Pages: 381-391 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.55086/sp223381391

The settlement of Artyushchenko–1 has been studied by the Bosporus expedition of the Institute for the History of Material Culture since 1998. During this time, a huge amount of material has been accumulated that characterizes various aspects of the life of its population. The settlement existed intermittently for almost 900 years: the archaic period (the last third of the 6th — the first third of the 5th centuries BC), the classical (mid-4th century BC), Hellenistic (the second half of the 3rd — the first half of the 2nd centuries BC), Roman (1st—3rd centuries AD), Late Roman (second half of the 4th century AD) and early medieval period (8th—9th centuries). For all periods, the finds include bones of domestic animals. In 2012, an unusual sanctuary of the Roman time was discovered on the western outskirts of the settlement. Its structure included large pits in which sacrificial animals (dogs, pigs, cows) were buried. Such sacrifices appear to have been made to the gods who could ensure the well-being of the inhabitants of the settlement and bestow fertility on their fields.

Keywords: Cimmerian Bosporus, rural settlements, cattle breeding, rural sanctuary, sacrificial pits

Information about authors:

Alexei Kasparov (Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation). Candidate of Historical Sciences. Institute for the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Dvortsovaya Emb., 18, Saint Petersburg, 191186, Russian Federation
E-mail: [email protected]
ORCID: 0000-0001-7761-9301
Yuri Vinogradov (Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation). Doctor of Historical Sciences. Institute for the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Dvortsovaya Emb., 18, Saint Petersburg, 191186, Russian Federation
E-mail: [email protected]
ORCID: 0000-0002-4447-5679