Trove of silver coins found in ancient Greek city of Phanagoria

By: Thomas Schmitt Attorney on September 13, 2019 / comment : 0 Archaeology, Crimea, Eastern Europe, Europe, Russia

Phanagoria is one of the largest ancient Greek cities located on the northern coast of the Black Sea. Its ancient settlement is located on the Taman Peninsula, on the shore of the bay that opened towards the Cimmerian Bosporus (Kerch Strait). In 2014, the State Historical and Archaeological Museum-Reserve was established on the site of the ancient city and its necropolis, where the expedition of the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences carries out full-scale complex archaeological research.

Credit: Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Some time ago, during the excavations of the late archaic layer on the acropolis of Phanagoria, the rarest find was made - a treasure of the oldest Bosporan silver coins in an Ionian jug. The uniqueness of the discovery lies not only in the fact that it is the sole such finding in the Black Sea region, but also in the fact that this set of coins made it possible to finally and quite accurately establish the date of minting of the oldest coins in what is today Russian territory.

The jug, which contained 162 silver coins, was hidden in the wall of the house where the goldsmith probably lived. It is apparent that a man of this profession could accumulate a significant fortune. The house of the goldsmith was destroyed in a fire that occurred in the early 5th century BC. At the same time, the destruction in this area of the city was quite widespread: other residential houses and public buildings, as well as city defensive structures built of adobe bricks in the third quarter of the 6th century BC were destroyed at the same time.

The exact date of the disaster was established by two criteria. The first was the completely unexpected discovery on the ruins of the city defensive walls of a marble slab with an inscription written in Persian cuneiform script. It was made by order of the Persian king Xerxes, son of Darius I. Although the fragmentary text cannot be read in a meaningful way, the very fact of finding such a document is of exceptional historical importance given almost all the inscriptions of the Persian kings were found in Iran.

Credit: Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences

It is known that Xerxes, like his father, devoted his life to the conquests of various territories in order to expand his vast empire from Afghanistan to Egypt. But the main focus of his aggressive policy was on the subordination of Hellas and which ended by 479 BC with the defeat of the Persians.

The second important factor in the analysis of the Phanagoria treasure is contained in the report of Diodorus of Sicily (XII.31.1), which states that after 480/79 BC the Cimmerian Bosporus was ruled by the Archaeanactids, a Greek dynasty of the Kingdom of Bosporus.

The combination of these and some other facts leads to the conclusion that in 480 BC Phanagoria (along with other Black Sea Greek cities) was captured by the Persians, who, in all likelihood, established the Archeanactid regime.

The number of markings found on the coins in the treasure suggests that they were produced within about a quarter of a century, which would date them to the turn of the 6th and 5th centuries BC. On the obverse of the coins is depicted a lion's head, while the reverse is stamped with a four-part incuse square.

The reason for the appearance of coins at such an early time on the northern edge of the ancient world is the subject of heated debate between numismatics and scholars in the field of ancient Greek economics. Nevertheless, it is obvious that about half a century after the coins were struck, the ancient Greek cities in the Bosporus (modern Kerch and Taman Peninsulas) attained a high level of development.

Source: Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences [trsl. TANN, September 13, 2019]

Greek sarcophagus from 6th century BC found near Crimea’s Kerch

By: Thomas Schmitt Attorney on August 18, 2019 / comment : 0 Archaeology, Crimea, Eastern Europe, Europe

A tomb created during the first wave of Greek colonization of Crimea, in the second half of the 6th century BC, was found by archaeologists at Myrmekion, an ancient Greek colony near the city of Kerch.

The small sarcophagus, measuring 70 by 40 centimetres, unfortunately turned out to be empty [Credit: Myrmekion Expedition of the State Hermitage Museum]

"While excavating the ancient city of Myrmekion near Kerch two years ago we came across a new necropolis. This year, we discovered new burial sites, very ancient and dated second half of the 6th century BC, or the period of the first wave of Greek colonization of the Crimean Peninsula. This is a very rare discovery," said the head of the Myrmekion expedition, a State Hermitage Museum official Alexander Butyagin.

He said that to date, only about ten ancient Greek tombs of this period have been found in Crimea. Most of the discoveries were made prior to 1917. So far, archaeologists opened one small tomb, measuring 70 by 40 centimetres, which turned out to be empty.

"Two things are unusual about it: first of all, it is very unusual for its time, because it was cut from a whole piece of stone, not made of stone tiles. Secondly, to our surprise, it contained nothing. The tomb was definitely not robbed, because it had been securely sealed with a stone slab. This came as a surprise to us, this is the first time we see anything of this kind," the scientist said.

Presumably, the tomb was either of symbolic nature or contained ashes, he said. Scientists will try to find out whether anything of this kind has ever been unearthed at other ancient Greek sites of this period.

Myrmekion is an ancient city founded by Ionians in the middle of the 6th century BC along the shore of the Kerch Strait and located several kilometers away from another ancient city, Panticapaeum (now cape Karantinny within the Kerch city limit). Since 1999, the site is being excavated by the Myrmekion archaeological expedition of Russia’s State Hermitage Museum.

Source: TASS [August 18, 2019]

Discoveries of the Phanagoria expedition

By: Thomas Schmitt Attorney on August 11, 2019 / comment : 0 Archaeology, Crimea, Eastern Europe, Europe

The Volnoe Delo Foundation has announced the findings and discoveries of the 16th field season of the Phanagoria Archaeological Expedition conducted at both the 'Upper' and 'Lower' Town areas, as well as the Eastern and Western necropolises and also in the submerged part of the ancient city.

View of the excavations at at the Lower Town at Phanagoria [Credit: Volnoe Delo Foundation]

Two of the three largest finds of the last seasons were made on the territory of the Eastern necropolis. At the end of the 2018 field season, archaeologists discovered a tightly clogged glass vessel in a warrior sarcophagus.

Such vessels are usually found empty, and occasionally there is residual moisture deposits on their walls. The Phanagoria vessel was filled with salty liquid, and the concentration of salt in it was higher than the seawater of the Taman Gulf, on the shore of which Phanagoria was located.

Lacrimaria vessel found at Phanagoria [Credit: Volnoe Delo Foundation]

The results of the investigations completed this year and the data on the ancient funeral traditions allow us to suppose that the liquid in the vessel contained human tears. Such vessels - lacrimaria - are described in the biblical texts as "holding back the tears of mourners".

Lacrimaria were filled with tears of people mourning their loved ones, after which the vessel was placed in a crypt. With great probability it is possible to say that the vessel found by the Phanagoria expedition was filled with tears of people mourning the death of a hero warrior.

Funerary stelae showing warrior on horseback [Credit: Volnoe Delo Foundation]

This season, another unusual discovery was made in the same area of the Eastern Necropolis. In one sarcophagus the remains of a woman buried with her baby - judging by the three bracelets on the child's arm, a girl - was found.

The architecture of the sepulchral structure and the rich ornamentation of the cypress sarcophagus testify to the high social status of the deceased. The woman was dressed in a loose dress, bound on her shoulder with a brooch with coloured enamel. It is obvious that the mother and daughter died at the same time and were buried together.

Remains of a woman and child unearthed in the Eastern Necropolis [Credit: Volnoe Delo Foundation]

It is impossible to establish the cause of their death, but it was probably connected with the dramatic events of the history of the Bosporus kingdom of the 2nd century AD. This was a time of prosperity for the Bosporus, but at the same time it was a period of large-scale military events related to the raids of nomadic peoples.

Mother and daughter may have fallen victim to one of the many clashes with the tribes that attacked the Bosporus cities. The location of the burial site surrounded by military graves supports this theory.

Fragment of a marble table top dating to the 5th-6th century [Credit: Volnoe Delo Foundation]

The east part of a necropolis contains a considerable quantity of military burials. In ancient times, the dead soldiers were buried in military attire, equipped with swords and spears. On the stone tombstones the dead were depicted as horsemen, accompanied by their servants.

A few years ago, experts of the Phanagoria expedition found a sword adorned with a ruby at the entrance to a military tomb. The blade is slightly moved out of the sheath - this is how the robbers were warned in ancient Greece about the imminent punishment for desecration of the hero's grave.

Fragment of a 5th-6th century marble baptismal font [Credit: Volnoe Delo Foundation]

The third major find of this year was made within the territory of the "Lower Town". There archaeologists discovered some items from an ancient Christian temple - fragments of a large marble table top and marble font. The artefacts date back to the 5th and 6th centuries. The table top may have been used as an altar, a table for offerings, as well as during liturgical and memorial meals. The marble font, judging by its size, was used to baptize not only children but also adults.

Both findings can be regarded as convincing evidence of the existence in Phanagoria of one of the first Christian temples in the Bosporan kingdom.

Source: Volnoe Delo Foundation [trsl. TANN, August 11, 2019]

Bird three times larger than ostrich discovered in Crimean cave

By: Thomas Schmitt Attorney on June 26, 2019 / comment : 0 Crimea, Early Birds, Fossils, Palaeontology

A surprise discovery in a Crimean cave suggests that early Europeans lived alongside some of the largest ever known birds, according to new research published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.

An artist's conception of the giant, 1,000-pound bird that once roamed around Europe [Credit: Andrey Atuchin]

It was previously thought that such gigantism in birds only ever existed on the islands of Madagascar and New Zealand as well as Australia. The newly-discovered specimen, discovered in the Taurida Cave on the northern coast of the Black Sea, suggests a bird as giant as the Madagascan elephant bird or New Zealand moa. It may have been a source of meat, bones, feathers and eggshell for early humans.

"When I first felt the weight of the bird whose thigh bone I was holding in my hand, I thought it must be a Malagasy elephant bird fossil because no birds of this size have ever been reported from Europe. However, the structure of the bone unexpectedly told a different story," says lead author Dr Nikita Zelenkov from the Russian Academy of Sciences.

"We don't have enough data yet to say whether it was most closely related to ostriches or to other birds, but we estimate it weighed about 450kg. This formidable weight is nearly double the largest moa, three times the largest living bird, the common ostrich, and nearly as much as an adult polar bear."

It is the first time a bird of such size has been reported from anywhere in the northern hemisphere. Although the species was previously known, no one ever tried to calculate the size of this animal. The flightless bird, attributed to the species Pachystruthio dmanisensis, was probably at least 3.5 metres tall and would have towered above early humans. It may have been flightless but it was also fast.

While elephant birds were hampered by their great size when it came to speed, the femur of the current bird was relatively long and slim, suggesting it was a better runner. The femur is comparable to modern ostriches as well as smaller species of moa and terror birds. Speed may have been essential to the bird's survival. Alongside its bones, palaeontologists found fossils of highly-specialised, massive carnivores from the Ice Age. They included giant cheetah, giant hyenas and sabre-toothed cats, which were able to prey on mammoths.

Other fossils discovered alongside the specimen, such as bison, help date it to 1.5 to 2 million years ago. A similar range of fossils was discovered at an archaeological site in the town of Dmanisi in Georgia, the oldest hominin site outside Africa. Although previously neglected by science, this suggests the giant bird may have been typical of the animals found at the time when the first hominins arrived in Europe. The authors suggest it reached the Black Sea region via the Southern Caucasus and Turkey.

The body mass of the bird was reconstructed using calculations from several formulae, based on measurements from the femur bone. Applying these formulae, the body mass of the bird was estimated to be around 450kg. Such gigantism may have originally evolved in response to the environment, which was increasingly arid as the Pleistocene epoch approached. Animals with a larger body mass have lower metabolic demands and can therefore make use of less nutritious food growing in open steppes.

"The Taurida cave network was only discovered last summer when a new motorway was being built. Last year, mammoth remains were unearthed and there may be much more to that the site will teach us about Europe's distant past," says Zelenkov.

Source: Taylor & Francis Group [June 26, 2019]

Rare gold coin of the Roman Empire discovered in South Russia

By: Thomas Schmitt Attorney on March 16, 2019 / comment : 0 Archaeology, Crimea, Eastern Europe, Europe, Russia

Russian news sources have reported the discovery of a rare gold coin of the Bosporan kingdom during the course of excavations in the Crimean region of Kuban.

Credit: felicina.ru

The golden stater, which was minted in the years 27-28 CE, was in circulation in the territory of the Bosporan kingdom, which included the Eastern Crimea, the Taman peninsula, the Anapa region, Novorossiysk, the lower reaches of the Kuban region, the Eastern Azov region and the Don delta,” the report noted.

The coin is considered to be "among the rarest" since only two other examples are known.

“The discovery was made by archaeologists from Saratov - members of the expedition of the Research Center for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage under the direction of PS. Danilov", said the report.

Source: Felicina [March 16, 2019]

Russian archaeologists unearth ancient Greek settlement in Crimea peninsula

By: Thomas Schmitt Attorney on November 09, 2018 / comment : 0 Archaeology, Crimea, Eastern Europe, Europe

Researchers from the Russian Academy of Sciences Archaeology Institute have discovered a previously unknown ancient Greek settlement in eastern Crimea, Chairman of the State Committee for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of the Republic of Crimea, Sergey Yefimov, told TASS on Friday.

Credit: РИА Новости/Артем Креминский

"Researchers from the RAS Institute of Archaeology uncovered a new ancient Greek settlement during their excavation near Kerch, which preliminary dates back to the 4th-3rd century BC, a period when the Bosporan Kingdom was flourishing. This is an important finding not just for Crimea but for all of Russia," Yefimov added.

Credit: РИА Новости/Артем Креминский

He also noted that the community, called Manitra, occupied an area of roughly 5,000 square metres. The outpost consists of an estate-like residential area and a domestic zone, made up of livestock pens and middens.

Credit: Alexei Pavlishak/TASS

Yefimov also said that a necropolis was found near the settlement, which hadn’t been ransacked, meaning there might be worthy findings.

Source: TASS [November 09, 2018]

Unique ivory statuette of Graeco-Egyptian god Harpokrates unearthed in Crimea

By: Thomas Schmitt Attorney on October 01, 2018 / comment : 0 Archaeology, Crimea, Eastern Europe, Russia, Ukraine

A unique ivory statuette depicting the god Harpokrates was discovered by archaeologists from the Bosporos Archaeological Expedition of the Research Centre for History and Archaeology of Crimea, the Crimean Federal University in Vernadsky and the Centre for Archaeological Research Foundation Demeter.

Credit: Crimea Press

The statuette, which is exceptionally well preserved, was discovered during the excavations of the ancient city of Tyritake (Greek Diya) located in the southern part of modern Kerch.

Dating from the first century BC the statuette is believed to depict  the child god Harpokrates, "with a cornucopia, as well as two satyrs and a goose," said Alexander Aybabin, director of the Research Centre for History and Archaeology of Crimea.

Credit: Crimea Press

Harpokrates was the god of silence, secrets and confidentiality in the Hellenistic religion developed in Ptolemaic Alexandria (and also an embodiment of hope, according to Plutarch). Harpokrates was adapted by the Greeks from the Egyptian child god Horus.

The head of the expedition, Viktor Zinko, added that this year work was carried out in two areas in the ancient city. Investigations focussed on the northern fortress wall of the ancient city, which in the second half of the fourth and early third centuries BC served as a powerful defensive structure.

Credit: Crimea Press

In 2018, scientists began researching the residential quarter to the south of the city wall, where they found an early medieval building with a large stone stove in its upper cultural layers.

In the central part of the city, the western city wall and the buildings adjacent to it were also investigated. This part of the city fortification wall was built at the end of the 6th century BC. During the course of excavations, a number of structures dating from the sixth to first centuries BC were discovered.

"In addition to the statuette of the god Harpokrates, various amphorae, pottery and bronze coins were also found,” said Viktor Zinko.

Source: Crimea Press [October 01, 2018]

Ancient marble statue found in Crimea

By: Thomas Schmitt Attorney on August 28, 2018 / comment : 0 Archaeology, Crimea, Eastern Europe, Europe, Russia, Ukraine

A marble statue of a partially draped male torso, said to date to the Hellenistic period, has been found during the course of excavations at the ancient fortifications Myrmekion, an ancient Greek colony in the Crimea.

Credit: Alexander Butyagin

The statue, possibly depicting Asklepios, the Greek god of medicine and patron of physicians, was found in a destruction layer of a villa dating to the first century AD.

Credit: Alexander Butyagin

The colony of Myrmekion was founded by Ionian settlers in the first half of the 6th century BC, in the eastern part of what is today the city Kerch.

Source: Russia News Today [August 28, 2018]

1,800-year-old tomb with reliefs of Herakles discovered in Crimea

By: Thomas Schmitt Attorney on August 17, 2018 / comment : 0 Archaeology, Crimea, Eastern Europe, Europe

An ancient Greek tomb was discovered in Crimea at the Kyz-Avul necropolis, near the city of Kerch, a representative of the archaeology fund, Oleg Markov, told Sputnik Friday.

Credit: Oleg Markov/FB

According to the historian Nikolai Fedoseev, whose expedition discovered the tomb, it belongs to the 2nd century AD and is decorated with various reliefs, including a depiction of the hero Herakles.

Although the tomb had already been pillaged, the reliefs, as well as a few ritual objects, remained untouched.

Well-preserved Roman ship found off Crimean coast

By: Thomas Schmitt Attorney on August 12, 2018 / comment : 0 Archaeology, Crimea, Eastern Europe, Europe, Underwater Archaeology

A wooden ship found in the depths of the Black Sea, is more than 2,000 years old, according to experts.

Credit: Sky News

The Roman vessel, dates back to the 2nd or 3rd centuries and could have been used as a merchant ship, senior researcher Viktor Lebedinsky told Russian news agency TASS .

He said: "The discovered vessel, presumably dating back to the 2nd or 3rd centuries, rests at the depth of 85 meters and this is a wooden carcass."

The discovery was made by the Neptune expedition, sponsored by the fund of Russian presidential grants on the project "Crimea, the Crossroads of Civilizations".

The expedition aims to examine various objects already spotted by archaeologists at the Black Sea and search for new artefacts. It has more than 30 members, sonar operators and divers.


The scientists found an iron anchor which allowed them to make conclusions about the historic period.

Mr Lebedinsky added that at the scene of the shipwreck, there is a big mast with the diameter of more than half a meter.

"The size of the discovered object is 22 meters long and 6 meters wide, what conforms to the size and proportions of the so-called "round ships" used during the Roman era as merchant vessels," he said.

The archaeologists are surveying the site to find out when the ship sank.

Author: Kelly-Ann Mills | Source: Mirror [August 12, 2018]

Russian archaeologists discover ancient Greek musical instruments near Crimea

By: Thomas Schmitt Attorney on July 09, 2018 / comment : 0 Archaeology, Crimea, Eastern Europe, Europe, Russia

Researchers from the Institute of Archaeology at the Russian Academy of Sciences have unearthed the remains of ancient Greek musical instruments - a harp and a lyre - on the Taman Peninsula in southern Russia, the Academy said in a statement.

The remains of harp found in the ancient necropolis of the Volna-1 settlement in the Temryuk district of the Krasnodar Territory [Credit: Institute of Archaeology, RAS]

"Until recently, we had known of only one partially preserved ancient Greek harp found in the Piraeus necropolis in Athens and the tuning pegs of a harp uncovered from a necropolis in Taranto, southern Italy," the statement says, citing expedition leader Roman Mimokhod.

The burial in which the remains of the harp were found. Necropolis of the settlement 'Volna-1' [Credit: Institute of Archaeology, RAS]

Burial of a warrior with cithara. Necropolis of the settlement 'Volna-1' [Credit: Institute of Archaeology, RAS]

"The harp found in the Piraeus necropolis dates back to the late fifth century BC and the tuning pegs from Taranto were discovered in a tomb dating back to the third or second centuries BC. Compared to these previous discoveries, the harp unearthed in Taman is one of the most ancient and best-preserved as far as ancient Greek musical instruments are concerned," the researcher added.

Bone plectrum from the burial in the necropolis of the settlement 'Volna-1' [Credit: Institute of Archaeology, RAS]

Russian researchers made this discovery while examining an ancient necropolis located near the Volna settlement. Archaeologists say that a Greek polis existed there from the second quarter of the sixth century BC to the fourth century AD, which belonged to the Bosporan Kingdom, spanning both sides of the Kerch Strait.

Left: Muse of Terpsichore playing the harp. Fragment of red-figured amphora, 440 BC. British museum. Right: Cithara. Fragment of red-figured amphora, 490 BC. The Metropolitan Museum [Credit: Institute of Archaeology, RAS]

The Institute of Archaeology’s Sochi expedition has been going on in the area for the third year in a row. Researchers have examined more than 600 tombs and unearthed unique artefacts that prove close links between ancient Greek and local cultures.

Source: TASS [July 09, 2018]

Intact late Scythian necropolis discovered in Crimea

By: Thomas Schmitt Attorney on June 30, 2018 / comment : 0 Archaeology, Crimea, Eastern Europe, Europe, Russia

The Crimean expedition headed by the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences has discovered an intact late Scythian necropolis containing more than a hundred graves and yielding about 1.3 million artefacts during excavations at the construction site of the future highway 'Tavrida' near Sevastopol.

Credit: Institute of Archaeology, Russian Academy of Sciences

In ancient written sources there is very little information about the past of the Crimea (or Tauris), and its history in late antiquity is full of blank spots. Therefore, archaeological excavations are of particular importance.

The necropolis is situated on the left bank of the river Belbek Novostroika and dates from the second to the fourth centuries AD.

The population of the Western Crimea in the Roman period was very heterogeneous. Greeks lived in Chersonesos, the native Tauri people occupied the surrounding mountains, and the Scythians settled in the steppes of the North-Western part of the Peninsula, having migrated from the Northern Black Sea coast.

"Now it is hard to say who the people buried in the necropolis were. The Belbek river valley, where the graves were found, was a contact zone of many peoples in late antiquity: the descendants of Taurians, steppe cultures (late Scythians, then Sarmatians), Gothic Germans, all of which were strongly influenced by the Greek Chersonesos.The local culture was largely eclectic, as evidenced by the finds from the burial ground. The methods of burial and the artefacts found in them indicate different cultural influences. Clearly, the burials reflect the turbulent historical events of this period," noted the Russian archaeologists.

Credit: Institute of Archaeology, Russian Academy of Sciences

The earliest burial of the necropolis dates from the end of second or the first half of the 3rd century AD. Most are inhumation burials, some of which consist of a vertical corridor leading to underground burial niches arranged along one of the walls of the tomb. The deceased were laid on their backs, with bowls, glass vessels, knives placed at the heads, along with offerings of food. The entrances of the burial chambers were sealed with stones.

Female burials are clearly differentiated from the male burials by the jewellery they contain - beads, bracelets, rings, earrings - as well as glass bottles and spindle whorls, but no weapons. Male burials, on the other hand, occasionally contain large signet rings and single large beads, and are typically accompanied by weapons (swords, daggers, shields) and horse bridles.

In one of the burials archaeologists discovered a pitcher, a glass incense bottle, amphorae, a knife, a glass necklace, several amber beads, and three golden laurel leaves (probably from the Greek golden funeral wreath) placed near the head of the deceased. Also in the burial several glass beads that once adorned embroidered clothing were discovered, as well as two fibulae and two belt buckles.

Among the many finds in the earlier burials is a signet ring with a cornelian insert and a gold chain with a tear-shaped pendant, also with a carnelian insert. The closest analogues were found in the necropolis of Chersonesos.

Credit: Institute of Archaeology, Russian Academy of Sciences

Excavation revealed that the necropolis gradually expanded to the south and east. Most of the graves of the second half of the third and the beginning of the fourth century AD were also inhumation burials, including simple pit graves lined by large stones.

In the 4th century underground crypts were built, consisting of rectangular underground burial chamber accessed by a narrow corridor-dromos with steps. The entrance to the chamber was blocked with a large stone. Several people were buried in these vaults, apparently members of the same family.

During the excavations Greek red-and-white dishes, glass jars, and a myriad of buckles and fibulae were found, which researchers attribute to Chernyakhov culture of the second-fourth centuries.

Indeed, the collection of fibulae from the excavations is particularly impressive in terms of the number of specimens and different types found.

At present excavations in the southeastern section are being completed and will then move to the north-west, where there may be earlier burials. After the completion of the work, the site will be handed over to the builders, and the materials of the excavation will be transferred to the Chersonesos Museum-Reserve in Sevastopol.

Source: Russia News Today [June 30, 2018]

Corinthian helmet found at excavations on the Taman Peninsula

By: Thomas Schmitt Attorney on May 17, 2018 / comment : 0 Archaeology, Crimea, Eastern Europe, Europe, Russia

A Corinthian helmet was found in a grave from the 5th century BC in the Taman Peninsula, south-west of Russia, reported the agency RIA Novosti. It is the only such helmet discovered north of the Black Sea.

Helmet of Corinthian type, found in the necropolis [Credit: Institute of archaeology of Russian Academy of Sciences]

Corroded after being buried for 2500 years, and thus highly fragmented, its discovery nevertheless remains spectacular. Made of bronze, Corinthian helmets covered the entire head and neck, with slits for the eyes and mouth, and protruding cheek covers (paragnathides). A large curved projection protected the nape of the neck. The interior was padded with fabric or leather to protect the warrior's skull. Often their crest was surmounted by a crest (lophos) with a horsehair plume. Highly protective because they completely covered the head, these helmets represented an essential piece of equipment for the Greek hoplites, the famous foot soldiers of the phalanxes.

Corinthian helmets appeared in Greece around the 6th century BC and is one of the symbols of ancient Greece. The goddess Athena, or Pericles, are frequently depicted wearing them.

General view of the burial of the Greek warrior [Credit: Institute of archaeology of Russian Academy of Sciences]

When a warrior died, his helmets would be buried next to him. According to Roman Mimohod, director of the expedition of the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IA RAS), "the helmet of the Taman peninsula belongs to the Corinthian Hermione-type and would date back to the first quarter of the fifth century BC."

Archaeologists of the Russian Academy of Sciences have been working for two years in a necropolis of 600 burial mounds where many Greek warriors of the Bosporus kingdom are buried. Several Greek colonies were indeed present in this region. Their settlement extends from the end of the 7th century BC until the second quarter of the 4th century BC.

Amphora found in burial [Credit: Institute of archaeology of Russian Academy of Sciences]

"These settlements were in very close contact with the Scythian inhabitants of the steppe," says historian Iraoslav Lebedynsky, specialist of these ancient Eurasian cultures. From the 6th century BC, the Greeks founded large cities on the northern coast of the Black Sea. The main ones were Olbia, at the mouth of the Dnieper; Panticapaion, today's Kerch, in the extreme west of the Crimea, and Chersonese (Sevastopol); on the Russian bank, one found Phanagoria (Taman), also the name given to the peninsula on which the Corinthian helmet was discovered.

The Kingdom of the Bosporus

Created in 480 BC around the Kerch Strait and the Taman Peninsula, west of the Bosporus, this kingdom which had Panticapaion as its capital lasted almost a thousand years, the last written traces going back to the 5th century AD. A place of synthesis between the Greek culture and the successive nomadic cultures of the steppe, be it the Scythians or the Sarmatians. Between the 6th and 3rd centuries BC, Greeks and Scythians maintained extremely close cultural as well as commercial relations.

Source: Sciences et Avenir [May 17, 2018]

Engraved Crimean stone artefact may demonstrate Neanderthal symbolism

By: Thomas Schmitt Attorney on May 02, 2018 / comment : 0 Anthropology, Crimea, Early Humans, Eastern Europe

A flint flake from the Middle Paleolithic of Crimea was likely engraved symbolically by a skilled Neanderthal hand, according to a study published in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Ana Majkic from the University of Bordeaux, France and colleagues. The authors developed a detailed framework for interpreting engravings on stone artifacts.

The engraved flint flake from Kiik-Koba layer IV [Credit: Majkic et al (2018)]

Engraved stone artifacts are important clues to the history of human culture and cognition. Incisions on the cortex (soft outer layer) of flint or chert flakes are known from Middle and Lower Paleolithic sites across Europe and the Middle East. However, it can be difficult to determine the action that created an incision: was it an accidental scrape or purposeful engraving? To address this issue, Majkic and colleagues created an interpretive framework that allows researchers to classify the structure and patterns of engraved cortexes and cross-check these attributes with a list of possible causal actions.

They tested this methodology with an engraved flake from the cave site of Kiik-Koba in Crimea. The many stone artifacts at the site are associated with Neanderthal remains and date to around 35,000 years ago. Following microscopic examination of the grooved lines on the flint cortex, the researchers concluded that the incisions represent deliberate engravings that would have required fine motor skills and attention to detail. These engravings appear to have been made with symbolic or communicative intent.

If this interpretation is correct, this engraved flake would join a growing list of signs that Neanderthals engaged in symbolic activities, along with evidence of intentional burial, personal ornaments, and other decorated objects. This has implications for the question of when and how many times this sort of cultural expression has evolved among hominin populations. The researchers hope to hone their framework further for use with artifacts of varying ages and cultural contexts.

Source: PLOS [May 02, 2018]