On the Presence of Egyptian Imports in Olbia at Hellenistic Times

Abstract

This article examines the main categories of potential Egyptian imports to the Northern Black Sea region in the Hellenistic period. Different opinions on the nature of these things are collected and presented, and the historiography of contacts between Ptolemaic rulers and Pontic centres is analysed on the basis of archaeological sources. It is emphasized that certain economic contacts, whether direct or indirect, between Olbia and Alexandria did take place, given the representativeness of the finds and despite their limited quantity.
The geopolitical changes on the map of Ancient Greece in Hellenistic times had a significant impact on the Northern Black Sea region. Imports from Alexandria to Olbia, whether direct or indirect, are closely intertwined in historiography with the study of Hellenistic art. In the 3rd century BCE, and possibly slightly later, there were certain economic contacts between these centres, evidenced by various categories of artefacts. In general, the Egyptian imports to Olbia have distinctive features. According to the known materials, it is dominated by items associated with cultic practices of the Greeks of the Hellenistic period (household items of mass consumption are practically unknown). Among these artefacts, exclusive items are the most common, suggesting that these items were likely expensive. This, in turn, raises the question of the material culture of Olbia’s wealthy social stratum. Hellenistic Egypt certainly influenced the cultural sphere of life not only in the Mediterranean, but also in more distant regions, including the Northern Black Sea area. It is possible that this could have been due to the spread of Egyptian cults as part of Ptolemaic foreign policy. These findings demonstrate the cultural integration of the region into the orbit of Alexander the Greatʼs empire.