Amisus

Amisos ('Αμισός) was the ancient name form of the present Turkish city Samsun (from ς' 'Αμισόν s' Amison, German ‘nach Amisos’ or ‘in Amisos’, thereafter Greek Σαμψούντα Sampsounda) on the southern coast of the Black Sea. The city experienced its heyday under the rule of Mithridates VI Eupator in the 1st century BC. During this time it belonged to the most important manufacturers of coins in the Kingdom of Pontus and of terracotta figures in Asia Minor.

Geography

It is assumed that the ancient city Amisos was located in the present district Baruthane of Samsun between the river deltas of the Halys and the Iris. The settlement originally arose on the Toraman Hill, which is about 165 m high and 2.5 km long. The city expanded to the west and east. On the hill stood the citadel and the upper town. It is presumed that officials, priests and the wealthy lived there. Toward the coast of the Black Sea stretched the lower town, where probably the economic life took place and the agora was located. Traditions tell of crowded streets, temples, public squares and buildings. Outside the city lay the harbour and the necropolis. From the necropolis earth, stone and rock graves are preserved. The inhabitants fortified their city with walls. According to a study these walls should have covered 44 hectares. Over time the city was nevertheless destroyed several times and rebuilt. Today only a few remains of the wall are visible.

The city was protected by the natural obstacles of the sea and the rivers. Samsun, the modern city, on whose territory Amisos probably lay, is bounded to the west by the Kürtun Çayı and to the east by the Mert Irmaği. Two small streams, Baruthane Deresi and Karanlık Dere, flow through the valleys cut into the hill Toroman Tepe. The two riverbeds are still suitable for clay extraction today. At that time the fertile river valleys supplied the city and contributed their share of trade goods as well as the nearby graphite, copper and zinc mines.

As the only landing place between Sinope and Trapezunt, there was lively trade traffic from Amisos across the Black Sea to Crimea and the Bosporus. Through pottery that has been found and compared, it is proven that the region already had connections in the early Bronze Age to islands in the eastern Aegean, northern Greece and the regions of present‑day Bulgaria and Romania. The finds show that Amisos used both land and sea routes for its trade.

Parallel to the Black Sea lie the Pontic Alps, which make access to the hinterland difficult. To the south of Amisos the Alps lose continuity and height, thereby allowing access to the fertile hinterland. Archaeological finds indicate that a route from Amisos to Mesopotamia ran through the Pontic Alps, a segment of the ancient trade route sometimes called the “Baghdad Road”. From Amisos roads led to the inland cities Amaseia, Cabeira, Eupatoria, Phazemon, Comana, Zela, Sebasteia and Sebastopolis.

Amisos had geographically all the prerequisites to become one of the economically most successful cities on the southern Black Sea.

Economy

The main drivers of the economy were the fertile land around Amisos and the proximity to the sea. Grave finds from Amisos indicate that already in the late 4th century/early 3rd century BC a great economic activity took place.

It is difficult today to estimate where the boundaries of the urban sphere of influence lay. To the west lay the fertile Gazelonitis valley and to the east Themiskyra. In the plain of Gazelonitis lambs were bred for their fine wool and gazelles were raised. The most varied plants grew there. Themiskyra possessed fertile land, of which Strabo tells that endless quantities of grain could be harvested. In addition, cattle and horses were bred. In the south grapes, peaches, apples and nuts ripened.

Based on archaeological and geological investigations and additional topographic aspects it is assumed that copper was mined at ten sites and at three further sites copper, graphite and zinc were extracted, whose yields possibly flowed to Amisos. The presumed sites are located in the southeast of Amisos inland, northeast of Tokat. The mining cannot be dated. The rich metal deposits of Asia Minor are undisputed, as is the fact that ore‑bearing rock was already mined during the Bronze Age. In the details, however, there is confusion on the part of archaeologists and historians, which is based on missing local investigations as well as the neglected inclusion of geological studies. High‑quality toreutic monuments that are preserved from Amisos require bronze workshops and point to the extraction of raw material in the region.

In the first centuries of Amisos, the products were traded locally. From the 4th century BC, goods such as wool, grain, honey, high-quality beeswax and wine were exported. The city exported not only agricultural products, but also fish, salt from the delta of the Halys and semi-precious stones such as jade. During the Hellenistic period with its zenith under the rule of Mithridates VI, terracotta figures were the most popular export product.