Amisos: Hellenistic Period Amphora Stamps from Qakalca-Karadogan Mound

Qakalca-Karadogan mound (tell) excavations revealed that the city of Amisos was first colonized by the Miletians in the mid 6th century BC. It is located on Toraman Hill and its surroundings, 16 km east from it. At the end of the 4th century BC, the city was founded here for the second time. Based on the findings from the Archaic and Classical periods unearthed during the Qakalca-Karadogan excavation carried out in Samsun's Atakum district, Buyukoyumca District, Kurupelit town in 2009 under the chairmanship of the Samsun Museum Directorate, it has been revealed where the city started to be established during the colonial period. Collection of vessels such as bowls, kylixes, lekythos, scythos, amphorae, plates, etc. were unearthed during the excavations. A total of eleven amphora stamps from different production centres were found among the Hellenistic finds. This article aims to classify and date the stamped amphora handles of Amisos. The identified production centres confirm that the city was founded by the Miletian colonists in the mid 6th century BC. The amphora stamps are the epigraphic evidence of the Hellenistic Period in the settlement, and are important as they document the trade relations established by the city of Amisos with different regions.