Pages: 235-246 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.55086/sp254235246

The article presents the study results of the urn with the human cremated remains of a 40–49-year-old man from the ground crypt 276 of Phanagoria necropolis. The urn was the last burial in the vault of this Roman time chamber. The tomb was filled with skeletons in wooden sarcophagi. The chamber contains inhumations of men, women, and children with rich grave goods, so we assume that it was a family tomb. Likely, the cremated individual was also a member of this family. This suggests that the choice of rite was driven by the desire to bury this individual in a crypt when there was insufficient space to accommodate a coffin. Computed tomography revealed an orderly arrangement of bone fragments within the ceramic vessel. The known cremations of Roman times from the necropolises of Phanagoria belong to adult individuals buried in crypts, which may be a marker of their high social status. The characteristics of the studied cremation resemble those of the previously described cremations, which confirms the hypothesis about a local tradition of bi-ritual burials of the nobility.

Keywords: Bosporus Cimmerianus, Roman times, crypt, burial, cremation, anthropological remains, computer tomography

Information about authors:

Maria Dobrovolskaya (Moscow, Russian Federation). Doctor of Historical Sciences, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Dmitry Ulyanov St., 19, Moscow, 117292, Russian Federation
E-mail: [email protected]
ORCID: 0000-0001-9695-4199
Aleksey Voroshilov (Moscow, Russian Federation). Candidate of Historical Sciences. Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Dmitry Ulyanov St., 19, Moscow, 117292, Russian Federation
E-mail: [email protected]
ORCID: 0000-0003-2830-8114
Natalia Svirkina (Moscow, Russian Federation). Candidate of Historical Sciences. Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Dmitry Ulyanov St., 19, Moscow, 117292, Russian Federation
E-mail: [email protected]
ORCID: 0000-0001-5712-5953
Elena Stepanova (Moscow, Russian Federation). Doctor of Medical Sciences. Moscow Regional Research Clinical Institute n. a. M. F. Vladimirsky. Shchepkin St., 61/2, Moscow, 129110, Russian Federation
E-mail: [email protected]
ORCID: 0000-0002-9037-0034
Mikhail Popov (Moscow, Russian Federation). Candidate of Medical Sciences. Moscow Regional Research Clinical Institute n. a. M. F. Vladimirsky. Shchepkin St., 61/2, Moscow, 129110, Russian Federation
E-mail: [email protected]
ORCID: 0000-0002-0316-8410