International Relations, Foreign status and the Problem of the customs and Tax sovereignty of the Chersonese Tauric (ending II—I centuries BC)

Abstract

This work is devoted to the analysis of international legal status and the customs and tax sovereignty of the Chersonese Tauric on the background of international relations in Black Sea region in ending II—I centuries BC.

The author examines the concept of «autonomos» (αυ̃τονόμος), «eleutheros» (ε̉λευθέρος), «aphrouretos» (α̉-φρούρητος)  that in the Hellenistic period signified freedom and independence of the civil community. The article shows the heavy military-political situation in Chersonese state and the search for external allies to fight against the expan- sion of the Crimean Scythians. Mithridates VI Eupatoros basileus of the powerful Kingdom of pontus — becomes an ally of Chersoneses. His grandfather pharnaces I was an ally of Chersonese (treaty 179 BC about military-political alliance — συμμαχία — between Cher- sonese and pontus).

In the State of Mithridates VI Eupatoros Chersonese remained as autonomy, thus was tightly integrated into the economic and administrative system of the All Black Sea States. Thus, autonomy of the Chersonese during the rule of Mithridates and his successors on the Bosporus’s throne, despite the right to mint its own coins, no more than municipal government.

The author shows that establishing Chersonese alliance with a stronger partner led to the establishment of dependence on him. This dependence is manifested in duty to pay tribute or taxes in favor of a new sovereign, and subsequently led to the loss of sover- eignty in the tax and customs policy.