landscape archaeology by Gennady Garbuzov
Г.П. Гарбузов «Таманское» межевание на Европейском Боспоре и на Средней Кубани // Древности Боспора. Т. 29. c. 122-140., 2024
The article presents evidence of land division systems of a specific Taman type near the Greek po... more The article presents evidence of land division systems of a specific Taman type near the Greek polises of the European Bosporus and Meotian settlements in the Middle Kuban area. The land division on the European Bosporus is identical to that on the Taman Peninsula, forming a unified cultural and chronological land division zone. The peak period of land division in this zone was likely associated with the prosperity of the Bosporan rural territory in the 4th and early 3rd centuries BC, when land division was probable a necessary aspect of Bosporan agriculture during the grain trade. The Meotian land division was found along the entire chain of Meotian settlements on the right bank of the Middle Kuban. Its overall extent is still difficult to accurately determine. The Meotian land division is characterized by its irregularity, possibly indicating a formal imitation of Greek technology. The date of Meotian land division may be similar to that of land division on the Taman Peninsula, but there could be a delay in its spread compared to the Greek land division. Meotian agriculture likely played a role in stabilizing Bosporan grain production in the region's variable climatic conditions.
Гарбузов Г.П. Античное межевание таманско-ольвийского типа в районе Нижнего Поднепровья // ВДИ. Т. 84. №1. 2024. с. 77–106.
Based on public data from the Google Earth, the article shows that the largest area of antiquity ... more Based on public data from the Google Earth, the article shows that the largest area of antiquity land division in the Northern Black Sea region was in the Lower Dnieper. The land division ob-served here is very close in its external features to the land division which has long been known in the Olbia region. In general, it can be attributed to the non-linear land division of the Taman-Olbian type. The article substantiates the assumption that land division in the Lower Dnieper re-gion is associated with farming which was carried out by the inhabitants of the Scythian settle-ments of the 4th - the first third of the 3rd century BC. Together with the region of Olbia the Lower Dnieper region forms a dual center of the same type of land division with significant agri-cultural potential. Another such dual center of land division but on a smaller scale was the Bosporus together with the region of the Middle Kuban.
Гарбузов Г.П. Поселенческий потенциал Таманского полуострова // Боспорские исследования. 43. 2021. с. 74-91.
The article discusses the issue of assessing the potential number of settlement centers on the Ta... more The article discusses the issue of assessing the potential number of settlement centers on the Taman Peninsula. The starting points for reasoning are the currently known sample of identified archaeological sites and information about the quality of archaeology prospection of certain parts of the peninsula. Based on these data, an empirical quantitative assessment of the possible number of archaeological sites is made. This projected amount is at least three and a half times the number of already known monuments. It has been suggested that the bulk of the still undis-covered settlements are small rural sites like the underpopulated homesteads.
Гарбузов Г.П. Лощинный вариант дорог Таманского полуострова // Древности Боспора. Том 25. М., 2020. с. 57-76.
Analysis of the various remote sensing data allows to divide the ancient roads of the Taman Penin... more Analysis of the various remote sensing data allows to divide the ancient roads of the Taman Peninsula into two types. One type is hollow ways and the second type is boundary ways. The article examines in more detail the first type. The hollow ways of the Taman Peninsula find a good analogy with hollow ways in Upper Mesopotamia which formed in the Early Bronze Age. The article concludes that a significant part of the hollow ways of the Taman Peninsula had been appeared after the desolation of extensive land division systems created during the golden age of the Bosporan grain trade.
Гарбузов Г.П. Влияние плодородия почв на пространственное распределение античных поселений Европейского Боспора // ПИФК. №1(47). 2015. c. 344–353.
Base on the comparison of the natural fertility of modern soils of the Kerch Peninsula and spatia... more Base on the comparison of the natural fertility of modern soils of the Kerch Peninsula and spatial distribution of the ancient settlements the author concludes that a structure of the settlement system was strongly depended on the fertility of modern soils. The analysis is founded on the soil maps of the Kerch Peninsula on a scale of 1:200000 and recently published catalogue of the settlements dated IV-I century BC.
Гарбузов Г.П. К вопросу определения «естественной» территории Азиатского Боспора // Древности Боспора. Том 17. М., 2013. c. 110–131.
The article estimates the boundaries of the natural territory, which can be considered as the nat... more The article estimates the boundaries of the natural territory, which can be considered as the native area of the Asiatic Bosporus. The standard of such territory is considered to be the Taman Peninsula but analysis of formal features that have an influence on human erception helps to extend its limits. The simplified list of formal features is composed of characteristics of relief (estimated by the SRTM), climate and soil cover. The analysis reveals the enlarged
natural territory of the native area of the Asiatic Bosporus which include the Taman Peninsula and comparable to him by size fertile plains along the left bank of the Kuban river between modern Anapa (ancient Gorgippia) and Semibratnee settlement.
Гарбузов Г.П. Влияние условий Таманского полуострова на античную систему расселения // Древности Боспора. Том 15. М., 2011. с. 73-89.
Гарбузов Г.П. Следы землеустройства в округе меотских поселений на Средней Кубани // Античная цивилизация и варварский мир Понто-Каспийского региона: материалы Всероссийской научной конференции с международным участием, посвященной 70-летнему юбилею Б.А. Раева. Ростов н/Д, 2016. c. 33–43.
The article reports on probable traces of ancient land division discovered on the right bank of t... more The article reports on probable traces of ancient land division discovered on the right bank of the Middle Kuban with the help of public space images. Two examples of such traces have been identified on satellite images in the vicinity of large settlements of Maeotians. All formal features of the revealed traces are very similar to the antient Greek land division known among Olbia and Taman Peninsula regions.
Гарбузов Г.П. Краткий обзор древнего землеустройства Таманского полуострова // Древности Боспора. Т. 11. 2007. с. 59-85.
The article is presented the brief review of the ancient land division discovered in Taman penins... more The article is presented the brief review of the ancient land division discovered in Taman peninsula, South Russia. This bright phenomenon is studied almost exclusively on the basis of the analysis of remote sensing features revealed mainly by aerial photographs. The ancient land division features form two major classes, the first one makes regular orthogonal spatial grids or strips while the second one looks like irregular nonlinear spatial net. For each of classes are discussed shortly their common properties and preliminary classification based on the topological characteristics. It is noted that ancient land-use systems should be studied as not isolated event but within the framework of a composite dynamical cultural landscape taking into consideration its motive forces both natural, and socio economic. The generally accepted chronological interpretation of nonlinear land division networks is stated with its brief argumentation. The assumption is expressed that we will be able to solve the chronological problems with further development of a regional landscape archaeology and, first of all, by detail learning of the ancient settlement system.
Гарбузов Г.П. Новые возможности сравнительного анализа региональных систем античного землеустройства // Древности Боспора. Том. 12. Часть I. М., 2008. с. 148-161.
The brief report advise of new Internet projects such as Google Earth which provide the archaeolo... more The brief report advise of new Internet projects such as Google Earth which provide the archaeologists studying ancient landscapes with high quality spatial data sets. The great potential of the new research tool for the comparative analysis of the spatial organization of rural territory in two main regions of antique colonization of Northern Black Sea Coast is revealed by on an example ancient land division systems.
Гарбузов Г.П. Районирование античных агроландшафтов Таманского полуострова // Древности Боспора. Том. 13. М., 2009. с. 123–140.
In the work the analysis of spatial interrelations between the greek ancient settlements of the T... more In the work the analysis of spatial interrelations between the greek ancient settlements of the Taman peninsula (the basic part of the Asiatic Bosporus) and modern soil resources is presented. It is suggested that the areas of the ancient tillage can be approximately estimated by means of the modern soil cover. The isolated areas of modern fertile soils which are offered to consider as natural structural elements of ancient rural landscape are allocated. All these areas are briefly characterized.
grain trade by Gennady Garbuzov
Гарбузов Г.П. Корабли с зерном из Понта // Древности Боспора. Том 20. М., 2016. с. 177-198.
The article examines briefly a timetable of the maritime grain trade between the North Black Sea ... more The article examines briefly a timetable of the maritime grain trade between the North Black Sea and Greece in the Classical antiquity. It is assumed that the seasonal calendar of the Greek grain trade was mainly defined by meteorological phenomena in the Bosphorus strait, duration of the harvest in the North Black Sea regions, and the extreme date of the escort of merchant ships by Athenian warships in autumn. It is likely that a successful trading navigation was relatively short-dated in summer time, and in case of a large yield, most of the North Black Sea grain of new harvest intended for coming-out could not be exported in a short navigation window.
Гарбузов Г.П. К оценке урожайности зерновых на античном Боспоре // Проблемы истории, филологии, культуры. 2018. №1. c. 12–23.
The article discusses the issue of assessing the productivity of cereal in the main areas of the ... more The article discusses the issue of assessing the productivity of cereal in the main areas of the Bosporan Kingdom. The most appropriate benchmark for such assessments is the actual crop yields by local farmers. A good example here is the large Russian pre-revolutionary agriculture statistics on the yield of cereals. This data allowed restoring the yields of the three main crops (spring barley, winter and spring wheat) in the Eastern Crimea (European Bosporus) and the lower reaches of Kuban (Asian Bosporus) for 1870-1915. The analysis of series of productivity made it possible to propose more reliable quantitative estimates of yields for the antiquity Bosporus.
Гарбузов Г.П. Земельные ресурсы Боспора: теоретические оценки и реальная практика // Древности Боспора. Том 22. М., 2018. с. 24-39.
The article presents the results of comparing the land resources estimates of the Bosporus main ... more The article presents the results of comparing the land resources estimates of the Bosporus main areas obtained through analysis of the natural soil fertility with statistics data of Russian pre-revolutionary agriculture. The comparison reveals clear that on the European Bosporus in the late 19th and early 20th centuries regularly have had plowing much more agriculture lands than can be imagined on the basis of speculative assessments. This indirectly confirms that the agricultural potential of the European Bosphorus could be quite large in the classical period and our generally accepted assessments of this potential are too low.
Гарбузов Г.П. Земельные ресурсы Боспора // Боспорские чтения. Вып. XVI. 2015. с. 77-87.
It is known that the Bosporus Kingdom was one of the largest producers of commodity grain in the ... more It is known that the Bosporus Kingdom was one of the largest producers of commodity grain in the Greek world in the 4th century BC. The presented article offers a method of estimating the maximum possible area of arable land of the Bosporus founded on a knowledge of the modern soil cover and soil fertility. In addition, based on archaeological data makes a number of assumptions about the intensity of use of arable land in different regions of the Bosporus. These assumptions allow to estimate the maximum possible annual sown area and the potential volume of commodity grain.
colonization and settlement systems by Gennady Garbuzov
G. P. Garbuzov, А. А Zavoikin, V. L. Strokin, N.I. Sudarev
Development of the Taman Peninsula by ... more G. P. Garbuzov, А. А Zavoikin, V. L. Strokin, N.I. Sudarev
Development of the Taman Peninsula by the Greeks in the 6th – 5th Centuries BC The article consisting of three parts represents an attempt to summarize the data of various sources that characterize the development of the Taman peninsula from the moment of the Greek colonization of the region up to its incorporation into the Spartokids’ power. In the first part the dynamics of the development of the rural territories of the poleis of Asiatic Bosporus is thoroughly investigated on the basis of the chronological distribution of the mass ceramic material. The statistic analysis of the change of quantity and location of rural settlements allows outlining the borders of rural neighborhoods and proposing the dynamic model of their formation that takes into account periods of rising (the second half of the 6th – first half of the 5th centuries BC) and declines (the second half of the 5th century BC) in the history of the region.
In the second part the information on necropoleis emerged near the rural settlements beginning from the turn of the 6th and 5th centuries BC are regarded. Regrettably these data are innumerous. However the authors consider them sufficient to localize the main region of their distribution within the limits of Hermonassa and Corocondama areas. The isolated necropoleis beyond these borders («Peresyp’-1», «Artyuschenko-2», «Beregovoy-4») supposedly mark the special status of the settlements they belonged to. The data about such necropoleis as «Taman-3», «Volna Revolyutzii -1» and «Kuchugury-1» are to be seriously verified. It should be stressed that according to the characteristics containing in other sources the settlements connected with these necropoleis stand out of the row of the ordinary ones. In the third part of the article chronological and territorial distribution of coin finds at the rural settlements of the Taman peninsula is regarded. Quite representative selection of coins permits to ground the conclusion that as a whole the changes in their number during the 6th – 5th centuries BC correspond to the fluctuations of the quantityof the rural settlements and volumes of import on them. Territorial distribution of coins gives an opportunity not only to refine the chronological scheme elaborated on the basis of pottery finds but also to distinguish several settlements with especially considerable amount of coins that supposedly testifies to their special role in the trade system. The analysis of the distribution of coin finds on the regional level leads to the supposition that the home trade of the Eastern Bosporan centers was oriented mainly towards Sindica. Their links with European Bosporus played by far less considerable role.
Гарбузов Г.П., Завойкин А.А., Строкин В.Л., Сударев Н.И. Освоение греками Таманского п-ова в VI–V вв. до н.э. // Древности Боспора. Том. 15. М., 2011. c. 90 - 172.
The article consisting of three parts represents an attempt to summarize the data of various sour... more The article consisting of three parts represents an attempt to summarize the data of various sources that characterize the development of the Taman peninsula from the moment of the Greek colonization of the region up to its incorporation into the Spartokids’ power. In the first part the dynamics of the development of the rural territories of the poleis of Asiatic Bosporus is thoroughly investigated on the basis of the chronological distribution of the mass ceramic material. The statistic analysis of the change of quantity and location of rural settlements allows outlining the borders of rural neighborhoods and proposing the dynamic model of their formation that takes into account periods of rising (the second half of the 6th – first half of the 5th centuries BC) and declines (the second half of the 5th century BC) in the history of the region. In the second part the information on necropoleis emerged near the rural settlements beginning from the turn of the 6th and 5th centuries BC are regarded. Regrettably these data are innumerous. However the authors consider them sufficient to localize the main region of their distribution within the limits of Hermonassa and Corocondama areas. The isolated necropoleis beyond these borders («Peresyp’-1», «Artyuschenko-2», «Beregovoy-4») supposedly mark the special status of the settlements they belonged to. The data about such necropoleis as «Taman-3», «Volna Revolyutzii -1» and «Kuchugury-1» are to be seriously verified. It should be stressed that according to the characteristics containing in other sources the settlements connected with these necropoleis stand out of the row of the ordinary ones. In the third part of the article chronological and territorial distribution of coin finds at the rural settlements of the Taman peninsula is regarded. Quite representative selection of coins permits to ground the conclusion that as a whole the changes in their number during the 6th – 5th centuries BC correspond to the fluctuations of the quantity of the rural settlements and volumes of import on them. Territorial distribution of coins gives an opportunity not only to refine the chronological scheme elaborated on the basis of pottery finds but also to distinguish several settlements with especially considerable amount of coins that supposedly testifies to their special role in the trade system. The analysis of the distribution of coin finds on the regional level leads to the supposition that the home trade of the Eastern Bosporan centers was oriented mainly towards Sindica. Their links with European Bosporus played by far less considerable role.
Завойкин А.А., Гарбузов Г.П. О первом этапе освоения греками Таманского полуострова // Древности Боспора. Том. 14. М., 2010. с. 184-219.
The article presents the monuments of the Taman’ Peninsula dated to the second - third quarters o... more The article presents the monuments of the Taman’ Peninsula dated to the second - third quarters of the 6th centuries BC: along with exactly localized apoikias emerged in the course of the Great Greek colonization the settlements appeared on their agricultural territories are regarded. The investigation is based on the axiom that the development of the region by the Greeks was conducted from separate independent centers (apoikiai) that are not always reliably localized or even known from literary sources. One of the main tasks of the article is to reveal such centers on the basis of territorial distribution of the earliest rural monuments of Asiatic Bosporus. For this aim their localization with regard to the sea coast (here of importance is the estimation of available reconstructions of palaeo-geographic situation in the region
in the Colonization period), peculiarities of topography and distribution of fertile soils have been analyzed. On the basis of grouping of the landscape areas the authors distinguish nine probable zones of primary development of the territory. Two of them are zones of rural territories (the 4th and 8th), whose centers of colonization (real or supposed) have not been determined. These centers either have not preserved up to date because of natural coast erosion or the settlements of these zones should be regarded as frontier territories of the known colonization centers. One more zone (the 5th one) can’t be connected with any known center of colonization. The special zone (the 6th one) is constituted by monuments dated to the second quarter of the 6th century BC and located in the Northern-eastern part of the Peninsula, also remote from the known towns. In the vicinity of these monuments no other settlements of the 3rd quarter of the century are known. Some zones unite the territories of two poleis (the first one - territories of Hermonassa and Korokondama; the 2nd one - those of Phanagoria and Kepoi; the 7th — those of Patraeus and synchronous settlement «Beregovoy 4»). Zones 8 and 9 can be supposedly associated with the areas of influence of unlocalized centers — Kimmeris and Ahileion mentioned in written sources.
Гарбузов Г.П., Завойкин А.А. О втором этапе освоения греками Таманского полуострова (последняя четверть VI – вторая четверть V в. до н.э.) // Античный Мир и Археология. Межвузовский сборник научных трудов. СГУ. Вып. 15. 2011. с. 194–222.
The main purpose of this article is to analyze a development of agricultural territory of the Tam... more The main purpose of this article is to analyze a development of agricultural territory of the Taman peninsula in the end of the 6 – 2nd quarter of the 5th century BC. The results of analisys have allowed authors to outline approximate borders of agricultural areas of the known polises (Phanagoreia, Kepoi, Hermonassa, Korokondama, Patraeus) and have revealed some new unidentified rural areas. Throughout this period a development of the rural areas was non-uniformly. Several areas extended dynamically (chora of Phanagoreia, some regions on Fontalovskiy peninsula and around Tsokur liman), anther areas rather degraded (lands near Hermonassa and Korokondama, region to the east from Phanagoreian chora). The received conclusions have preliminary character but represent an important step in exploring this important but little-studied topic.
Гарбузов Г.П., Завойкин А.А. О состоянии хоры центров Азиатского Боспора в середине – второй половине V в. до н.э.
The article regards the characteristics of the agricultural territory of the Greek centers of Asi... more The article regards the characteristics of the agricultural territory of the Greek centers of Asiatic Bosporus in the second half of the 5th century BC. To date there are two estimations of the development level and the state of the chora in the period regarded (both are based on the materials produced by prospections and excavations of numerous settlements). According to the first one it was the period of stabilization in the development of the system of settling on the Taman Peninsula: the number of settlements fixed by surface surveys didn’t change in this period. According to another point of view the second half of the 5th century is characterized by the abrupt recession: the number of settlements decreased not less than by 40% . The authors of the article believe that obtained only by surface surveys collection of dated pottery can not unquestionably fix the moments of appearance or desolation of settlements though this data reflecting the main tendencies in the changes of the state of settlements. Supporting this thesis are materials of excavations. Analysis of large ceramic assemblages acquired in the course of excavations at settlements (Beregovoy 4, Volna 1 and 4, Patraeus/Garkusha 1 and others) shows the decrease of imported goods on the Taman Peninsula in the second half of the 5th century BC . The latter is explained by the decline of agriculture likely caused by worsening of the military-political situation. Traces of this process have been revealed in some Bosporan poleis.
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landscape archaeology by Gennady Garbuzov
natural territory of the native area of the Asiatic Bosporus which include the Taman Peninsula and comparable to him by size fertile plains along the left bank of the Kuban river between modern Anapa (ancient Gorgippia) and Semibratnee settlement.
grain trade by Gennady Garbuzov
colonization and settlement systems by Gennady Garbuzov
Development of the Taman Peninsula by the Greeks in the 6th – 5th Centuries BC The article consisting of three parts represents an attempt to summarize the data of various sources that characterize the development of the Taman peninsula from the moment of the Greek colonization of the region up to its incorporation into the Spartokids’ power. In the first part the dynamics of the development of the rural territories of the poleis of Asiatic Bosporus is thoroughly investigated on the basis of the chronological distribution of the mass ceramic material. The statistic analysis of the change of quantity and location of rural settlements allows outlining the borders of rural neighborhoods and proposing the dynamic model of their formation that takes into account periods of rising (the second half of the 6th – first half of the 5th centuries BC) and declines (the second half of the 5th century BC) in the history of the region.
In the second part the information on necropoleis emerged near the rural settlements beginning from the turn of the 6th and 5th centuries BC are regarded. Regrettably these data are innumerous. However the authors consider them sufficient to localize the main region of their distribution within the limits of Hermonassa and Corocondama areas. The isolated necropoleis beyond these borders («Peresyp’-1», «Artyuschenko-2», «Beregovoy-4») supposedly mark the special status of the settlements they belonged to. The data about such necropoleis as «Taman-3», «Volna Revolyutzii -1» and «Kuchugury-1» are to be seriously verified. It should be stressed that according to the characteristics containing in other sources the settlements connected with these necropoleis stand out of the row of the ordinary ones. In the third part of the article chronological and territorial distribution of coin finds at the rural settlements of the Taman peninsula is regarded. Quite representative selection of coins permits to ground the conclusion that as a whole the changes in their number during the 6th – 5th centuries BC correspond to the fluctuations of the quantityof the rural settlements and volumes of import on them. Territorial distribution of coins gives an opportunity not only to refine the chronological scheme elaborated on the basis of pottery finds but also to distinguish several settlements with especially considerable amount of coins that supposedly testifies to their special role in the trade system. The analysis of the distribution of coin finds on the regional level leads to the supposition that the home trade of the Eastern Bosporan centers was oriented mainly towards Sindica. Their links with European Bosporus played by far less considerable role.
in the Colonization period), peculiarities of topography and distribution of fertile soils have been analyzed. On the basis of grouping of the landscape areas the authors distinguish nine probable zones of primary development of the territory. Two of them are zones of rural territories (the 4th and 8th), whose centers of colonization (real or supposed) have not been determined. These centers either have not preserved up to date because of natural coast erosion or the settlements of these zones should be regarded as frontier territories of the known colonization centers. One more zone (the 5th one) can’t be connected with any known center of colonization. The special zone (the 6th one) is constituted by monuments dated to the second quarter of the 6th century BC and located in the Northern-eastern part of the Peninsula, also remote from the known towns. In the vicinity of these monuments no other settlements of the 3rd quarter of the century are known. Some zones unite the territories of two poleis (the first one - territories of Hermonassa and Korokondama; the 2nd one - those of Phanagoria and Kepoi; the 7th — those of Patraeus and synchronous settlement «Beregovoy 4»). Zones 8 and 9 can be supposedly associated with the areas of influence of unlocalized centers — Kimmeris and Ahileion mentioned in written sources.
natural territory of the native area of the Asiatic Bosporus which include the Taman Peninsula and comparable to him by size fertile plains along the left bank of the Kuban river between modern Anapa (ancient Gorgippia) and Semibratnee settlement.
Development of the Taman Peninsula by the Greeks in the 6th – 5th Centuries BC The article consisting of three parts represents an attempt to summarize the data of various sources that characterize the development of the Taman peninsula from the moment of the Greek colonization of the region up to its incorporation into the Spartokids’ power. In the first part the dynamics of the development of the rural territories of the poleis of Asiatic Bosporus is thoroughly investigated on the basis of the chronological distribution of the mass ceramic material. The statistic analysis of the change of quantity and location of rural settlements allows outlining the borders of rural neighborhoods and proposing the dynamic model of their formation that takes into account periods of rising (the second half of the 6th – first half of the 5th centuries BC) and declines (the second half of the 5th century BC) in the history of the region.
In the second part the information on necropoleis emerged near the rural settlements beginning from the turn of the 6th and 5th centuries BC are regarded. Regrettably these data are innumerous. However the authors consider them sufficient to localize the main region of their distribution within the limits of Hermonassa and Corocondama areas. The isolated necropoleis beyond these borders («Peresyp’-1», «Artyuschenko-2», «Beregovoy-4») supposedly mark the special status of the settlements they belonged to. The data about such necropoleis as «Taman-3», «Volna Revolyutzii -1» and «Kuchugury-1» are to be seriously verified. It should be stressed that according to the characteristics containing in other sources the settlements connected with these necropoleis stand out of the row of the ordinary ones. In the third part of the article chronological and territorial distribution of coin finds at the rural settlements of the Taman peninsula is regarded. Quite representative selection of coins permits to ground the conclusion that as a whole the changes in their number during the 6th – 5th centuries BC correspond to the fluctuations of the quantityof the rural settlements and volumes of import on them. Territorial distribution of coins gives an opportunity not only to refine the chronological scheme elaborated on the basis of pottery finds but also to distinguish several settlements with especially considerable amount of coins that supposedly testifies to their special role in the trade system. The analysis of the distribution of coin finds on the regional level leads to the supposition that the home trade of the Eastern Bosporan centers was oriented mainly towards Sindica. Their links with European Bosporus played by far less considerable role.
in the Colonization period), peculiarities of topography and distribution of fertile soils have been analyzed. On the basis of grouping of the landscape areas the authors distinguish nine probable zones of primary development of the territory. Two of them are zones of rural territories (the 4th and 8th), whose centers of colonization (real or supposed) have not been determined. These centers either have not preserved up to date because of natural coast erosion or the settlements of these zones should be regarded as frontier territories of the known colonization centers. One more zone (the 5th one) can’t be connected with any known center of colonization. The special zone (the 6th one) is constituted by monuments dated to the second quarter of the 6th century BC and located in the Northern-eastern part of the Peninsula, also remote from the known towns. In the vicinity of these monuments no other settlements of the 3rd quarter of the century are known. Some zones unite the territories of two poleis (the first one - territories of Hermonassa and Korokondama; the 2nd one - those of Phanagoria and Kepoi; the 7th — those of Patraeus and synchronous settlement «Beregovoy 4»). Zones 8 and 9 can be supposedly associated with the areas of influence of unlocalized centers — Kimmeris and Ahileion mentioned in written sources.
In the article based on the data concerning rural settlements of the Asiatic Bosporus (Taman Peninsula) are examined periodization and the structure of the local settlements system in the epoch after Spartocids. It is well-known that Bosporus has endured important inner changes in the period dated from the turn of the first and second centuries BC up to about middle first century AD. Results of the study show that no fundamental changes in the system of land use on the Taman Peninsula have occurred during the reigns of Mithridates Eupator the Bosporus (in this period is mainly observed degradation of previously existing ettlements
system) and Asander. The innovative changes were appeared here only during the reign of
Aspurgus at the first half of the first century AD.
Field prospecting on the southern shore of the Tsokur liman (in Russian)
The article summarized the results of field archaeological work in the south part of the Taman Peninsula on the southern shore of the Tsokur liman. In the area of field work have previously been known to large rural settlements of antique and early medieval age which constitute perhaps the parts of a single rural agglomeration. In addition, in this area are located long earth mound with ditch. Field prospecting were conducted with support of the topographic and thematic maps from various periods, as well as various remote sensing data (aerial photographs and satellite images).