Creative Commons

This dissertation was written as part of the MA in Black Sea Cultural Studies at the International Hellenic University. The examination and the interpretation of the interaction between humans and landscapes play a vital role in the formation of a community’s identity. Main aspects of this study include geographical information, topography of cultural levels, landscape archaeology focusing mainly on the polis and the chora of Olbia, social relations between the Greek colonists and the indigenous communities and the exploitation of the land as a part of commercial activity and domestic consumption. The relation between the landscape and the human action is not only characterized by economic and social factors but also by human perception of the very same landscapes. Mountains and rivers played a dominant role and were in a continuous interaction with human activity. The purpose of this thesis is to show how the ancient colony of Olbia was developed in relation to its landscape, while a comparative analysis will explain the ways the identity of the Greek population was influenced by the Scythian culture and vice versa.