Pages: 319-334

Crypt of Demeter in Kerch is one of the most famous painted crypts of Bosporus of the first centuries AD. There is an extensive literature on the subject, which considers painting of the crypt, its chronology, as well as analyses grave goods buried together with the Bosporan citizens. Despite the brilliant works of M. I. Rostovtseff and V. F. Gaidukevich, a number of issues still remains unclear: composition of grave goods bought from Ivan Zaitsev, the possibility of a secondary burial in the crypt, the exact plan of the crypt, etc. Some previously unknown data obtained in the scientific archives of the Institute of History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the State Hermitage enabled us to find out the list of finds purchased by the State Hermitage in 1895, clarify the chronology of this complex and identify a number of objects related to the secondary burial in the crypt.

Keywords: Crypt of Demeter, the Bosporus, 1st—2nd cent. AD, burial, coffin, chronology, Kerch Museum, Hermitage, Imperial Archaeological Commission.

Information about author:

Oleg Sharov (Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation). Doctor of Historical Sciences. Institute for the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Dvortsovaya Emb., 18 A, Saint Petersburg, 191186, Russian Federation
E-mail: [email protected]