Russian archaeologists discovered at the construction site of an energy bridge to the Crimea in Krasnodar Territory undisturbed thousand-year-old burials belonging to the ancient natives of the Caucasus, where unique artifacts and weapons were found, the press service of the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences reports.

"This is the so-called biritual burial ground of the 9th-10th centuries - there were two types of burials: cremation burials in urn vessels, "urnless" cremations with accompanying items - weapons, utensils, vessels, jewelry, and burials according to the inhumation rite. Everything was found 19 burials and one large complex of items with weapons and harness,” says Irina Rukavishnikova, head of the excavations from the IA RAS.

Kurgan "Karl Marx" in the Crimean region Krasnodar Territory, named after a neighboring farm, was discovered by scientists during exploration back in 2014. In the autumn of 2015, it became clear that the route of the energy bridge to the Crimea would pass here, so excavations began at the monument.

According to Rukavishnikova, these burials belong to a "nameless" culture that has left no memory of itself in the annals. Scientists call it the "cremation burial culture", traces of this culture are found throughout the Northwestern Caucasus, and the "Karl Marx" burial ground turned out to be the northernmost of them. Some researchers believe that these monuments belong to the Zikh-Kasozh tribes, who, according to written sources, lived in the North-Western Caucasus.

The most striking finds discovered during the excavations were a long silver scabbard and a harness set with cast silver overlays - they depicted a heraldic composition of a pair of horses with wings, and on the central breast plate - an eagle carrying a goat in its claws, and people performing a certain ritual.
“This set is unique with silver overlays depicting heraldic horses, we have not found similar things. The Alans have images of heraldic winged horses on fabric, but this is a completely different culture,” explains Rukavishnikova.

In the same burial, a hearth chain and a cauldron were found - these items indicate that we may have encountered a rite known from ethnographic data, when the main attributes of the hearth were buried together with the last representative of the family. The ceremonial harness itself, according to some scientists, was not just a horse decoration, but a "distinction mark" of a particular leader in the detachment, which other warriors are guided by.

The burials also contained iron sabers and spearheads, a helmet and chain mail - all of which were deliberately bent and deformed - burial items were often subjected to such ritual damage. Large earrings adorned with beaded puffed-up beads also stand out among the jewelry found.

According to Rukavishnikova, silver utensils from the mound could have been made not by local residents, but by some other tribes, which can be confirmed or refuted using isotope analysis. Further study of the images on these decorations, the archaeologist hopes, will help us understand what the first inhabitants of the Caucasus believed.

Near Krasnodar, in the area of ​​the village of Elizavetinskaya, excavations of an ancient burial from the turn of the era are underway. They were launched at the end of April and attracted the attention of citizens, due to the fact that in this place - at the entrance to the city along the Krasnodar-Temryuk highway - a traffic jam often forms.

The excavations are carried out by the West Caucasian Archaeological Expedition LLC. This is a planned event as part of the construction project: the road is being widened on this section.

By law, the customer of construction work is obliged to carry out archaeological excavations in the area of ​​excavation and construction works, if it is known that there are objects cultural heritage.

Archaeologists work on the side of the road, do not impede traffic, but motorists make tourist trips to see the monument of architectural heritage.

“This monument has long been known. It is called a soil burial ground of the second Elizabethan settlement of the early Iron Age, - says the head of the department of archeological monuments of the regional department of state protection of cultural heritage objects to Kublog Georgy Davydenko. By the way, there is an interesting burial there. I was there on May 2, I saw for myself that jewelry, weapons and already more than 10 skeletons were found. When all the finds have been extracted, the work on widening the road can be continued.”

Another thing is if the burial turns out to be especially valuable or unique. Then it can be museumified. But experts believe that this is not the case.

“There are dozens of burials in these places. I don’t think that the results of the work will be so stunning that the road will not be allowed to be laid and something will be museumified, - says a well-known Krasnodar historian Vitaly Bondar. - There must be very serious reasons for this. In general, burial grounds in the world practice are rarely museumified.

The excavations will not last long.

“We must meet within two months,” said the head of archaeological work near the Elizabethan Mikhail Lunev.

ARCHEOLOGY OF KUBAN

ARCHEOLOGY is the most important science that helps to restore the past, because the written sources for the Kuban are 2.5 thousand years old, and man appeared in the Kuban about 1 million years ago.

Kuban is a unique region within Russia. Mastered since ancient times by man.

The oldest monument of the Stone Age in Russia is located in the Kuban - Taman. Here, in 2002, archaeological excavations began near the village of Peresyp. Here is the study of the site "Bogatyri" (Bogatyrka). The age of the finds has been established - a million or even a little more years. This site has been known since the 19th century, but for a long time only paleontologists studied it, because bones of prehistoric animals were found here in large numbers. But the bones of an ancient elephant were found, to which the stone ax of a primitive man simply stuck. Archaeologists from St. Petersburg were interested in this site. This site is a section of an ancient cape, which broke off in ancient times and turned over 90 degrees. No traces of an ancient fire have been found here. There is only an article about excavations on Taman in scientific journal while others scientific works this parking lot does not. Coarse flakes were found here, which indicates the initial stage of stone processing. A man was on Taman 1 million years ago - this is the exact data! But it is not known exactly whether the person in this parking lot owned fire. Man did not yet know how to make fire consciously at that time.

To determine the age of the remains, the radiocarbonate method is used, when the age can be determined from the remains of the embers of a fire. The fact is that any vegetation during life accumulates C 14 - radioactive carbon. Everyone who eats vegetation - animals, for example, accumulates this carbon in the bones. This carbon is also accumulated in human bones, because. man eats both vegetation and animals. Carbon remains in the bones for a long time, but gradually turns into ordinary C (carbon). After 5.5 thousand years C 14 becomes 2 times less than the norm, it disintegrates gradually. After another 5.5 thousand years - even 2 times less. After 100 thousand years, it is no longer in the bones, it completely disintegrates. Thus, this method is able to determine the age of the remains only up to 100 thousand years, not older.

The nature and geography of the Kuban has changed a lot. Before the onset of glaciers, there were elephants on the territory. In ancient times, the territory of the Kuban was much larger than now, because. The Black Sea level was 100 m below the current level. The sea was more like a lake, a big puddle.

2 monument of the ancient Stone Age - Triangular Cave. Its age is 750-500 thousand years. The cave is a mass of geological strata.

Otradnensky district, Gamansky gorge. It is being studied by a scientist from St. Petersburg Golovanova.

300 thousand years - the early Paleolithic, the Ashelian era. This period is less defined than older periods.

Quarry Tsymbal, site Ignatenkov Kut.

This period is characterized by the so-called “translated” monuments, i.e. layers have been displaced in them, possibly moved from their original places, for example, by a river, by water. In such caves and sites, it is impossible to determine exactly from which layers the remains of bones are. For example, tools were found at the Ignatenkov kut site, but it is not known exactly where they come from, where do they come from? At the Tsymbal quarry, archaic-looking remains of tools were found, age - 300 thousand years.

The Kuban was mastered by an ancient man from the south (presumably), over the territory that is now flooded with the waters of the Black Sea or blocked by mountains after the change geological characteristics the edges.

There are sites of both the Middle and Upper Paleolithic, the Copper Stone Age, the Bornze Age, the early iron age

Poorly represented 3-4 centuries. AD - late Roman time, a terrible time for the Kuban, when the territory became almost empty

It is known from written sources that the Huns roamed the territory of the Kuban, but nothing was found from the Huns (strange!)

The uniqueness of the Kuban is that all archaeological epochs are represented here!!!

Archaeologists in the Kuban

Late 18th century - archaeological excavations begin in the Kuban. They are led mainly by foreign scientists. The remains of ancient Phanagoria are being studied (the village of Sennoy, outskirts)

1st half of the 19th century - Dubois de Montpery, Tetbu Marigny, Bernadazzi, Ferkovets, Georgy Tokarev, the Naryshkin brothers

Russian professor Tizenhausen investigated Gorgippia

1878 - Semibratyevo settlement, a monument, the name of which was argued for a very long time

Mid 19th century - Zabelin, Bryusov

1870s – Felitsyn is a Kuban researcher. 1879 - opened the 1st archaeological museum in the Kuban under the Kuban Statistical Committee

Nikolai Ivanovich Veselovsky work in the Kuban from 1894 to 1918 (year of death)

Semi-official supplier of jewelry to the court of the emperor and to the museums of St. Petersburg. He caused considerable harm with his work, ugly kept documentation, and often could not be present during excavations. Opened Maikop barrow. But the report on the archaeological work on the mound was made 2 years later. Pictures from the excavation site were made by Roerich based on the stories of Veselovsky himself. Roerich was not at the excavation. The rite of burial in a burial mound described by Veselovsky has never been found anywhere else in other burial mounds. Most likely, Veselovsky himself was not at the excavation site, which happened very often (he paid the Cossacks, who conducted the excavations without observing the conditions necessary for such work). Veselovsky was excavating the so-called "Golden Cemetery" along the banks of the Kuban in the region of Ust-Labinsk and the surrounding area. These are white 100 mounds where golden things were found. But in total, Veselovsky completed 5 drawings from the excavation. The main requirement - a clear description of the excavation and what was found, was not carried out at all!

Since the 1880s Sysoev, a gymnasium teacher from Ekaterinodar, is doing the research. An ordinary teacher - he clearly recorded and wrote down everything, kept excellent documentation - unlike Veselovsky. Participated in the rescue of the Kurdzhib mound near the village of the same name. A Meotian female burial was unearthed in the mound. Found a gold buckle. In connection with this find, the story of the ancient Greek historian “About the Meotian Tirgatau” is recalled, in which it is reported about a woman who fought with the rulers of Gorgippia. In the story there is a case of an attack on the heroine by a murderer. According to the historian, she was saved by a golden buckle in which a knife was stuck. But historians knew that the Meotian women did not wear buckles, or they were quite small. And suddenly, in the mound of the Kurdzhib village, a golden buckle was found, which was obviously damaged as if from a blow with a sharp object.

Mikhail Ivanovich Rostovtsev worked at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. an excellent theoretician and practitioner, he knew perfectly well both written and archaeological sources. Wrote the book "Scythia and the Bosporus".

1898 - the Paleolithic site was first investigated by the French scientist José de Bay - Ile site

Until 1917, more attention was paid only to gold-bearing burial mounds. the era of bronze and stone, the early iron age were not of interest to researchers, they were not disclosed.

Spitsyn - discovered the layer of the Middle Ages

Sakhanev - conducted research even during the First World War

Beginning - mid-20s. - North Caucasian expedition of the State Archaeological Institute of the USSR

Late 1920s - creation of the Kuban school of archeology

Pokrovsky began to work

Even at that time, young Nikita Vladimirovich Anfimov, “the grandfather of Kuban archeology,” began to work.

He began to study the Bronze Age

From Leningrad - zamyatnev - studied the Ilskaya camp

Gaidukevich - studied the monuments of ancient times

Krasnodar archaeologist Zakharov worked on studying the monuments on the territory of Krasnodar, but after a denunciation in 1937, he committed suicide

Today, all archeological monuments of all eras are being explored in the Kuban

Paleolithic: scientists from St. Petersburg - Lyubin, Golovanova, Kulakov

Adygea: Autlerov

Neolithic: Nekhaev - from Krasnodar

Trifanov

Bronze: there are almost no Kuban archaeologists, all visitors

Nechitailo - from Kyiv

Early Iron Age: own Kuban group of archaeologists: Danovsky (student of Anfimov), Marchenko, Kominsky, Aptekarev, Belezov

Antiquity: non-Kuban archaeologists - Kruglikova, Nikolaeva, Dolgorukov

Medieval finds: Kuban scientists - Pyankov, Zelensky, Kaminsky, Tarabanov - study the Bulgarians in the Kuban, Dmitriev - the Novorossiysk region

"Bogatyrs" Peresyp village

Middle Paleolithic - Mousterian era

There is an error in Trekhbratov's textbook for grades 5-8 on page 9: it is written that there was a warming after the glaciation in the Mousterian era. But at that time there was just the most terrible glaciation. There were taiga forests in the Crimea. In the Kuban - "mammoth fauna", there are related finds, there are bones and a mammoth

Cave sites on the Gubs River (a tributary of the Belaya River)

Khosta area - a series of monuments - Khosta caves - here "everything is in place", i.e. nothing moved to other places

Ilskaya Stojanska – the finds were conserved with ancient bitumen

Vmdny workshops, hunting camps, camps - long-term residence

Certain gastronomic preferences can be identified, for example, at the Il site - bison, mammoths

In the Khosta area - cave bears

Upper Paleolithic finds – their study has just begun (on the Gubs River)

Open burial on the river. Gubs - evidence of the development of the spirituality of ancient man

Guba canopies - cave painting, the image is the simplest of the types of painting - prints of the hands of the "five"

At one place in different time found representatives of different nations, people from different territories

The technique of stone processing is constantly changing - even in one place, i.e. one people came - they knew how to do this, another people came - they know how to process stone in a different way

Sochi: shellfish were found in the diet, this indicates that the local peoples killed all the cave bears and switched to shellfish

Mesolithic: a narrow strip, the rest are washed away by landslides, the era is poorly understood, because washed away for geological reasons

Khosta District: cave monuments

Vorontsovskaya cave

Mesolithic monuments were studied on the territory of Krasnodar

The Yavor site on the Urup River is Mesolithic, but poorly understood

Otradnensky district, Gamovskaya beam - canopy No. 2 - the best parking for exploring archeology - an example. An ideal cave, a small shape, a domed arch, the remains of a fire, burnt bones, microliths - tiny things made of stone, bones, everything is well preserved, because. on top was a layer of forest. During the war years, both Cossacks and partisans often hid here.

The best studied Khostinsky district

There was not enough food, there was a crisis in the hunting economy, there are no more finds of mollusk

During this period, the strongest winds blow, large fauna dies out in the Mesolithic, the rivers were abounding

Because of these natural changes, human settlement to the north occurs, the search for a new economic system for poultry production

9-8 thousand - global warming began (starting from the Mediterranean)

More game has become, humanity is growing, there is not enough food

All this leads to the "Neolithic Revolution". First of all, the peoples on the territory of Israel switched to agriculture, Jerecho - the oldest fortress cities, Anatolia - wild cereals grow in these places - the transition to agriculture and cattle breeding

7 thousand - this transition was made in the Kuban

6 thousand BC - cattle breeding in the Kuban

Atsenskaya cave - the oldest monument (Sochi, Adler region) - bones of domestic animals (these are examples of early domestication of animals - this is very curious), the first clay things - dishes of the classical version

Parking lots with hoes made of broken stones

Nizhneshilovskoe settlement - the remains of houses near the mountain slope

Psekups, upper reaches of Chelbas

Taman - the village of Chukugoev

Eneolithic

Trekhbratov’s textbook says that the Novosvobodnenskaya culture belongs to this period - this is not true

Sochi region: campsites of farmers, stone hoes were found very small, so that they could better enter the ground, weights were hung on them - rings on the hoe itself, weights for nets were found - evidence of the development of fishing spotted-brown-black color

Flat-bottom pitchers - stationary dwellings

Jugs with a sharp bottom - pastoralists, nomads, such a bottom will allow you to stick a jug into the ground

Flat-bottomed dishes are found on the coast of the sea

Krasnogvardeyskoye village - Svobodnoye settlement

We learned about this settlement by accident.

The settlement is surrounded by a moat, then the moat was filled up and houses were built on it.

Remains as Trypillian culture

5*4m house

Rectangular floor - thick layer of clay

A huge number of weapons of a wide variety

egg-shaped dishes

Clay female figurines

Clay images of animals

Ceramic without ornament

Stone bracelets were drilled with a bone, under which sand was poured

Hollow bone, weak bowstring

For mining fire and drilling

The lands of the Northern Black Sea region and the Kuban are interesting to us not only because they housed the regions of the Cossack troops, but also because of the more ancient layers of their history. Suffice it to say that according to one of the modern versions, it was here that the community of Indo-Europeans originated, giving rise to many modern peoples continent, and in antiquity this region of our country was part of the legendary Greco-Roman world and even fed it with bread and delighted with the tart garum sauce then used instead of mayonnaise and salt.

And how many tribes trampled the Wild Field and the Terrible Mountains with the hooves of their horses and oxen, moving through them from east to west, from north to south, or dissolving in the dust of steppe battles, leaving ... in history or, on the contrary, getting mixed up on the bones of defeated enemies with a loud laughing boom ... But those who did it last laughed well, but were the first to make the right choice of their faith, culture and comrades-in-arms, taking dominance over the then wild field and in symbiosis with Russian princes and tsars, making it calm and civilized for half a millennium. Of course, we are talking about the Cossacks, but today we will touch on the moments in the history of the region that preceded their appearance and are already of interest to archeology.

We managed to get to a private exhibition dedicated to the history of the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the discoveries made by scientists of the Institute in different years, as well as materials from the latest archaeological expeditions of this year to the Crimea and the Kuban. Next year, in 2019, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the institute, a larger and already open exhibition will be held, which we will definitely inform you about, but for now we will tell you what we learned during our visit.

Crimean finds at the exhibition

The most interesting for us were the discoveries presented at the exhibition, made by archaeologists of the institute this year during excavations in the Crimea and Kuban. After the annexation of Crimea to Russia, the inclusion of a new entity in the country's infrastructure required its reconstruction transport system and laying new routes connecting the peninsula with the Kuban. According to the law, such construction must be preceded by a full-scale security excavation in its place (in order to dig up all the artifacts from the territory, during the construction of which they can be damaged, destroyed, and access to them is blocked). Thus, archaeologists got the opportunity to conduct unprecedented excavations in the Crimea, the Kuban and even under the waters of the strait between them. And, thanks to the hard and painstaking work of scientists, discoveries were not long in coming.

Was in Crimea. It is interesting that it was preserved due to the fact that the Tatars who came to this territory set up their own cemetery in its place (there are few suitable places on the peninsula, and they didn’t have to choose much), thereby involuntarily preserving the necropolis for archaeologists. On the other side Kerch Strait, in the Kuban continued. New buildings and burials were excavated, many household items and the flooded fortress wall of the city were found. A separate event is, not previously encountered in these parts. Now scientists have to study everything found and fill in the blank spots in the history of the region.

(click on the highlighted orange text to go to the excavation report)

The ancient Greeks founded many cities and settlements on the shores of the Mediterranean and Black Seas.

It is said that the famous Athenian philosopher Socrates jokingly stated: "The Greeks sat around the sea like frogs around a swamp."

Thus, Greek civilization spread to large areas of southern Europe. The development of the colonization process was determined by the prerequisites of an economic and political nature. The economic prerequisites include, first of all, the acute “land hunger” that arose as a result of population growth, in which part of the population was forced to seek livelihood in a foreign land. Another incentive for colonization was the desire to gain access to sources of raw materials that were not available at home, and to secure the most important trade routes for Greece. As for the political causes of colonization, the fierce struggle for power in the Greek policies (city-states) played an important role. Often, the “party”, which suffered defeat in this struggle, had only one thing left to do - to leave native city and move to a new place.

Greek colonies.

Borisfenida and Olbia

The logical conclusion of the movement of the Greeks to the northeast was the development of the Black Sea coast, which they called Pontus Euxinus (that is, the Hospitable Sea). Miletus took a particularly active part in the colonization of the Pontic coast, having founded most of his colonies in this region. In the second half of the 7th c. BC e. Milesians settled on a small island Borisfenida(now Berezan Island) near the mouth of the Dnieper (in Greek Borisfen, hence, obviously, the name of the colony). They then made a "jump to the mainland", founding a city Olbia(ancient Greek Ὀλβία - happy, rich) on the bank of the mouth of the Southern Bug .

Berezan Island

The colonists from Miletus, like all representatives of the Greek Ionian tribe, in their mentality preferred to resolve relations with their neighbors through negotiations and alliances, and the place in which they settled was not very successful for defense, so the policy periodically fell into dependence on local Scythian tribes and was even destroyed by them. However, we will soon restore them as a place where it was possible to trade with merchants from Greece and Chersonesus, mint your own coin (in small circulation, just to attribute the status of your power to local leaders), buy wine, pottery and other "benefits of the then civilization ". It is noteworthy, however, that this small fortress withstood the siege of the troops of Alexander the Great. With the rise of the Roman Empire and its expansion to the western coast of the Black Sea, Olbia joins the empire and falls under its protection, taking the side of Rome in the Tauride War.

View of one of the excavations ancient city Olbia; Mykolaiv region, Ukraine.

The construction stopped by the 2nd century is resumed in the city with the arrival of the Romans, however, it is already being carried out according to Roman standards and needs. It is noteworthy that by that time the inhabitants of the policy, having few resources and constantly being in a semi-siege position, according to the mentions of travelers who visited them with “ mainland» are already poor and dirty, however, unlike the rest of the civilized world, they retain an archaic Greek language and, standing in rags, they recite Homer by heart, which they are very proud of. However, in the first half of the 3rd century, a crisis began in Rome itself, and, having no more resources for this, Rome withdraws its garrison from Olbia, and in the middle of the same century, a wave of ready (Germanic tribes moving from the Baltic in search of new lands), passing through the settlement, destroys all signs of the city in it. After that, the colony turns into an ordinary village of barbarians, no longer different from its neighbors.

Greek colonies in the Northern Black Sea region.

Bosporan kingdom

In the 7th century BC e. many settlements of the Greeks (in the vast majority - again the Milesian colonies of the Ionians) occupied the shores of the Cimmerian Bosporus (the ancient name of the Kerch Strait). The largest center of ancient civilization in this region was Panticapaeum(other Greek Παντικάπαιον, lat. Panticapaeon, from Taurus panti-kapa- hill near the strait or other Iran. *panti-kapa- fish route, it was located on the site of the modern. Kerch). Smaller cities arose nearby: Nymphaeum, Mirmekiy, Theodosia, Phanagoria, Hermonassa, etc. Over time, these cities created an association headed by Panticapaeum. In the classical era, from this union of policies, the largest state in the Northern Black Sea region was formed - Bosporan kingdom.

Ruins of Panticapaeum.

It is not completely clear what attracted the Greeks to the shores of the Kerch Strait, perhaps the abundant flow of fish in its shallow water then (the eastern shore was then loose and marshy, representing the sprawling mouth of the Kuban River (the Cossacks who came here with the Russian Empire will transfer its channel)). The development path of this colony is unique in that it anticipated the Hellenistic monarchies in its structure, the proximity of the eastern kingdoms, contacts with them and the type of thinking of the main population obviously affected: the Scythians, and then the Sarmatians (Iranian-speaking Indo-European tribes of nomads) on the western coast, Sinds and Meots on east. It is still not known exactly who these Sinds and Meots were, but modern Circassians (Kabardians, Adygs) consider themselves their descendants. Their tribes recognized the power of the colonists who founded their cities along the coast and even tried to build a line of fortifications in the depths of the Kuban territory, but this border was not strong, and the local "kings" obeyed weakly, essentially playing "their own game" with the help of the Greeks. On the western coast of the strait, the Greeks, on the contrary, mixed with the local Scythian-Sarmatian population, adopted their customs and clothes (imagine an ancient Greek in a Scythian-Sarmatian caftan and trousers), since in the steppe it turned out to be more practical and warmer. In military affairs, they also began to speak the language of the enemy, quickly replacing their Greek phalanx with light and heavy cavalry. The land between the cities represented a single territory that belonged to the monarch (who at first formally called himself an archon to maintain the appearance of democracy, although he was not elected) and protected in the west from attacks by external barbarians by a border line of permanent military settlements (it is not known exactly how this service was organized, but it seems that it resembled the one in which the Cossacks would later be organized in the same strip, protecting the civilization of the Russian world. Indeed, sometimes the territory dictates its form of organization to completely different cultures.).

Tanais

Greek merchants sailed to the mouth of the Don, where the local Scythian population set up a trading settlement. However, the Bosporans, having decided to take trade under their control, in the III century BC. e. founded their own colony Tanais, defeated, barbarized and devastated during the Great Migration of Nations. In the Middle Ages, Italian merchants organized their trading post Tanu in this place, which the Turks would capture in modern times, calling it Azov, thus so connected with the history of the Don Cossacks.

Excavations of Tanais.

The Bosporan kingdom, along with Egypt and Sicily, was for the Greco-Roman world the main importer of bread, climatized by the Bosporans by the 5th century BC. e .. At the turn of our era, Pontus (a Hellenistic monarchy located on the southern coast of the Black Sea and claiming to unite the Greek world independently of the Roman Empire) and Rome are fighting for power over the territory of the kingdom.

Its legendary "Veni, vidi, vici"(lat. - "I came, I saw, I conquered", sounds like [veni, see, wiki]) Julius Caesar will say, having learned about the invasion of the ruler of the Bosporan kingdom, Farnak, quickly moving towards him and defeating him from the campaign.

However, having established its power, Rome soon becomes unable to defend the remote province and withdraws. Greeks and Sarmatians enjoyed equal rights and could equally hold positions of power, and more and more often the Sarmatians became monarchs. As a result, this colony, unlike others, was not captured by the barbarians, but gradually became barbarized itself, the cities turned into villages, and their population completely ceased to resemble the Greeks who once sailed here, the kingdom fell apart, and after the Great Migration of Peoples, its territory became dependent on Huns. Then the region will fall into the sphere of interests of Byzantium, many more peoples will trample these shores, Tmutarakan will declare itself, but it will also go down in history ...

Chersonese Tauride

Later than the rest, in the second half of the VI century. BC e. On the territory of modern Sevastopol, a colony of Pontus appeared - Tauric Chersonese. However, thanks to its geographic location(protected by the highlands from the rest of the peninsula), as well as the more militant, decisive and rational mentality of the Pontic colonists, who belonged to the harsh Greek tribe of the Dorians, she manages to survive untouched, outliving her not only "neighbors", but the entire ancient world, having existed before coming to Crimea Tatars in the XIII century.

Ruins of Chersonese.

The colonists quickly faced an acute shortage of land, which also had a very thin fertile layer. Having subjugated the local population - the Taurians (a tribe of Indo-Europeans, which was at a low stage of cultural development), they captured most of their territory and thoroughly dug it up, creating trenches of the required depth, filled with fertile soil collected from the rest of the territory. In these trenches they planted grapes, which occupied 2/3 of their agricultural territory and became, along with pottery of their own production, the main commodity for export to neighboring colonies and sale to barbarians. And, although these goods were of lower quality than those produced in Greece itself (the wine is sourer, and the dishes are less even), but their cost was lower, so they were in demand among the townspeople themselves and unpretentious neighbors. Chersonese exported garum to the Greco-Roman world (sauce from small fish fermented under the action of sunlight in huge pickling tanks, which, despite its stink, civilized citizens liked to season any dishes instead of the current salt and mayonnaise, the sediment obtained during the production of garum was disgusting, but very nutritious and went to the table of slaves and sometimes the military). The city also lived on profits from the repurchase of goods between Greece, other colonies and barbarians.

The ruins of the garum production quarter in Chersonese.

However, in the III century BC. e. The Sarmatians cross the Don and inflict a rout on the nomadic Scythians who peacefully neighbored and traded with Chersonesus, slaughter their nobility, take away their cattle and drive them from their homes. The Scythians, forced to look for new means of subsistence, change their attitude towards agriculture and a settled way of life and form their own states. All that remains for them is to occupy the territories of the Greek colonies, putting trade with Greece under their control, taking their place in relations with the rest of the barbarians. But the Chersonesites, unable to resist them, turn to Pontus for help and receive it, being under his (and then the Bosporan and Roman) protection and power. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the colony comes under the patronage of its heir, Byzantium (this Byzantine theme will be stormed by Prince Vladimir, and then he will be baptized into Orthodoxy here, determining the vector for the further development of our region, but this will be a completely different story).

After our light and slightly free digression into history, we invite you to familiarize yourself with the results of archaeological expeditions according to the institute's press releases:

Unplundered late Scythian necropolis found in Crimea

The Crimean new construction expedition of the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, during excavations on the future highway "Tavrida" in the region of Sevastopol, discovered an untouched late Scythian burial ground of the 2nd - 4th centuries AD. Artifacts found during excavations will allow to restore the history of the Crimea of ​​the Roman period and recreate a picture of the life of the late Scythians in this time period, their culture, traditions and rituals.

“The history of the late Scythians is interesting not only in itself, but also because it shows how ancient culture influenced the barbarians and how they influenced it, how waves of migration rolled on one after another, mixing and intricately intertwining local peoples. Not all the details of these processes are yet clear, and only large-scale and thorough excavations can shed light on them. That is why the study of the Frontovoe 3 burial ground is so important.” , - says the leader of the expedition, Doctor of Historical Sciences Sergey Vnukov.

Explored part of the burial ground. View from the south.

There is very little information about the past of Crimea (or Taurida) in ancient written sources, and its history in the period of late antiquity is full of blank spots. Therefore, the data of archaeological excavations are of particular importance. After the decision to build the Tavrida highway, which, according to federal law on the mandatory archaeological examination of lands before their development should be preceded by archaeological excavations, archaeologists received a unique opportunity to conduct large-scale research in different regions Crimea. Excavations, which began in the spring of 2017, became the largest in the archaeological history of Crimea: scientists from the main archaeological centers of the country examined an almost 300-kilometer section of the future route crossing the peninsula from east to west and discovered more than 90 historical monuments dating back up to 80 thousand years from the Mesolithic to the 19th century.

In 2018, in the region of Sevastopol, on the left bank of the Belbek River, the Novostroynaya Crimean expedition of the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, led by Sergei Vnukov, discovered an untouched necropolis, called Frontovoe 3 after the name of the nearest village. This discovery was a great success, because in this region of Crimea, previous excavations of similar monuments were carried out mainly in 1960-1970. Unfortunately, these cemeteries were not sufficiently explored then, and by now they have been completely plundered. The necropolis of Frontovoe 3, discovered during the construction of the route, has been completely preserved and is therefore of particular interest to scientists who have the opportunity to study untouched burials at the modern scientific level.

Vessels near the head in one of the burials of the Frontovoye 3 necropolis.

The necropolis dates back to the end of the 2nd-4th centuries AD. The population of the Western Crimea in Roman times was very heterogeneous. The descendants of the Greek colonists lived in Chersonesos, the descendants of the Taurians lived in the mountains, the descendants of the Scythians, who moved from the Northern Black Sea region and switched to a settled way of life, lived in the steppes of the northwestern part of the peninsula until the 2nd century AD.

It is not known whether they were direct descendants of the "classical" Scythians, who roamed the steppes of the Northern Black Sea region from about the 7th century BC and left behind the famous barrows. On the peninsula, constantly in contact, trading and fighting with the Greek Bosporus and Chersonesus states, mixing with local barbarians, building fortresses and farming, the former nomads have changed so much that some modern researchers have begun to doubt that they are direct descendants of the nomadic Scythians. To distinguish the new culture, it was called Late Scythian.

Ground grave with shoulders, view from the northeast. Necropolis Front 3.

The late Scythian state initially played a significant role in the history of the Crimea. It constantly threatened Chersonese and in the second half of the 2nd century BC captured its agricultural territory in the north-west of the peninsula. At the end of the same century, the late Scythians fought with the Pontic king Mithridates VI, in the first quarter of the 1st century AD - with the Bosporus king Aspurg, and in the 60s of our era - with the Romans.

In the 1st century AD, nomadic Sarmatians penetrated the Crimea, in the middle of the 2nd century they were followed by a new wave of nomadic Sarmatians, and in the 3rd century - the Goths and Alans. At the beginning of the 2nd century AD, the late Scythians leave the Crimean steppes and go to safer foothills. By the 3rd century AD, their state was in decline.

Now it is difficult to say who the people buried in the Frontovoye 3 necropolis were once. The valley of the Belbek River, where the burials were found, during late antiquity was the contact zone of many peoples: descendants of autochthonous Taurians lived here, bearers of steppe cultures (late Scythians, then Sarmatians ), the Germanic Goths, and at the same time the communities living here were strongly influenced by the Greek Chersonese. The local culture was largely eclectic in nature, which is confirmed by the finds from the burial ground. The methods of burial and the objects found in them indicate various cultural influences: Scythian, Sarmatian, Greek and Gothic. It is obvious that the burial ground accurately reflects the stormy historical events this period.

A side-pit grave with cremated remains placed in it.
Necropolis Front 3.

The early burials of the necropolis date back to the end of the 2nd - the first half of the 3rd century AD. Most of them are side-pit graves, which consist of a vertical entrance "well" and a niche - a burial chamber arranged in one of the walls. The buried were laid on their backs, dishes, glass vessels, knives and food were usually placed near the head, which was placed by the deceased “on a long journey”. Then the entrance to the chamber was blocked with stones.

Women's burials differed from men's in a set of items. If in female burials there are more jewelry: beads, bracelets, earrings, glass bottles are often found, a spindle whorl, and there are no weapons, then in male burials there are no earrings and rings (only large rings and single and large beads are sometimes found), but there may be weapons and horse bridle.

So, in one of the burials, archaeologists found near the head of the deceased a jug, a glass balsamary (flask for incense), an amphora, a knife, on the chest - a necklace of glass, jet, amber beads, and under the collarbone - three golden bay leaves (probably from the Greek golden funeral wreath). Also in the burial were found glass beads, with which clothes were once embroidered, two brooches and two buckles, a glass mug, and next to it were rings and buckles from a belt.

Among the finds in early burials, a ring with a carved carnelian seal insert and a gold thread with a drop-shaped pendant and a carnelian insert edged with grain stand out. The closest analogues to it were found in the necropolis of Chersonese.

Buckles from the early burial of the Frontovoye 3 necropolis. A thread with a drop-shaped pendant with a carnelian insert and edging with grain from the early burial of the Frontovoye 3 necropolis.

As it turned out during the excavations, the necropolis gradually expanded to the south and east. Most of the graves of the second half of the 3rd and 4th centuries AD were also side-pit, but other burial structures also appeared: earthen graves with shoulders - ledges on which stone floor slabs rested.

In the 4th century, they also began to build soil crypts, consisting of a rectangular underground burial chamber and leading to the crypt from the surface of a narrow dromos corridor with steps. The entrance to the chamber was blocked with stone. Several people were buried in such crypts, apparently members of the same family.

Top view of the crypt and neighboring graves. Necropolis Front 3.

Weapons were found in late male burials: swords, daggers, and a battle ax was found in one of the graves. Vessels were still placed near the skulls, some of which contained the remains of funeral food. Intact burials made it possible to accurately establish the details of the funeral rite: for example, in one of the crypts where an adult man was buried, several ceramic and one glass vessels lay near the skull, egg shells and bird bones remained in the bowl, a dagger was located at the right shoulder, on the left side at the feet is a sword. A shield was leaned against the wall, from which the hilt and umbon (overlay on the central part of the shield) were preserved.

Burial chamber, top view. Necropolis Front 3.

During the excavations, Greek red-glazed dishes, glass jugs, a lot of buckles and brooches - metal fasteners for clothes, which researchers attribute to the Chernyakhov culture of the 2nd - 4th centuries, were found. As scientists note, it is already possible to say that the collection of brooches from the Frontovoye excavations is one of the most expressive both in terms of the number of specimens and the number of different variants.

Lamellar earrings from the Frontovoe necropolis burial 3. A glass goblet with drops of blue glass from the Frontovoe necropolis burial 3. A ring with a carved carnelian signet insert from an early burial of the Frontovoe necropolis 3. A two-part arched fibula with a repaired stem from the Frontovoe necropolis burial 3
A rare variation of the "Inkerman" fibula from the burial of the Frontovoe necropolis 3. left: glass insert in a signet ring. right: seal impression. Frontovoe 3 necropolis Buckle from a burial in the Frontovoe 3 necropolis.

(to enlarge the picture, click on it)

During the study of the necropolis, archaeologists also use the methods of natural sciences - geomagnetic studies to clarify the distribution of burials, photogrammetry to create a three-dimensional model of burial complexes and clarify their architectural features, metal detectors to search for metal objects. Natural scientists work alongside archaeologists to conduct anthropological and osteological studies, sampling for radiocarbon analysis, and other studies. All this makes it possible to carry out excavations at the modern scientific level, to obtain Additional information to clarify the dates of the monument.

Now scientists are completing excavations in the southeastern section and continue research in the northwestern one, where earlier burials may be located. After the work is completed, the site will be handed over to the builders, and the excavation materials will be transferred to the Chersonesos Museum-Reserve (Sevastopol).

“During the excavations, more than 100 burials were explored, more than 1,300 finds were collected. The cemetery is of exceptional interest for studying the culture of the closest neighbors of Chersonese. The excavations of the Frontovoe 3 burial ground are a vivid example of the successful organization of rescue archaeological research on large new buildings in Crimea, evidence of a responsible attitude to heritage conservation in the implementation of major construction projects. - notes Sergey Vnukov.

Phanagoria archaeological expedition 2018

Since the end of May, the Phanagoria expedition of the IA RAS has been conducting comprehensive research at the site of federal significance "The settlement and the necropolis of Phanagoria". Excavations in the 2018 season are concentrated on two sites of the settlement, located in the center of the upper (excavation "Upper City") and lower plateau ("Lower City"), as well as in the Eastern necropolis, in the area planned for the construction of the museum building. Research is also being carried out in the waters of the Taman Bay, in the flooded part of the ancient city.

On the upper plateau, long-term excavations of the area (total area approx. 3000 sq. m.) continue, where the public center of the city (acropolis) was located and its historical core is localized. This season explores the layers and remains of building structures of the first half of the 5th and second half of the 6th centuries. BC. Including - the most ancient fortification system (3rd quarter of the 6th - the first two decades of the 5th century BC) and an archaic building (3rd quarter of the 6th century BC) with a large and deep basement under the southern room and the stepped altar in the ground northern one, opened in 2016-2017. In addition, the oldest buildings that lie below the foundations of buildings that died in a general fire in the middle of the 5th century are being studied. BC, the functional purpose of which has not yet been finally clarified.

Among the significant results of the work can be attributed the opening of the lower part of the walls of a large house, standing on stone foundations (which in itself is a significant rarity in the development of ancient Phanagoria due to the shortage of building stone in the region). The most interesting layout of this building, located below the remains of a house that died in a fire in the middle of the 5th century BC. BC. The building, opened this season, had at least four L-shaped rooms. From the inner corner of this building to the north and west extends the pavement of the courtyard, built of fragments of ceramics and raw stones. The drainage of water from this pavement during rain (including that collected from the roof above the premises of the building) was carried out using a drain made of two parallel rows of cobblestones covered with flat stones. It stretched from the pavement along the alley to the south, leaving on the main city street, along which, from west to east, houses were located. Apparently, the house explored this season belonged to a fairly wealthy person.

To the west of the house, across the aforementioned alley, immediately under the floors of a mud-brick building that perished in a fire in the middle of the 5th century. BC, a building with a basement of the previous time, which also died in a strong fire, is being investigated. Considering the fact that the overlying buildings of the 4th and 5th centuries. BC. according to the peculiarities of their planning, they were defined as cult buildings (temples in ants), it was assumed that the building located under them performed the same function. However, the presence of a basement sharply distinguishes the building under study from its predecessors.

However, some finds suggest a cult purpose of the building (along with a small amount of terracotta, fragments of alabaster alabaster, etc., two ceramic eschars - an altar for libations) were found here in the wreckage. Accumulations of crushed container amphorae and other vessels were found in the bottom part. The finds of fragments of the interior decoration of the building are exceptionally interesting - small fragments of clay-based wall plaster (including profiled), painted mainly with white paint, but there are also painted with red. It must be assumed that the wall cladding collapsed into the basement from the ground part of the building.

Refraining for now from calling this building a temple or a sanctuary, we note a good analogy from last year's excavations. Then, too, a building was opened with a vast basement in its southern part and a stepped altar made of mud bricks, on the upper square of which there was a voluminous Ionian bowl (“lutherium”), next to which there was a bothros - a pit for dumping cult objects, sacred ash, etc. d. - in the northern part.

At the “Lower City” excavation site (2000 sq. m.), excavations of medieval Phanagoria are being carried out for the fourth season, counting from top to bottom: from its finale (beginning of the 10th century AD) to the 8th century. AD Despite the serious destruction associated with the selection of stone for building needs in the 19th-20th centuries, the preservation of buildings from this period is generally good. And this allows you to get a clear idea of ​​the layout of this area of ​​the city (largely inherited from the ancient era), the density and nature of building, the level and features of the construction business, the improvement of the territory (in particular, stone pavements with blocked drains were discovered, one of which diverted water from the pavement of the street into a deep cistern, the walls of which were lined with masonry), etc. Abundant clothing material characterizes various aspects material culture population, reflects local handicraft production and extensive trade relations with other centers.

In the 2018 season, Phanagoria necropolis research is carried out in two places: in its Eastern and Western parts.

Work on the Eastern Necropolis continues the systematic study of the territory where the Museum building is planned to be erected. This site, the most studied by archaeologists, is traditionally explored over a wide area (almost 6,000 sq. m), which will make it possible to study in detail the organization of the space of the necropolis and reconstruct its original appearance. This is extremely important, since the historical landscape of this territory near the village of Sennoy has suffered significantly from anthropogenic factors. The large-scale excavations carried out in recent years have made it possible not only to reveal the features of the planigraphy of the ancient cemetery, but also to discover barrows that have disappeared from the face of the earth. In the current season, various burial complexes are being studied here, the chronology of which extends from the 2nd century BC. BC. up to 5 c. AD Work is underway to clear deep soil crypts. Mandatory structural elements of these tombs are the entrance shafts-dromos, burial chambers, which once had vaulted ceilings and corridors connecting them. In addition to earth tombs, excavations in this part of the necropolis revealed other types of burial complexes. The first place in terms of number is occupied by Hellenistic burials in lined graves, including those for children.

As a rule, these burials are accompanied by a set of ceramic dishes and decorations. There are also burials in simple graves. Already a traditional find at the excavation of the Eastern Necropolis was the discovery of the burial of horses of the Roman period. Unlike similar burials found here earlier, the complex, discovered this season, has two levels - an adult horse was found on the floor of the grave, and the skeleton of a foal was found above, in the filling of the grave. Judging by the finds of similar complexes last year (when the burial of a bridled war horse was explored), they can be associated with the military culture of the Phanagorian society of Roman times. Excavations at the Eastern Necropolis are in full swing, which allows us to hope for new interesting finds and discoveries.

This season, for the first time in 18 years, the Phanagoria Expedition resumed exploration of the Western Necropolis of the capital of the Asian Bosporus. In comparison with the works of previous years, the excavation that was laid out this season looks quite large (100 sq. m.). It is located in the village of Primorsky, from the inhabitants of which it became known about the finds of large blocks of hewn stone here. In addition, it was possible to find out that a large mound was once located at this place, the mound of which was demolished in Soviet years. The collected information was confirmed by field research - in the center of the new excavation, half a meter from the modern surface, the ruins of an ancient stone tomb were found. The burial structure is relatively well preserved. Thus, the walls built of limestone blocks in some areas withstood their full height - up to 1.3 m. time.)

The open monumental structure is a stone crypt with a semi-cylindrical (“semicircular”) vault. For the construction of the crypt, a foundation pit was dug, corresponding to the height of the walls up to the heel of the vault. Stone walls were erected inside the pit. The space between the walls and the sides of the construction pit is tightly packed with soil with limestone chips in order for the walls to withstand the loads from the weight of the massive stone ceiling and the mound above it. The heel of the vault is highlighted by a simple cornice. The stone vault itself has not been preserved, its remains were found next to the crypt. Its reconstructed height from the heel is 1.1 m. The height of the burial chamber from the floor to the top of the vault was 2.4 m. The burial chamber, measuring 2.2 × 3 m, had a rectangular shape, its floor was paved with limestone slabs. In the western wall there was a wide entrance with a small pre-chamber room (1.05 × 1.45 m), where the steps of the dromos probably led. The high professionalism of the craftsmen is evidenced by the quality of the masonry and the careful finishing of the internal surfaces of the stone structure.

The tomb was robbed in antiquity. Evidence of this is the accumulation human bones from many individuals on the floor of the room in front of the entrance to the chamber. Much later, part of the stone structure was dismantled during the extraction of stone. Probably, the main part of the limestone blocks was removed during the demolition of the mound.

The type of monumental tombs, to which the crypt discovered in Phanagoria belongs, appears in the Bosporus at the end of the 4th century BC. BC, was widely distributed in the Hellenistic period and eventually replaced crypts with ledge ceilings. The chronology of the Phanagorian tomb is reflected in the few finds from its filling. The main part of the clothing material is represented by fragments of ceramic vessels; there are also a few other finds here. The time of construction of the tomb can still be judged from the earliest things that date back no earlier than the 2nd century BC. BC. The bulk of the material belongs to the Roman era and tentatively allows us to say that the crypt was used for several centuries up to the 2nd century BC. AD The study of the ancient monumental structure continues. It is possible that new information about the architectural features of the tomb and its contents will appear, which, perhaps, will expand our understanding of the necropolis of the capital of the Asian Bosporus.

Underwater research of the current season involves the solution of a number of problems arising from the results obtained by the underwater detachment in previous years. To be honest, we re-identified magnetic objects (297) discovered remotely in 2017. To establish the location of the eastern defensive wall of the city in the flooded part of its territory, a foot magnetic survey was carried out on a 300 × 200 m site, and a micromagnetic survey of the site was also carried out. water areas 600 × 80 m in the central part of the settlement. An underwater excavation (64 sq. m.), laid on the slope of a stone embankment 80 m from the water's edge, is being cleared. To determine the presence of a river paleochannel by means of seismoacoustics and acoustic profiling, a survey of the structure of the bottom sediments of the Taman Bay is carried out from south to north (along the section "Sennoy - Yubileiny").

Greek bronze helmet found on the Taman Peninsula

Scientists of the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, during excavations of burials of the 5th century BC on the Taman Peninsula, discovered a Greek bronze helmet of the Corinthian type - such helmets were worn by warriors in times classical greece, it was in them that the sculptors depicted Pericles and the goddess Athena. And this is the first such discovery in the Northern Black Sea region.

“The helmet belongs to the Corinthian type, the Hermione group, and dates from the first quarter of the 5th century BC. The only such helmet on the territory of the former Russian Empire was found in mid-nineteenth century in the Kyiv province in a barrow near the village of Romeykovka. In the Greek cities of the Northern Black Sea region, such helmets have never been seen before" , - says the expedition leader Roman Mimokhod.

Helmet of the Corinthian type, found in the necropolis "Volna-1".

The Sochi expedition of the Institute of Archeology, led by Mimokhod, has been excavating the Volna-1 necropolis for the third year, which is located four kilometers north of the Volna village at the foot of Zelenskaya Mountain in the southwestern part of the Taman Peninsula. This settlement arose in the late bronze age and was large enough for its time. From the 6th century BC to the second quarter of the 4th century BC, during the colonization of the Northern Black Sea region, there was a Greek polis. During the work of the expedition, more than 600 burials of the inhabitants of this policy were investigated.

At that time, a significant part of the Taman Peninsula was part of the Bosporan Kingdom, a Hellenistic state located on both sides of the Kerch Strait. The Greek cities proper occupied territories both directly adjacent to the sea and at some distance from it, and beyond their borders settled and nomadic tribes of Sinds, Meots and, possibly, Cimmerians lived. At the moment, scientists do not know about any barbarian settlements that existed on Taman synchronously with the Greek policies. But the policies were not hermetic: their inhabitants were actively trading with local tribes, and gradually local traditions penetrated into their culture and way of life.

This is evidenced, in particular, by one of the finds: in 2017, archaeologists found a salt shaker with a Greek inscription, from which it followed that it belonged to the wife of a certain Atateus. According to Roman Mimokhod, a Greek woman would have written her name, and identifying herself through her spouse is evidence of the influence of barbarian culture.

General view of the burial of a warrior-rider.

The 2018 excavation season has just begun, but finds have already been made that can be called unique. Archaeologists have discovered burials of horsemen warriors that differ from those found earlier. In the burials located on the outer side of the necropolis, warriors lie with weapons, and next to them lie bridled horses. In some graves there are graffiti with Greek names on the vessels. The burials were made according to the same rite and date back to the same time - presumably the third quarter and the beginning of the last quarter of the 5th century BC.

But the most interesting find was a Corinthian-type helmet found in one of the burials. This type of helmet appeared in Greece as early as the 6th century BC and was actively used until the second quarter of the 5th century BC. The Corinthian helmet became one of the symbols of ancient Greece of the classical period - these are the helmets depicted on Greek vase painting, on the statue of Athena and the hoplite warriors from the reliefs of the Parthenon, on the head of Pericles.

Initially, such helmets completely covered the head and looked like a bucket with slits for the eyes. The helmet completely protected the head, but limited the view to the sides, so it is believed that warriors in such helmets, as a rule, fought in the phalanx and the warrior did not need to follow the movements of the enemy from the side. Later, helmets began to be made so that the warrior had the opportunity to lift the helmet and move it back. Almost all developed types of helmets had this capability. The top of the helmet was often decorated with a horsehair comb. At the same time, there were other, open types of helmets.

The evolution of Greek helmets from the 8th to 5th centuries BC (