Kolesnychenko A. Core-formed glass vessels from North Black Sea region.

The urgent need for comprehensive study of core-formed vessels from North Black Sea area defined the relevance of this study. The study is based on the archaeological materials (603 vessels and their fragments), texts of ancient authors, lapidary inscriptions and images depicted on some works of fine art. The author developed a hierarchical typology of core-formed vessels in the study region and determined the chronology of every type taking into account finds in dated contexts. This laid the foundation for a historical synthesis of the available data on the dynamics of imports, typological variability and long persistence of core-formed bottles in various fields of ancient culture. The author defined the stages of existence of glassware of closed forms in ancient cities of the Northern Black Sea Coast: 1) 515/510 – 480/475 years BCE – formation of the core-formed industry, when individual artisans created non-numerous peculiar work of practical arts in the framework of two "production schools "А" and "B"; 2) 480/475 – 425/415 years BCE – an apex of the industry, the production reach "manufactural scale" of mass production of vessels of well-defined types belonging to schools "B" and "C"; 3) 375/350 – 300/275 years BCE – the production is resumed after a certain hiatus with a new set of shapes and styles, the small series of vessels are produced for some certain regions of consumption in the framework of the school "D"; 4) 275/250 – 150 years BCE – the industry survived a visible decline in the early IIIrd century BCE and is resurrected with a simplified set of types belonging to styles of the school "D"; 5) 150 years BCE – 10 years CE – the industry of core-formed vessels had been slowly dying out by replacement of cheaper vessels done by pipe-blowing. The study revealed differences in the typological structure of imports in Olbia and in the Bosporus kingdom. It is clear that they had different ways of acquisition of glass-ware in VI – I centuries BCE, probably related to regional political and economic configurations of the time. The author carried out an analysis of written and lapidary evidence in order to show that core-formed glass vessels were treated as precious stones and like the latter were valued by weight. The study has proved that glassware had a wide range of socially significant functions in antiquity. It was utilized in dwelling contexts of ordinary citizens, in trading points at agora as well as it was a constant part of burial goods, a ritual utensil and votive gift in temples and sanctuaries.