pothos.org

This is in reply to the Black Sea Ship but the engine isn't letting me post it as a reply!Given the time scale, and the geography of the probable route-Sinope-Crimea-Hellas, presumably Sinope again I would hazard a later 4th early third century context, possibly the Hellespontine Kingdom of Lysimachos,whose power encompassed all the above.
Alexander had no power as far North as the Crimea, his general Zopyrion suffering the loss of an army attempting to expand in that direction. Though of course that would not preclude some sort of trade it makes it less likely than a period of peace and influence. But when was the last time Lysimachos made the news? Not since Corupedion in 280 BC I should think !

Hi Karl,The timescale quoted in the paper did include the later 4th and early 3rd centuries.However, I'm not sure I agree that the route makes it any more likely to be from Lysimachos' time. The Greeks had been getting grain from the Crimea for donkeys years, and there were Greek settlements along the Black Sea coast of Asia Minor in Xenophon's time (well, before then even, of course).As far as I could tell the ship is as likely to come from Lysimachos' time as Alexander's, but I'm not sure whether it is more likely based on the evidence that we've been presented with so far.All the bestMarcus

You are right, of course, I just like to plug my favourite Diadoch. Trade tends not to be bothered by territorial ownership only disrupted by wars between suppliers or customers. But it was the right time scale and, hey it could turn out that it was driven ashore running from a ship of Demetrius Poliorcetes! Oh well back to reality