Early Cross-Culture Settlement on the Northern Black Sea Coast

Scyles was a Scythian prince who led a double life. He was a prince of the Scythian nomads who controlled a large area surrounding the Greek colonies on the northern Black Sea coast. But like all great Greek plays, his story is a tragedy. Scyles was fascinated by the city of Olbia and the high culture of the Greeks. So he created a second life for himself within the walls of Olbia; he kept a Geek wife and built a palace to live in.. He dressed in Greek robes and participated in the Greek religious festivals. However this was his secret for he never told nor shared this part of himself with his nomad tribesmen. His was a world of duality. One day during the celebrations of Dionysus, some of Scyles’ tribesmen came to peer over the city walls and saw their prince parading down the avenue leading the Greek procession in their festivities. It is easy to estimate what happened. Scyles was found out and forced to flee, he sought asylum in Thrace but was handed back for execution to his usurping brother. Treason of nation has always been a capital crime. The story of Scyles is an important because it gives us a glimpse into the world of the Greek colonies on t

Other commercial finds include a pottery factory with four kilns, two large and two smaller ones. It has been determined that the larger kilns were for baking large vessels and tiles and the smaller ones for kitchen and tableware. One of the largest buildings in town was a bakery. There were six rooms, with ovens in three of them.

The city was densely inhabited. Private living houses, public buildings and industrial buildings covered the entire city. The streets were built at crossing right angles with the main thoroughfare being 10m. wide with room for traffic in both directions. In the main part of the city, again the lower triangle, the main road was crossed by a series of transverse streets approximately 2-3 m. across. On the sides of the main streets public buildings dominate along with large residential housing units with storage annexes, most probably for the elite. The houses were all large with finely crafted jointed walls of dressed stone. On the more narrow side streets, smaller stone houses with tile roofs were built on either side.

Evidently both sides had learned the lesson that both communities were dependant on each other. The Greek city could not exist without the cooperation, production, and protection provided by the Scythians. The Scythians on the other hand could not reap the wealth of a trade economy without the expertise and networks of the Greeks.

As the territories of the Scythians were encroached upon by eastern tribes migrating west we begin to see real conflict between Olbia and her neighbors. Because the traditional power source of the Scythians was failing they starting taxing tribute on the Greek colony to make the difference. The second and third centuries BC in Olbia are characterized by tribes demanding tribute from the city. However because the city was also dependant upon the wheat coming from the tribes, it was in a bad position. The responsibility fell on the shoulders of the wealthy citizens and families of Olbia who had amassed great fortunes during the earlier prosperous years. In particular Protogenes, one such citizen, was called upon repeatedly to pay tributes to tribal kings and repair city fortifications personally. Minns has Protogenes paying about 12,000 gold pieces in protection and tribute for the city. This was an unbelievable fortune. (Minns 462)

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