source.^85 A recent reappraisal of lists of slaves in Aegean inscriptions of
thefifth and fourth centuriesbcshows varying proportions of slaves
identified as having a northern origin. The Atticstelairecording confis-
cated property following the profanation of the Mysteries in 415bclist
45 slaves, of whom 19 (or 56 per cent), are given a Thracian or other
northern origin, while a further 13 (36 per cent) have Asiatic or Near
Eastern connections.^86 A naval inscription from thefinal quarter of the
fifth orfirst quarter of the fourth centurybcshows a somewhat different
profile, with 11 (24 per cent) of the 45 ethnically identifiable names
hailing from the north, while 31 (69 per cent) are of Asiatic or Near
Eastern type.^87 Among the Thracians that appear on this list, one has a
name that provides unexpected confirmation of the idea that some slaves
were named after the place where they were bought: Pistyras.^88 Herod-
otus refers to apoliscalled Pistyros in theperaiaof the Thasians, beside a
lake full offish and very salty water (Hdt. 7.109). The local geography in
this part of Herodotus’narrative is rather imprecise, because the narra-
tive moves towards a section located in the Chalkidic peninsula, where
some more specific statements are made about the demands made by the
Persian army on local resources. The lake and the ancient site have
proved hard to identify in the local topography of the Thasianperaia,
along the coastline west of Abdera as far as the estuary of the River
Strymon. The locality called Pistyros by the historian is not referred to by
any later author with reference to this coastline, including Pseudo-Sky-
mnos. Nor did it appear in the Athenian Tribute Lists, which table even
very modest communities, as we have already seen above. A coastal
hilltop site that is consistent with the general indications given in Her-
odotus’text has been identified near the modern harbour town of Nea
Karvali and the excavators have suggested that this could be Herodotus’
Pistyros.^89 Only a small section of this fortified hilltop has been
(^85) Andreau and Descat 2006, 85–7; Hdt. 2.134 (Thracian courtesan Rhodopis); Ar.Ach.
273 (Dicaeopolis’desire for his neighbour’s Thracian slave girl); Ar.Thesm. 279–94; Ar.Pax
1138; Ar.Vesp. 828; Xen.Anab. 4.8.4 (former Athenian slave communicates with the
Makrones near Trapezous); Xen.Vect. 2.3 (Athenian population full of Lydians, Phrygians,
and other barbarians); Plb. 4.38 (slaves of the best quality from the Black Sea area); Velkov
1964; Velkov 1967, 1986; Avram 2007; Lewis 2011, 91 n.2, with further refs.
(^86) Lewis 2011, 102–3, Table 1, App. pp.111–12 (=IGI (^3421) – 430).
(^87) Lewis 2011, 112, App. Table 2 (IGI (^3) 1032 =IGII (^2) 1951).
(^88) IGII (^2) 1032.136:—ØóôýæÆò; Robertson 2008, 79–116; Lewis 2011, 96 n.20 and 112
no.42; cf. no. 33, a Triballian; Lewis 2011, 93–8, on what lies behind ethnic names; 95–6on
the association of names with the point of sale.
(^89) Koukouli-Chrysanthaki,A.Delt.27 (1972), Chr. 527; Koukouli-Chrysanthaki 1973;
Isaac 1986, 12–3, referring to this site and neighbouring footholds in theperaia:‘Apart from
Neapolis, none of these ever developed into substantial cities. They retained their archaic
120 Societies and economies