Kropotov V.V., Vakhoneev V.V. Cremation Site 7 (Excavation 4.1), Southern Suburb of Taurica Chersonesos
Viktor V. Kropotov, Candidate of Sciences (History), Senior Researcher, Research Laboratory “Interdisciplinary Studies of the Coastal Zone”, Institute for Advanced Studies, Sevastopol State University, Universitetskaya St, 33, 299053 Sevastopol, Russian Federation
Viktor V. Vakhoneev, Candidate of Sciences (History), Head оf the Research Laboratory “Interdisciplinary Studies of the Coastal Zone”, Institute for Advanced Studies, Sevastopol State University, Universitetskaya St, 33, 299053 Sevastopol, Russian Federation; Senior Researcher, Rescue Archaeology Center, Institute of History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Dvortsovaya Emb., 18, 191186 Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation
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Abstract. During a comprehensive exploration of the Southern suburb of Tauric Chersonesos in 2021–2023, about 340 cremation sites were discovered; those were designated locations where the bodies of the deceased buried in the necropolis were burned according to the cremation rite. These structures had the appearance of pits of various sizes with heavily calcined walls and bottoms. A characteristic feature of most of the complexes is the presence of a special truncated-conical protrusion located in the central part of one of the walls and serving as a kind of blower. At the bottom of the sites, there was a layer of ash and cinders containing burnt bone fragments and human teeth. The accompanying burial material is sparse. These are mainly fragments of ceramic and glass vessels, small metal items, beads, etc. Against this background, the wealth of the cremation site 7 (excavation 4.1) stands out noticeably. Among other things, it contained a set of gold jewelry: a miniature fibula, a large ring with a lost insert, a corrugated bead with a teardrop-shaped pendant, two similar beaded pendants without pendants, five sewn-on plaques, two trefoils, and 116 scraps of foil. All these objects are quite valuable both in cultural and chronological terms. The abundance of gold products in it is indicative, testifying to the high social status of the cremated individual (individuals?). The fibula dates the monument back to the late 1st century AD. It is interesting to note that almost all the ornaments from cremation site 7 find direct analogies in the inventory of the attached crypt of 1013, widely known for the abundance of gold jewelry found in it, and which was the burial vault of the elite of the Chersonesos society. In this regard, it cannot be ruled out that the ashes of one or two buried individuals in the crypt were cremated on site 7, which is located 70 m from the area, later placed in a special, urn and buried in the tomb.
Key words: Chersonesos Taurica, ritual complexes, cremation sites, cremations, burial inventory, ornaments, Roman period.
Citation. Kropotov V.V., Vakhoneev V.V., 2025. Krematsionnaya ploshchadka 7 (raskop 4.1) yuzhnogo prigoroda Hersonesa Tavricheskogo [Cremation Site 7 (Excavation 4.1), Southern Suburb of Taurica Chersonesos]. Nizhnevolzhskiy Arkheologicheskiy Vestnik [The Lower Volga Archaeological Bulletin], vol. 24, no. 1, pp. 173-188. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15688/nav.jvolsu.2025.1.8
Votive Hoard of the Late 3rd – Early 2nd Centuries BC in the Kurgan of the Belomechetskaya-1 Burial Ground of the Karachay-Cherkess Republic by Glebov V.P., Dedyulkin A.V. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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