Борисфен и некоторые проблемы греческой колонизации Нижнего Побужья
Borysthenos and Some Problems of Greek Colonization in Lower Bug River Region

Summary/Abstract: The earliest Greek apoikia on the Northern Black Sea region, Borysthenos, founded on the island of Berezan in the mouth of the Dnipro-Bug estuary, attracted and will further be attracting the scholars’ attention, since the solution of the whole range of problems connected with Greek colonization of the entire region much depends on the right answer to the question about its character.Recently the publications appeared where a number of questions, those concerning the characteristic features of the social and economic development of Borysthenos, its political organization, and ethnic membership of the population were raised, as well as fundamentally important conclusions were made. Thus in the article different aspects connected with the nature of development of Borysthenos are analyzed, and the author’s point of view on the peculiarities of Botysthenos’ development at the initial stage of settling the Lower Bug River region is stated.The analysis of the material available testifies that Boristhenos was a small typical Greek apoikia, and a polis in social and political terms, whose civil community arranged its life on the new place in late 7th – early 6th cc. BC. Basic source of existence of its members was agriculture. It was provided by families of first settlers on the lands situated close to the settlement and not traced archaeologically up to this date. There are no reasons yet to speak about significant property differentiation in civil body of Borysthenes on the initial stage of its history, about the exclusively trade direction of its economy, and any significant weight of non-Greek component in population. As a result, it should be stated that despite the ongoing excavations on Borysthenos and regardless of the long time after V.V. Lapin published his study (1966), his main conclusions about the character of Boryshtenos’ development are still valid. However, taking into consideration the new material, they need not the cardinal reconsideration, but some corrections and improvements.

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