Pages: 369-393 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.55086/sp263369393

This article presents findings from a burial ground dating to the 4th—3rd century BC, excavated at a mountain pass near the village of Verkhnebakansky. Situated above Tsemes Bay — the historical location of the ancient city of Bata — a total of 20 partially disturbed burial complexes were investigated. The recorded funerary structures consist of stone cists containing the remains of 47 individuals, accompanied by grave goods including tableware, weapons, and jewelry. Additionally,, the excavations revealed evidence of food offerings, ritual funeral feast complexes, and the burial of a bridled horse. Analysis of the metal of the jewelry, alongside the imagery on engraved rings, points to a Bosporan origin, a provenance further supported by the recovered amphorae and tableware. Conversely, the weaponry and iron bridle elements are closely associated with Maeotian antiquities. Securely dated to the 4th—3rd centuries BC by its inventory, this burial ground belonged to a compact group of a barbarian population settled on the southern frontier of the Bosporan Kingdom, who likely served to control the strategic mountain passes.

Keywords: Bosporan Kingdom, Novorossiysk, burial ground from the 4th—3rd centuries BC, weapons, barbarian population

Information about authors:

Irina Rukavishnikova (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: 0000-0002-2034-8659

Denis Beilin (Kerch, Crimea). Institute of Archaeology of Crimea of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Academician Vernadsky Ave., 2, Simferopol, 295007, Crimea
E-mail: [email protected]
ORCID: 0000-0002-5701-9402