Fishing Equipment from the Fatsa/Cıngırt Kayası Excavations in the Southern Black Sea Region

Cıngırt Kayası is a Classical Antiquity settlement from the Pontic region, located within the present-day area of Yapraklı/Fatsa, province of Ordu, in the eastern part of the southern Black Sea region. It is located on a hill with two summits, 200 masl, strategically overlooking the valley and the sea. Excavations conducted predominantly on the summit of Cıngırt Kayası suggest the site was part of a security chain consisting of Phrourion and meant to provide control of and defend the Pontic Region during the reign of Mithradates VI. The settlement was continuously settled during the Roman and Byzantine periods. Excavations carried out at the peak of the settlement, between 2012 and 2014, led to the discovery of the material discussed here. The lead sinkers discovered at the site are interpreted as relating to fishing activities. Pyramidal fishhook weights and folded rectangular fishing net weights, belonging mostly to the Hellenistic period, were also uncovered during the excavations. Cıngırt Kayası’s proximity and access to sea, its geographical position, together with the presence of fishhooks, lead sinkers used with fishhooks and on nets clearly suggest the practice of fishing. There have been limited archaeological excavations in the eastern Black Sea Region of Turkey. Consequently, this study aims to share one of the first findings of lead sinkers from Cıngırt Kayası and to contribute to studies on fishing in the Black Sea basin.