Peoples in the Black Sea Region from the Archaic to the Roman Period (Archaeopress 2021): 95–103 Following one definition, Aegyptiaca are ‘objects that can be characterized as distinctly Egyptian through their stylistics and materials from which they were made’. 1 One could also add the Egyptianizing objects, for example the scarabs – small trinkets that happened to be one of the great symbols of the land of the Pharaohs since the Bronze Age, but were also adopted and imitated by different cultures like Greek, Phoenician, Etruscan, etc. Aegyptiaca circulated due to commercial and cultural contacts throughout the Mediterranean, to reach Phoenicia and its Punic colonies, Italy, and the North Pontic coast. Therefore, it would be natural to look for Egypt-related artifacts in the Greek colonies on the west coast of the Black Sea. Old Evidence With few exceptions, the published Aegyptiaca from the West Pontic coast date mostly from Hellenistic times and could be related to Ptolemaic Egypt. Nonetheless, there is earlier evidence, for example faience vases from the Archaic Period in Istros and Orgame. 2 These are a few fragments of aryballoi found in the temenos of Istros, at Tariverde in the Istrian territory, and at Vishina near Orgame. Globular aryballoi predominate, with fragments both from the early groups from the second quarter of the 6th c. BC, 3 and from the later ‘crudest type’ from the second half of the century. 4 The fragment from Vishina is noteworthy, as it belongs to a hedgehog-shaped vase that suggests a 1 Versluys 2017, 124. 2 Domǎneanțu 1988. 3 Webb 1978, 109, 111-113, no. 703-705, 751-757. 4 Webb 1978, 119-120. more pronounced Egyptian connection – along the Nile, the hedgehog was a powerful symbol of fertility and regeneration. Together with two of the aryballoi from the temenos of Istros, a terracotta figurine of the Egyptian god Bes and a scarab ‘from the Saite Period’ (the latter lost) were found. 5 From the temenos again, there is an Egyptianizing figurine of a seated woman dated to the 6th c. BC that is made of volcanic tuff – a material that suggests a Middle Eastern origin. Another such figurine comes from the Malinescu private collection in Bucharest. 6 Also at the temenos of Istros, a fragment of a Chian ‘Naucratite chalice’ was found, confirming the chronology of the other finds. 7 From a somewhat later period, two faience scarabs were found in a late 4th c. BC house at Orgame. 8 They are of particular significance, as they belong to a group that is much earlier than their context of discovery. The image on the base of one of the scarabs depicts a Tilapia nilotica with Nymphea caerulea in its mouth – again a potent symbol of rejuvenation and rebirth. The second scarab bears a hieroglyphic inscription, interpreted as a cryptographic version of the name of Amun, combining the powers of Maat, Horus, and Ra. Anca Dan offered a detailed analysis and attributed the scarabs probably to a workshop in Naucratis or elsewhere in the Nile Delta, from where they were exported throughout the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. Despite the generally accepted thesis that the Naucratite workshop 5 Domǎneanțu 1988, 21, Fig. 1.6. 6 Alexandrescu Vianu 2005, 496-498, Fig. 72, Pl. 86; Baltres 2005, 461- 462, P40. 7 Lambrino 1938, 301-302, 304-305, Figs 286-289, 294, Pl. II. 8 Dan 2011. Aegyptiaca Pontica: Old and New Evidence from the West Pontic Coast Mila Chacheva Abstract: Cross-cultural interrelations have always been of great interest to any researcher of the past. In the Hellenistic Period, when the ancient world seems to have been more globalized than ever before, examining the remote influences is both interesting and challenging. Egyptian and Egyptianizing objects have been found all over the Mediterranean since the Bronze Age. This trend is even better attested after the death of Alexander the Great, when Egypt was under the control of the Ptolemaic Dynasty. However, exotic objects from distant lands travelled to the far reaches of the Greek oikoumene already in the Archaic Period. The paper aims to present the Egyptian and Egyptianizing objects found on the West Pontic shores, mostly in the Greek colonies. Special attention is paid to some personal ornaments like faience scarabs, glass and bronze pendants, a finger ring with representation of a Ptolemaic queen, etc. These intriguing small finds (Amuletic Aegyptiaca) could lead to some observations on the perception of Egyptian cults and magical connotations in a different cultural environment. Together with the evidence of imported pottery (Hadra Style) and faience vases, they are providing a somewhat scattered picture of the cross-cultural relations between the Greek cities on the West Pontic coast and Egypt. Keywords: Aegyptiaca, West Pontic Colonies, ancient faience, scarabs, personal ornaments, amulets