from the 6th century BCE, a religious sanctuary.[2] In the early 5th century, a temple toApollo Delphinios was also built on the site.[2]
The Greek colony was highly important commercially and endured for a millennium. The first evidence of Greek settlement at the site comes fromBerezan Island where pottery has been found dating from the late 7th century.[4] The name in Greek means "happy" or "rich". It is possible that it had been the site of an earlier native settlement and may even have been a peninsula rather than an island in antiquity.[4] It is now thought that the town of Berezan survived until the 5th century BCE when it was possibly absorbed into the growing Olbian settlement on the mainland.[4]
During the 5th century BCE, the colony was visited byHerodotus, who provides our best description of the city and its inhabitants from antiquity.[5]
It produced distinctive cast bronze money during the 5th century BCE in both the form of circular tokens withGorgon heads and unique coins in the shape of leapingdolphins.[6] These are unusual considering the struck, round coins common in theGreek world. This form of money is said to have originated from sacrificial tokens used in the Temple ofApollo Delphinios.[citation needed]
M. L. West speculated that earlyGreek religion, especially theOrphic Mysteries, was heavily influenced by Central Asianshamanistic practices. A significant amount of Orphic graffiti unearthed in Olbia seems to testify that the colony was one major point of contact.[7]
After the town adopted a democratic constitution in the 4th century BCE, its relations withMiletus were regulated by a treaty,[9] which allowed both states to coordinate their operations againstAlexander the Great's generalZopyrion in the 4th century BCE. By the end of the 3rd century, the town declined economically[note 1] and accepted the overlordship of KingSkilurus ofScythia. It flourished underMithridates Eupator but was sacked by theGetae underBurebista, a catastrophe which brought Olbia's economic prominence to an abrupt end.
Having lost two-thirds of its settled area, Olbia was restored by the Romans, albeit on a small scale and probably with a largely barbarian population.Dio of Prusa visited the town and described it in hisBorysthenic Discourse (the town was often calledBorysthenes, after the river).
The settlement, incorporated into the Roman province of LowerMoesia, was eventually abandoned in the 4th century CE, when it was burnt at least twice in the course of theGothic Wars.
The site of Olbia, designated an archaeological reservation, is situated near the village ofParutyne inMykolaiv Raion. Before 1902, the site was owned by the Counts Musin-Pushkins, who did not allow any excavations on their estate. Professional excavations were conducted underBoris Farmakovsky from 1901 to 1915 and from 1924 to 1926. As the site was never reoccupied, archaeological finds (particularly inscriptions and sculpture) proved rich. Today archaeologists are under pressure to explore the site, which is being eroded by theBlack Sea. At 2016 started in Olbia excavations of the Polish Archaeological Mission "Olbia" of theNational Museum in Warsaw headed by Alfred Twardecki. Many of the more notable finds from the period are visible in theHermitage Museum inSaint Petersburg, Russia.
Notable finds from the town include an archaic Greek house in a good state of preservation from the area of the later acropolis and a private letter (written on a lead tablet) dating to around 500 BCE, complaining about an attempt to claim a slave.[4]
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