Abstract
Attic black-glazed pottery always attracts the attention of researchers with its elegant shapes, the exquisite ornamentation, and coating quality. This category of the material belongs to the ceremonial tableware. These finds are quite numerous and could be found not only in ancient settlements but also in the necropoleis of ancient cities, so they should be attributed to the mass material. This pottery was imported from Attica to the Northern Black Sea region for centuries, and during that time it became one of the most important categories of imports to the region. The exposition of Mykolaiv Regional Museum of Local History has a demonstrative numerous collection of antique materials of different times. The materials from Olbia polis and its outskirts are exhibited here as well. These are cult and everyday life objects, glassware, metal products, and of course – pottery, including Attic black-glazed pottery. The eighteen items from the exhibition have been analyzed in this paper. These are small bowls and salt cellars, kantharos, three skyphoi, one plate, one mug, askos, four cups of different types, and oinochoe. These forms were found on the territory of Olbia polis in different years – from 1920 to 1994 in various sections of excavations, mostly in the necropoleis of the ancient settlement. The collection of Attic pottery chronologically covers the period from 525 to 325 BCE and shows the main stages of Attic black-glazed pottery of Classical period development. The Attic collection of black-glazed pottery exhibited in Mykolaiv Regional Museum of Local History is representative. The exposition has both popular forms, common among finds from other ancient cities and settlements, and unique rare exhibits, which are extremely rare even among the items from Great Greece. Mentioned forms have direct or indirect analogies among the materials from the ancient agora of Athens and the finds of Attic black-glazed pottery from other cities of the Northern Black Sea region, and this fact once again confirms the active trade relations of Olbia with Athens. A detailed analysis of the collection may have practical importance in the future while studying other collections from both Olbia and other cities of the Northern Black Sea region. Detailed drawings of the pottery, specifying the size, type of ornamentation, quality of black-glazed coating, together with selected analogies from other sites and ware dating make this collection a good attributive material for determining the chronology and dating of other complexes and ancient sites in the region.