LOCAL PEOPLES OF THE SOUTH-EASTERN BLACK SEA IN THE 1ST MILLENNIUM BC: NEW ARCHAEOLOGICAL FINDINGS

Abstract

The Trabzon Archaeological Survey Project was initiated in 2018 with the aim of researching the pre-Classical Period in the Southeastern Black Sea region. This is a period which had not received much attention previously from researchers. In the first two years of the field researches, some archaeological sites (Kalecik/Mile Castle, Konakdüzü area, ruins in the Horhor and Sumaha hills) within the boundaries of the Maçka district have been discovered, and they were attributed to an early period. These archaeological sites and some of the material remains obtained here are thought to belong to the local peoples of the region mentioned in ancient Greek and Roman texts. The survey project reveals some significant results in compare of descriptions about the local peoples in ancient texts and archaeological evidence of the contemporary neighboring cultures. Thus, it can be said that for the first time, archaeological evidence about the ancient peoples in the region has been obtained.

Keywords

• trabzon
• black sea
• archaeological survey
• 1st millennium bc
• iron age
• local peoples
• ancient sources