ORIGINS AND EVOLUTION OF STATE POWER IN OLBIA PONTICA
Authors: Rusiaieva A. S. , Kuzmishchev O. H. 
Published: November 2023

It has long been established that Olbia Pontica is one of the largest and best studied ancient states in the Black Sea region. However, there are still many gaps regarding both generalizing studies of archaeological materials and the main aspects of its political history. Within the framework of this article, the issues of the political system of Olbia as an ancient Greek polis throughout the entire period of its existence from the 6th century BC to the 3th century AD is briefly considered, mainly based on lapidary inscriptions. Whenever possible, we have characterized the main structures of the polis government. According to the traditional scheme, first, the activities of the Oikist, the leader of the Ionian settlers, has described. Thanks to his endurance, reasonable activity and courage, Olbia already in the first decades achieved significant success in economic self-sufficiency, the development of fertile lands, the establishment of trade relations with the metropolis, many Greek cities and local tribes. A single civil community at the beginning of an independent policy and the definition of a pantheon with the compilation of four sacred zones on the territory of the Upper City of Olbia as a whole led to the creation of an independent original type of an ancient Greek state on the far periphery of the ancient ecumene. Hypothetically, the first Oikist was Euresibius, whose power was close to tyrannical, as at that time in the metropolis.

Founders and their heirs, who, according to ancient tradition, belonged to the aristocrats, have always occupied the main positions in the polis. In the second half of the 6th—5th centuries BC the oligarchic regime is confirmed by epigraphic and numismatic sources, as well as materials from the archaic necropolis.

The aristocratic sacred union of the molps played a significant role in the polis, similar to the Milesian one. Because of close ties with Athens and the revived Miletus, in Olbia, at first, the supporters of the democratic system won for a short time. The transition from oligarchy to almost a hundred years of tyranny over the Scythian protectorate in the 5th century BC has no credible evidence.

According to numerous epigraphic sources, a democratic system existed in the Olbia polis until the Getic rout around the middle of the 1st century BC and been restored with the return of the Olbiopolites to their native city after the victory of the Romans over the Getic kingdom of Burebista in 48 BC. In Olbia, various types of democracy can be traced (radical, moderate and predominantly elitist). The article briefly characterizes the main legislative bodies of power (the People’s Assembly and the Council) and the periodic changes in their role in the polis. In addition, the appointment and specifics of the activities of elected executive boards, both permanent and elective auxiliary boards in extraordinary situations, are considered. In addition, numerous individual positions, one way or another fixed in the Olbian inscriptions of different times, belonged to the elected ones. In the first centuries of our era, there are no temporary colleges, probably because of the shrinking of the city and a smaller population. The durability of democratic power in the Olbia policy explained by the unity of the civil community, the freedom of activity of its members, high ethnic self-consciousness and the constant desire for peaceful coexistence with neighboring peoples, the preservation of parental linguistic and religious traditions throughout ancient times.