RE: Upcoming Blog Series: ANCIENT GREECE - From the Bronze Age to the Classical Age
I had a look in Herodotus' "Histories", and in Book 7.58, he mentions a force under Xerxes rounding the sea, calling it "the Black Gulf". His army crossed a river flowing into the sea, called the Black River "after which the gulf is named". He then states that the river "was not large enough to avoid being drunk dry by the army", and while he doesn't continue on from there, my guess is that dark or black could have something to do with the river's ease of being dried up by marching armies. If that's got any link with the Black SEA though, I'm not sure.
I also had a look online; the Greeks first naming of the sea was "Póntos Áxeinos", originating from the old Iranian name "axšaina", meaning "dark coloured", from the Old Persian "axšaina", meaning "turquoise", Middle Persian "axšēn/xašēn", meaning "blue", and New Persian "xašīn", meaning 'blue" as well. The Greeks adopted this, and called it "á-xe(i)nos", meaning "Inhospitable", later changed again to "Euxīnus", meaning "Hospitable". My guess here is that "inhospitable" is being linked to "black" in that both words inhabit a sense of darkness and loneliness.
Hope that helps!
Yeah, that connection between black and inhospitable makes sense. That would be the most likely reason for it being called the Black Sea.
Black Soldiers
Did the soldiers wear black or dark color clothing? If so, then as they crossed the Black River or rivers, like you said, then the river would appear black from far away. So, that makes sense.