A survey of the excavations at the settlement of Artyushchenko-1 (Bugazkoe) conducted by the Bosporan expedition of the Institute for the History of Material Culture, RAS in 2015-2018.Обзор раскопок поселения Артющенко-1 (Бугазское), проводившихся Боспорской экспедицией Института материальной  культуры РАН в 2015-2018 гг

Vinogradov, Yuriy A.

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187Yuriy A. VinogradovINVESTIGATIONS OF THE RURAL SANCTUARY AT THE SETTLEMENT OF ARTYUSHCHENKO-1 (BUGAZSKOE) ON THE TAMAN PENINSULA IN 2015–2018*The agricultural site of Artyushchenko-1 is situated on the shore of the Black Sea, four kilometers south-east from the farmstead of Artyushchenko (Novotamansky rural district). Excavations at the site were started in 1998 by the Bosporan expedition of the Institute for the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences (St Petersburg). The site has been partly destroyed by the coastal abrasion.1 It must be noted that the settlement-site is divided into eastern and western parts by an ancient ravine. The excavations have revealed a chronological difference between these two parts. The eastern side was inhabited in the Archaic, Classical and Hellenistic periods, while the western part was occupied only during the Roman and the Early Medieval periods.2Excavations were carried out during the last years in the western part of the site. Its occupation started in the first century AD. The settlement’s history includes two periods of occupation in the Roman epoch: pre-Gothic (before the invasion of the Northern Black Sea region by the German Gothic tribes): the 1st century AD – first half of the 3rd century AD, and the post-Gothic period: the second half of the 4th century AD.* The investigation was conducted according to the program 0184-2019-0005 of Fundamental Scientifi c Investigations of the State Academies of Sciences (FNI GAN): “Culture of states of the Classical period in the Northern Black Sea region. Subcultures of the ruling elite and common people”.1 Vinogradov–Kashaev 2016 [Ю. А. Виноградов, С. В. Кашаев, “Античные поселения Артющенко-1 и Артющенко-2 на Таманском полуострове. К оценке масш табов природного разрушения”, Боспорские исследования], 95–105.2 Vinogradov 2013 [Ю. А. Виноградов, “Основные итоги изучения по-се ления Артющенко I (Таманский полуостров)”, Проблемы истории, фи-лологии и культуры], 233–241; Vinogradov 2018 [“Поселение Артющенко-1 (Бугазское) на Таманском полуострове. Итоги археологических исследований 1998–2017 гг.”, Боспорский феномен], 271–277.Hyperboreus 25:1 (2019) 178–186Yuriy A. Vinogradov188The remains of eight primitive ground dwellings and numerous pits belong to the pre-Gothic period. The materials from these pits and ground dwellings are typical of the culture of the agricultural population of the Bosporan Kingdom during the Roman period. It is also noteworthy that numerous fi nds of handmade pottery uncovered here were manufactured in a technique typical of local barbarian tribes, and are characteristic materials at settlements of this region.Part of a very unusual structure was excavated at the western sector of the site in 2012 and 2015–2018. It is an area with a layer of clay (5 cm thick): a clay platform, which contained a large amount of charred grains of bearded wheat (Triticum monococcum). In 2017, this structure was excavated completely. It is measuring 16×4.5–9.5 m and is dated to the 2nd–3rd centuries AD. Initially it was interpreted as a threshing fl oor,3 although bearded wheat was not common for the Taman peninsula (and for the Kuban region in general).4 The latter circumstance forced us to look for another explanation of the site, i. e. as a sanctuary. No coins or terracotta fi gurines have been foundhere, but it is a very characteristic feature of Greek shrines. However,fragments of well-ornamented handmade pots, which were found inthis area, as well as small sacramental ceramic ‘loaves of bread’ madeit possible to consider this structure as a cult installation.5A number of large pits were investigated within this area. Some of them contained skeletons of animals (dogs, pigs, cows, etc.) and occasionally human remains. Materials from these pits support the proposed interpretation of the place. Four of the pits were excavated in 2015–2018. Pit no. 69 was investigated in 2015 (Fig. 1). Dog’s skeletons were lying in the upper part of it, and below there were numerous bones of other animals.6Pit no. 80 was excavated in 2016 (Fig. 2). In its upper part, there was a dog’s skeleton lying on a fragment of a cow’s vertebral column. A handmade bowl was put upon these bones. Numerous skeletons of young animals were found in the lower part of the pit.73 Vinogradov 2015, 158–159.4 Pashkevich 2016 [“Археоботанические исследования Боспора”, Боспорские исследования], 205–298.5 Vinogradov 2017 [“Молотильный ток или сельское святилище? К интерпре-тации объекта, открытого на поселении Артющенко-1 (Таманский полуостров)”, Ex Ungue Leonem. K 90-летию Льва Самуйловича Клейна], 322–333.6 Vinogradov 2017, 326.7 Vinogradov 2017, 327–329. 189Artyushchenko-1 Fig. 2. Pit no. 80. Dog skeleton lying on a piece of a cow’s vertebral columnFig. 1. Pit no. 69. Dog skeletonYuriy A. Vinogradov190Pit no. 89 was investigated in 2017 (Fig. 3). A cow (without legs) was thrown into the pit and a handmade pot was put in front of its head.A shallow pit, no. 87, was excavated in 2017 in the northern section of the clay platform. There was a human skeleton there (Fig. 4). None accompanying object was found near the bones, but undoubtedly this burial was made here in no way accidentally.It is also of special note that a considerable number of complete vessels, mostly handmade, were found in the large pits with animal bones (Fig. 5). Hence, there is a reason to consider them as sacrifi cial.There is almost no doubt that this part of the settlement was used to perform sacrifi ces to gods of fertility. The presence of dogs among the sacrifi cial animals is quite common at Bosporan settlements and cemeteries.8 These animals were considered as mediators between the world of the living and the dead. With their help, the sacrifi ces could reach the gods easier. To understand the nature of this sacred ground, its localization is also of importance. It was situated not in the center of the settlement, but in its western outskirts. Possibly, it was inter alia a sacred protection of the inhabitants of Artyushchenko-1 against malicious demonic forces.Summing up, it can be accepted that the clay platform and the pits associated with it (with animal sacrifi ces and human burials) were parts of a rural sanctuary. Some similarities (fi rstly to sacrifi cial pits) can be found in Thrace, where so-called pit-sanctuaries existed.9 Human sacrifi ces were found there many times.10 The period of fl ourishing of these sanctuaries was the 6th–3rd centuries BC, but this tradition was retained throughout the whole Roman Age.11 Naturally, some elements of cultural similarity between Thrace and Bosporos in the Roman period still need a special discussion.Yuriy A. VinogradovInstitute for the History of Material Culture St Petersburg (IHMC RAS)vincat2008@yandex.ru8 Moleva 1998 [“Собака в религиозных представлениях боспорян”, Боспор-ское царство как историко-культурный феномен], 60–62; Moleva 2002 [Очерки сакральной жизни Боспора], 113–123; Vakhtina 2007 [“Еще раз о погребениях собак на Боспоре”, Боспорский феномен: сакральный смысл региона, памятников, находок], 140–144.9 Tonkova 2003, 482; Bozhkova 2016, 479.10 Tonkova 2003, 496–498, 502; Tonkova 2010.11 Tonkova 2003, 482; Theodossiev 2011, 19.191Artyushchenko-1 Fig.3. Pit no. 89. Cow skeletonFig.4. Pit no. 87. Human remainsYuriy A. Vinogradov192Fig. 5. Pottery fi nds from the pit no. 89 BibliographyA. Bozhkova, “Pits of the fi rst millennium B.C. in Thrace, sine ira et studio”, in:K. Bacvarov, R. Gleser (eds.), Southern Europe and Anatolia in Prehistory.Essays in Honor of Vassil Nikolov on his 65th Anniversary, Universitäts-forschungen zur prähistorischen Archäologie 23 (Bonn 2016) 475–483.N. A. Moleva, “Sobaka v religioznykh predstavleniyakh bosporyan” [“Dog in Religion Beliefs of Bosporan Citizen”], in: V. A. Khrshanovskij (ed.), Bos-porskoe tsarstvo kak istoriko-kul’turnyj fenomen (St Petersburg 1998) 60–62.N. A. Moleva, “Ocherki sakral’noj zhizni Bospora” [Essays on the Sacral Life of the Bosporus] (Nizhnij Novgorod 2002).G. A. Pashkevich, “Arkheobotanicheskie issledovaniya Bospora” [“Archaeological and Botanical Research of Bosporus”], BI 32 (2016) 205–298.N. Theodosiev, “Ancient Thrace during the First Millennium BC” in: G. Tsets-khladze (ed.), The Black Sea, Greece, Anatolia and Europe in the FirstMillennium BC (Peeters 2011) 1–60.M. Tonkova, “Late Iron Age Pit-sanctuaries in Thrace: the Contribution of theStudies at Glebacevo”, Thracia 15 (2003) 479–504.193Artyushchenko-1 M. Tonkova, “On Human Sacrifi ce in Thrace (an Archaeological Evidence)” in: I. Cândea (ed.), The Thracians and Their Neighbours in Antiquity. Studia in honorem Valerii Sîrbu (Brăila 2010) 503–522. M. Yu. Vakhtina, “Esche raz o pogrebeniyakh sobak na Bospore” [“Once More about the ‘Dog Burials’ at the Territory of the Bosporan Kingdom”], in: Bosporskij fenomen: sakral’nyj smysl regiona, pamyatnikov, nakhodok 1 (St Petersburg 2007) 141–144.Yu. A. Vinogradov, “Оsnovnye itogi izucheniya poseleniya Artyushchenko I (Таman skij poluostrov)” [“Main Results of a Study of the Arytyushchenko I Settlement (Taman Peninsula)”], in: Problemy istorii, fi lologii i kul’tury 2 (2013) 233–241.Yu. A. Vinogradov, “Excavations at the Settlement of Artyuschenko I (Bugazskoe) on the Taman Peninsula”, Hyperboreus 21: 1 (2015) 157–160.Yu. A. Vinogradov, “Molotil’nyj tok ili sel’skoe svyatilishche? K interpretatsii ob’ekta, otkrytogo na poselenii Artyushchenko-1 (Tamanskij poluostrov)” [A Threshing Floor or a Rural Sanctuary? To the Interpretation of a Site Dis-covered at the Settlement Artyuschenko-1 (Taman Peninsula)”], in: L. B. Vish-nyatskij (ed.), Ex ungue leonem. Sbornik statej k 90-letiyu L’va Samoylovicha Kleina (St Petersburg 2017) 322–333.Yu. A. Vinogradov, “Poselenie Artyuschenko-1 (Bugazskoe) na Tamanskom polu-ostrove. Itogi arkheologocheskikh issledovanij 1998–2017 gg.” [“Settlement Artyuschenko-1 on the Taman Peninsula. Results of Archaeological Investiga-tions of 1998–2017”], in: Bosporskij fenomen: obshchee i osobennoe v istoriko-kul’turnom prostranstve antichnogo mira 2 (St Petersburg 2018) 271–277.Yu. A. Vinigradov, S. V. Kashaev, “Antichnye poseleniya Artyuschenko-1 i Artyu-shchenko-2 na Tamanskom poluostrove. K otsenke mashtabov prirodnogo razrusheniya” [“Ancient Settlements Artyushchenko 1 and Artyuschenko 2 on the Taman Peninsula. An Estimation of the Extent of Natural Damage”], BI 33 (2016) 95–105. СonspectusСONSPECTUSR  MAchilles’ Inconsistency in Aristotle’s Lost Homeric Problems: a Fresh Look at Four bT-scholia of the Iliad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5C  M. L , M  S  Il ruolo di Posidonio e della dossografi a per la datazione del Περὶ κόσμου e i rapporti con l’Elogium geographiae. II . . . . . . . . . . .  27S  S Comparanda: Il Papiro di Artemidoro e i suoi apparati grafi ci  . . . . . . . . .  56ARCHAEOLOGICAD  CInvestigations on Berezan Island in 2014–2018 (Hermitage Museum Archaeological Expedition) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  97N  N‘The House of Archelaos’: Archaeological Investigations of the State Hermitage Expedition in Quarter XX of the Tauric Chersonesos in 2014–2018   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  107O  SArchaeological Research of the Late Scythian Site of Frontovoye 2 in 2018   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  118A  KInvestigation of the Ancient Settlement of Kytaion in 2015–2018: Archaeological Expedition of the State Hermitage Museum  . . . . . . . . . .  126V  KInvestigations of Necropoleis of Kytaion in 2014–2018 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  133O  SThe Nymphaion Expedition of the State Hermitage Museum (2014–2018)   . . . Сonspectus4143A  EInvestigations at the Site of the Necropolis of the Acient Town of Nymphaion  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  155A  BInvestigations of the Myrmekion Expedition in 2014–2018 . . . . . . . . . . .  161O  SInvestigations of the Coastal Part of Ilyich-1 Settlement in 2015–2016 . .  170S  KExcavations of the Taman Detachment of the Bosporan Expedition of IHMC RAS in 2014–2018 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  178Y  A. VInvestigations of the Rural Sanctuary at the Settlement of Artyushchenko-1 (Bugazskoe) on the Taman Peninsula in 2015–2018 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  187V  G , M  V , S  KExcavations of Gorgippia and its Necropolis in 2012 and 2016 . . . . . . . .  194Keywords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  205

Investigations of the Rural Sanctuary at the Settlement of Artyushchenko-1 (Bugazskoe) on the Taman Peninsula in 2015–2018

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Investigations of the Rural Sanctuary at the Settlement of Artyushchenko-1 (Bugazskoe) on the Taman Peninsula in 2015–2018

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