Figures
0.1 Askold Ivantchik at the excavations in Heraclea, 1983, together with Elena Lyapustina 2
0.2 Askold Ivantchik and students of the program “Classical and Oriental Archaeology” on the excursion at Villa Romana del Casale, Piazza Armerina, Sicily, 2019 2
0.3 Askold Ivantchik with his colleagues and students of the program “Classical and Oriental Archaeology” taking part in Parion excavations on the excursion in Troya, Turkey, 2023 3
0.4 Askold Ivantchik in the ancient city of Istria, together with François de Callataÿ and Vladimir Stolba, at the Conference in Constanza, Romania, 2018 4
1.1 Friedrich August Marschall von Bieberstein (1768–1826). Silhouétte portrait 9
1.2 First page of Bieberstein’s manuscript article “Erläuterung der Strabonischen Topographie des Cimmerischen Bospors nach den neuesten russischen Karten von Taurien und Taman”. 1795 12
1.3 Bieberstein’s manuscript archaeological map of the Taman Peninsula with location of the ancient barrows and settlements mentioned by Strabo. 1795 13
1.4 Bieberstein’s first draft manuscript archaeological map of the Taman Peninsula with some ancient points on the European side of the Kimmerian Bosporus near Maiotis. 1795 14
1.5 Bieberstein’s copy of the inscription CIBR 23 on the marble pedestal found in the floor of John the Forerunner church in Kerch. It was stored in Theodosian Museum; now its whereabouts is unknown 16
1.6 Bieberstein’s copy of honourable the inscription CIRB 1048 on the marble pedestal, which was found in Suvorov’s fortress Phanagoria near village Taman, then it was immured in a wall of Taman fortress; now its whereabouts is unknown 17
1.7 Bieberstein’s copy of the honourable inscription CIRB 1050 on the marble plate, which was found in Suvorov’s fortress Phanagoria near village Taman. Now is in Cambridge, Fitzwilliam Museum 18
1.8 An Old Russian inscription of 1068 about the survey of the Strait of Kerch between Tmutarakan’ and Kerch which was done by Russian prince Gleb. It was found in 1792 on so-called Tmutarakan’ Stone by prime major H.K. Rosenberg near Taman’ village 19
1.9 Ya.M. Paromov. Archaeological map of the Taman Peninsula. 1981–1992 24
1.10 First page of Bieberstein’s manuscript article “Remarques sur les pierres sépulcrales des anciens grecs qu’on trouve aux environs du détroit de Jenikale”. 1795 25
1.11 Bieberstein’s copy of the inscription CIRB 1179 with a list of names from Anapa (ancient Gorgippia), then a marble plate brought to Sevastopol’. Later it was exported by E.D. Clarke. Now is in Cambridge, Fitzwilliam Museum 26
1.12 Bieberstein’s copy of the byzantine inscription 1079 from Tmutarakan’, which was found in Old Temrjuk 26
1.13 Bieberstein’s copy of the inscription on the tombstone CIRB 610 in the wall of John the Forerunner church in Kerch; from 1895 it is in Kerch Museum 27
1.14 Bieberstein’s copy of the inscription on the grave stone CIRB 285 in the wall of John the Forerunner church in Kerch 28
1.15 Bieberstein’s copy of the inscription CIRB 1095 on the tombstone found in the wall of Turkish fortress near village Taman before 1793. It was brought in Enikale and immured in a wall of the fortress commandant’s house. In 1856 it was taken by English soldiers; now in British Museum 29
3.1 T-O map of the world according to Isidore of Seville, XII century (Aix-en-Provence, France). Bibliothèque Méjanes MS 25 (914), fol. 293r 77
3.2 Late Byzantine world map. After Podossinov 2010 78
5.1 Hemiobol of Soloi, second half of the fifth century BC 114
5.2 Silver stater of Soloi, second half of the fifth century BC. After SNG France 157 118
6.1 The relative frequency of Rhodian eponyms at Istros and Tomis (west coast of the Euxine), and Pantikapaion (north coast), by 20 year intervals. The graph combines data from Conovici 2005, 105, fig. 5, and 114, fig. 12. For Pantikapaion, the number corresponds to a sample of 221 stamps (Conovici 2005, 117, n. 42) 124
8.1 General view of the “Lower City” excavation site 148
8.2 General view of the synagogue (from NE) 149
8.3 Plan of the building 151
8.4 Space for Torah Ark 154
8.5 Fragments of a menorah (first type) 156
8.6 Fragments of a menorah (second type) 157
9.1 Gold appliqués and an amulet with a gold mount. Pervomaïskiï-VII. Burial mound no. 14/1984, burial no. 3. Volgograd, Regional Local Lore Museum, inv.-nos.: 1 – 21579/1–82; 2 – 21581/1–179; 3 – 21580/1–49; 4 – 21582 162
9.2 Alabaster vessel. Pervomaïskiï-VII. Burial mound no. 14/1984, burial no. 3. Volgograd, Regional Local Lore Museum, inv. no. 22365/43 163
9.3 Objects made of iron, bronze and bone. Pervomaïskiï-VII. Burial mound no. 14/1984, burial no. 3. Volgograd, Regional Local Lore Museum, inv.-nos. 22365/44–50; нв-6520/57–60 166
9.4 Silver belt set. Pervomaïskiï-VII. Burial mound no. 14/1984, burial no. 3. Volgograd, Regional Local Lore Museum, inv.-nos. 21573–21578 168
9.5 Silver belt set. Pervomaïskiï-VII. Burial mound no. 14/1984, burial no. 3. Volgograd, Regional Local Lore Museum, inv.-nos. 21573–21578. 1 – reconstruction; 2–11 – elements 169
9.6 Silver plaque of the belt set. Pervomaïskiï-VII. Burial mound no. 14/1984, burial no. 3. Volgograd, Regional Local Lore Museum, inv.-no. 21573 171
9.7 Silver plaque of the belt set. Pervomaïskiï-VII. Burial mound no. 14/1984, burial no. 3. Volgograd, Regional Local Lore Museum, inv.-no. 21574 172
9.8 Silver plaques and the belt tip of the belt set. Pervomaïskiï-VII. Burial mound no. 14/1984, burial no. 3. Volgograd, Regional Local Lore Museum, inv.-no. 21575–21577 173
10.1 Location of Klin-Yar 186
10.2 Outline plan of catacomb Klin-Yar III 389 188
10.3 Bronze cauldron with iron handle (No. K-1, diam. 470 mm) 189
10.4 Amber sword bead with insert (No. 51, diam. 40 mm) 191
10.5 Gold buckle with inlay (No. 60, length 37 mm) 193
11.1 Distribution map of Seleucid coins found over the North Pontic and neighbouring regions 199
11.2 Excavated Seleucid coins from the North Pontic region: 1 – bronze denomination of Antiochus I, Olbia (Odessa Archaeological Museum, no. O/49, p/o 4719); 2 – bronze denomination of Alexander Balas, Tauric Chersonesos (State Hermitage Museum, no. K.p./485, inv. 504); 3 – bronze denomination, middle of the 2nd c. BC, Panticapaeum (Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, inv. no. 268978); 4 – bronze denomination of Demetrius II, Myrmekion (State Hermitage Museum, inv. no. M-57/2574) 205
12.1 Mithradates VI’ staters and tetradrachms found in northern Pontic area. 1 – stater from the southern outskirts of Tauric Chersonesus, Site 4, Trench 101/169 (State Historical and Cultural Museum-Preserve Tauric Chersonesus, field inv. хт-21-P-4/1505-1. Courtesy of Dr. Sergey Solovyev, Dr. Andrey Tereshchenko and the Directorate of the Museum-Preserve Tauric Chersonesus); 2 – stater from Panticapeum (East Crimean Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve, inv. z-13,
12.2 Finds of Mithradates VI’ staters and tetradrachms in northern Pontic region and Caucusus 222
12.3 No. 1. O1–R1. a – Roma Numismatics, 7, 22 March 2014, 757 (8.42g–20mm–12h) = Roma Numismatics, 12, 29 Sept. 2016, 356 (8.42g–20mm–12h) = Classical Numismatic Group, 114, 13 May 2020, 189 (8.40g–20.5mm–12h) 224
12.4 No. 2. O1–R2. a – Classical Numismatic Group, 94, 18 Sept. 2013, 399 (8.39g–20mm–12h) 224
12.5 No. 3. O1–R3. a – Classical Numismatic Group, 106, 13 Sept. 2017, 292 (8.37g–20mm–11h) = Künker, 383, 17 March 2023, 2035 (8.38g) 225
12.6 No. 4. O2–R4. a – Classical Numismatic Group, 93, 22 May 2013, 339 (8.45g–22mm–12h) 225
12.7 No. 5. b – Roma Numismatics, 15, 5 April 2018, 284 (8.42g–20mm–11h) = Triton XXIII, 14 Jan. 2020, 294 (8.41g–19.5mm–12h) 226
12.8 No. 6. c – Roma Numismatics, 19, 26 March 2020, 408 (8.35g–22mm–12h – From the collection of Vladimir Leonenko) 226
12.9 No. 7. O2–R5. a – Numismatica Ars Classica, 92, 23 May 2016, 184 (8.33g) = Numismatica Ars Classica, 125, 23 June 2021, 318 (8.33g) 227
12.10 No. 8. O2–R1. a – Roma Numismatics, 7, 22 March 2014, 758 (8.41g–21mm–12h) = Roma Numismatics, XIII, 23 March 2017, 393 (8.41g–21mm–12h) = Triton, XXIII, 14 Jan. 2020, 295 (8.39g–21.5mm–12h) = Classical Numismatic Group, 121, 6 Oct. 2022, 286 (8.39g) 227
12.11 No. 9. b – Classical Numismatic Group, 96, 14 May 2014, 372 (8.38g–21mm–12h) 228
12.12 No. 10. c – The New York Sale, IX, 13 Jan. 2005, lot 84 (8.38g) 228
12.13 No. 11. d – Nomos AG, 20, 10 July 2020, 165 (8.43g–19mm–12h – “From a collection formed in Eastern Europe in the 1990s”) (likely to have been recently recut) 229
12.14 No. 12. e – Tauler & Fau Subastas, 10, 10 May 2018, 17 (8.39g) 229
12.15 No. 13. OA-Ra. a – Roma Numismatics, 11, 7 April 2016, 470 (8.35g–19mm–12h) 230
15.1 Suggested reconstruction of the frieze of the Anzaf votive shield, according to Belli 1999 259
15.2 Karlsruhe bronze disc, after Calmeyer and Seidl 1983, fig. 1 261
15.3 Detail of the upper frieze of the Anzaf votive shield, after Belli 1999, fig. 31 263
15.4 Detail of the lower frieze of the Anzaf votive shield, after Belli 1999, fig. 46 266
16.1 Detail of the gold “Kelermes scabbard” with therianthropic archer (after Alekseev 2012, 82–83) 273
16.2 Detail of the gold “Mel’gunov (Litoi) scabbard” with therianthropic archers (after Alekseev 2012, 181) 274
16.3 Urartian belt ornament in form of a bird-demon 277
16.4 Urartian helmet, detail (The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, inv. no 2014.7). To note are the snake-like monsters with upturned, curled, nose 279
16.5 Examples of kudurrus with mushkushu dragon (details): A – Middle Babylonian, 1125–1104 BC (© British Museum 90858); B – Second Dynasty of Isin, ca. 1156–1025 BC (© MET Rogers Fund, 1985, accession No.: 1985.45); C – Middle Babylonian, 954 BC (© British Museum 90834); D – Babylonian, 1100–1050 BC (© British Museum 108835) 280
16.6 Figure vase in form of a ketos from Corinth 281
17.1 Location of Grakliani Gora 288
17.2 Grakliani Gora. View from the South-East 288
17.3 Grakliani Gora southern slope and terraces 289
17.4 Grakliani Gora. Types of the locally made ceramic seals seals (after T. Chogovadze) 293
17.5 Imported seals from Grakliani Gora 294
18.1 The boulder with Uruzgan inscription II 299
18.2 Tracing of the inscriptions. After Djelani Davary 1982, 68–69 300
18.3 Vereino bowl. Detail. State Hermitage Museum, no. S-8 307
Tables
1.1 Names of the ancient cities of Taman peninsula according to Strabo, Biberstein and modern archaeological maps 21
6.1 Foreigners from the Black Sea in the Rhodian state 127
12.1 Years and place of appearance of the late Mithradatic gold staters 214
12.2 Weight distribution of the 13 late staters of Eupator sold on the market 215
12.3 Dated staters and tetradrachms from the northern Black Sea region 220
12.4 Chronological distribution of Mithridatic tetradrachms in the Chersonesus 2013 hoard 221