The Black Sea, which washes the shores of several countries, including Russia, was not always called that way. A large role in its cultural development belongs to the ancient Greeks. They called him Pontus of Euxinus. The modern name has little to do with this phrase.
Name history
In Antiquity, the Greeks were the most daring and successful sailors in the Mediterranean. They built reliable ships that transported goods from different countries, so that the policies grew faster than their neighbors. Pontus Euxinus, whose modern name is the Black Sea, was also interested in enterprising colonialists.
The Greeks were separated from the Black Sea by the Bosporus and Dardanelles. When it had not yet been mastered, few ships dared to go so far north. The first name given by the Greeks to this reservoir was: Pont Aksinsky. Translated from their language, this meant "inhospitable sea."
What was the reason for this characteristic? This ancient name of the Black Sea was associated with difficult navigation and the tribes inhabiting its coast - Scythians. These nomads of Iranian origin were wild and hostile, they impeded trade and attacked the colonies. It was because of this that the sea was considered "inhospitable."
However, there is another hypothesis for the emergence of this name. The adjective “Aksinsky” could have been tracing paper from the Scythian language, in which this word is translated as “black”. It was these nomads who gave their sea the name that is now accepted in our culture. The Greeks, taking it from the Scythians, could associate the word with the similar in sound adjective "inhospitable." It is found in the famous book "Geography", which was written by Strabo. One way or another, but discussions about the origin of the name continue among linguists today.
Hospitable sea
Over time, the ancient Greeks adopted the phrase "hospitable sea", or Pontus of Euxinus. Its modern name, used now in Greece, is also a translation of “black”, and the old is forgotten and has disappeared from everyday life. In addition, in the same Strabo in the books you can find a mention of the Sea, or simply Pontus (although it is less common).
In place of the Greeks came the Romans, and even later the Byzantines. Since the 9th century, they began to call the sea Russian. This was due to the fact that it was in its water area that foreign navigators began to appear - the Vikings and Slavs who brought goods from the northern latitudes: furs, honey, etc. This name spread over time both in Kiev and in the West. It existed until the XIV century. For example, it can be found in the Tale of Bygone Years.
Modern name
After the Russian Sea, the time of the Black came. From the late Middle Ages to the present day, this name is used in most languages of the world. There is no exact information about its origin. Most likely, it has Asian roots, as, for example, the use of this phrase by Scythians and other nomadic tribes testifies.
Why Black? Asian languages (Turkic, Arabic, etc.) have an entertaining tradition of calling the seas by color. Such examples are common in different parts of the continental coast: Yellow, Red, etc.
Ancient greek colonization
During their heyday, the Greeks explored the entire Pontus of Euxinus. The modern name may have nothing to do with this phrase, but traces of ancient civilization are scattered throughout the sea coast.
So, in the south, the main colony of the Greeks was Sinop (today's Turkish Sinop). It was founded by immigrants from Miletus, who liked the narrow isthmus between the mainland and the small peninsula, where there were convenient harbors. There is still debate about the exact date of the founding of this city. The problem is that historians have few reliable sources at their disposal, and those that exist can contradict each other.
According to the most common version, Sinope was founded in 631 BC. e. Some researchers in their dating are inclined to the VIII century BC. e. At the same time, archaeologists have studied Heraclea Pontica better than others on the southern coast of Pontus. The local population was turned into serfs owned by wealthy merchants. According to legend, not far from here was a descent to the underworld, and the river, which flowed near the city, sent to the kingdom of the dead.
Greeks in the Northern Black Sea
The southern coast of the Black Sea was better developed by the Greeks than others, for the reason that in the north the climate was already markedly different from that prevailed in the Peloponnese or Attica. In Crimea and the Caucasus, winters were severe and humid, which frightened the migrants. In addition, the Greeks feared the Scythians and Tauris, who, according to Strabo, practiced cannibalism.
However, over time, this region also fell into the sphere of influence of the Greeks. The Black Sea (as Pont Euxinus is now called) has several estuaries convenient for building a port. One of them is located at the place where the mouths of the Bug and Dnieper merge (modern Ukraine).
Olbia
It was here that the Milesians built Olbia, the ruins of which still attract tourists. At this point, the trade routes leading from different regions came together, because the most marvelous, from the Hellenic point of view, goods that were highly valued in the southern markets brought here here on different rivers. Thanks to this, the Black Sea coast became a real gold mine for merchants, and Olbia quickly became rich.
She was divided into two parts. On the shore, in the lowland, was the lower city, and on the plateau - a few kilometers from there - the upper one. Since Antiquity, the sea level in this place has risen, and part of the port has gone under water. Nevertheless, all public places that were located in the upper city were preserved. This is the usual agora for the Greeks, sacred groves, etc.
To protect against the Scythians, Olbia was surrounded by fortress walls, which are mentioned in the work of the great historian Herodotus. Archaeologists have also found here the remains of residential buildings. Most often they were one-room premises, which had a semi-basement design. This helped residents protect themselves from the winter cold. Also warmly supported the hearth. Roofs were built from straw.
The history of the Black Sea knows a dozen such colonies that fell into decay after the ancient Greek civilization was subjugated by the Romans.