East Greek Pottery from the Excavations of the Settlement Balan in Abkhazia.

The article presents a preliminary publication of the collection of Eastern Greek pottery found during the excavations at the ancient settlement Balan, the Ochamchira region of Abkhazia in 2017–2022. The published material is a part of the finds from a complex of ashy soil and a platform with a fireplace discovered at the site. The collection consists of fragments of vessels for storing and drinking wine, produced in the period from ca. 620 to ca. 550 BC. At present, this is the earliest known archaic pottery assemblage discovered in the Eastern Black Sea region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]