Ethnicity is a social construct within an ideological framework ancient or modern. This wisdom
has penetrated most scholarly disciplines but its reception is delayed in Black Sea studies
where essentialist views still prevail. Nationalism Rostovtzeff's culture-history and
Marxist-Leninist materialism have cast longer shadows on this part of the ancient world.
Likewise the balance between documentary sources and ancient literature needs redressing. The
latter has often been either accepted in a positivist manner or rejected due to perceived
inconsistencies. More rewarding is to try to understand what exactly the ancient authors knew
or intended. In this light the contributors discuss the concept of Sarmatization the
implications of rural versus urban cults ethnic hierarchies interaction patterns in colonial
settings inversions of barbarian stereotypes cultural affiliations of Bosporan kings
imperial policies of Pharnakes I and II foreign princes on the Ara Pacis Augustae the
reorganization of Pontos under Pompey and Deiotaros the sanctuary of Leukothea in Kolchis
Christian urbanism in Scythia Minor and crop selections of Anatolian farmers. Though selective
the book covers the four coastlines of the Black Sea ranging from the archaic to the Byzantine
periods.
