Page "Black Sea" Paragraph 24

Strabo's Geography ( 1. 2. 10 ) reports that in antiquity, the Black Sea was often just called " the Sea " ( ho pontos ).

For the most part, Graeco-Roman tradition refers to the Black Sea as the ' Hospitable sea ', Euxeinos Pontos ().

This is a euphemism replacing an earlier ' Inhospitable Sea ', Pontos Axeinos, first attested in Pindar ( early fifth century BCE ,~ 475 BC ).

Strabo ( 7. 3. 6 ) thinks that the Black Sea was called " inhospitable " before Greek colonization because it was difficult to navigate, and because its shores were inhabited by savage tribes.

The name was changed to " hospitable " after the Milesians had colonized the southern shoreline, the Pontus, making it part of Greek civilization.