The author's greatest attention is paid to the place of foreign trade in the economical life of the poleis of the region and to the nomenclature of the goods. One of the main sources enabling us to solve the problems concerning trade in the North Black Sea region is ceramics. The author disagrees with the scholars who consider that painted ceramics was an expensive good and represented an important object of exchange between the different parts of oikumene and joins the opposite point of view. The widespread opinion on the high costs of painted ceramics (the prices being sometimes known to us) is based upon the wrong assumption that a qualified artisan's daily wages in late 5th с. Sun was 1 drachme. Actually such was the wage-rate of slaves and metoikoi for rough work. But wages of qualified artisans were by far higher.

In the author's opinion, most painted ceramic pieces found in the region were not objects of trade, but offerings to the local sanctuaries. Exchange operations with the aborigenes were very limited in the Archaic period. The absence of well organized chora in the poleis before late 6th - early 5th с. ВС contradicts to many scholars' opinion about an essential grain export from North Pontus to Greece. As for buying grain from the native tribes, this hypothesis remains a speculative one, for Greek objects, found far away from the Greek poleis, are scarce before the 6th с. ВС; besides, there is no proof of their being trade goods (e.g., they could have been plundered from the Greek cities). It was not until the 1st decades of the 5th с. ВС that grain import to Greece, obviously from the regions of the Kerch straight, is clearly attested. This could have been achieved due to the despotic power of the so-called Archeanactid (Diod. 12.31).

The paper lists the articles imported from the Mediterranean to the Black Sea Region poleis and known from the excavations, the most important of them being oil and wine. From Pontus slaves were exported as well as local resources of the rich Black Sea coast.

Trade played an important part in supplying all necessary goods not produced locally to the newly set apoikiai. Its role, though, should not be exaggerated, as the main part of the necessary products was made in the poleis. This is the reason why trade could only be marginal in the Pontic poleis economical life, based principally upon agriculture and handicraft, stimulated since the earliest days of the colonies' existence.

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