The History of the Study of Ancient Ceramic Imports from Settlement Monuments on the Right Bank of the Middle Dnipro in the 7th–5th Centuries BC

Abstract

The article analyses the historiography and research history of Greek imported ceramics from settlements and hillforts of the Middle Dnipro region. It is determined that the initial stage of studying such contacts was based primarily on the investigation of pre-colonial contacts. Researchers attempted to investigate the processes of Greek colonisation. Subsequently, efforts were made to determine the onset of colonization and to characterise pre-colonial interactions. This first period ended with the publication of N. Onayko’s synthesizing works. The researcher’s contribution and conceptual framework are analysed. The key works of the second half of the 20th century are outlined, and their contribution to the disclosure of the topic under study is indicated. In particular, the stage after the publication of N. Onayko’s works can be called the stage of accumulation of new material. Researchers worked with early Scythian sites, accumulating new materials. For example, S. Bessonova and S. Skoryi emphasise the importance of the Motronynske sites, providing a complete list of early Greek imports and drawing important conclusions about the earliest phase of Greek-Barbarian relations. The article also mentions the painted oinochoi described in the work by Y. Boltryk and O. Fialko “The Scythian Attack on the Trakhtemyrivske sites”. The authors highlight the significance and uniqueness of this vessel in the context of the Greek-Barbarian trade. It is emphasised that the early stage of Greek-Barbarian relations, namely the 7th–6th centuries BC, was limited in scale and somewhat chaotic, trade was conducted exclusively in expensive goods, and craft production had not yet become widespread. Importantly, there is no comprehensive modern catalogue of all known finds of ancient ceramic imports at the sites of this region.