Byzantine navigation and sea routes in the Black Sea |
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The Black Sea served Byzantium as a back yard, by forming a grain storehouse. Byzantine domination over the area was constant from the 4th until the 12th c., basing upon the imperial navy plus the net of the seaport towns accessible via a great number of sea routes. Through Constantinople the empire exercised full control over the commercial traffic. During the 13th c. however merchants from Italy gradually suppressed the Byzantine over lordship in the Black Sea. The aggressive maritime policy... |
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Byzantine trade in the Black Sea |
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The Byzantines had established a strong presence in trade in the Black Sea region, developing commercial contacts with surrounding peoples, while various Byzantine cities along the region’s coastline served as commercial centers trading both with the hinterland and outside the region. However, after 1204 this commercial activity would pass into Italian hands. |
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The production of the Cherson mint is attested – with interruptions – during the Early, Middle and possibly Late Byzantine periods. Its activity can be connected with the city’s role as an outpost on the empire’s frontier. The mint produced copper coins exclusively; first struck and later cast, they were intended for local circulation. They present particular metrological and iconographic features that distinguish them clearly from the products of other imperial mints. |
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