Сельская округа Херсонеса Таврического (Крым). Исследованиа 2012 г. в микрорегионе Верхне-Юхариной балки

• Authors: Sarnowski Tadeusz , Kovalevskaja Ludmiła A.

Title variants

EN

Rural Territory of Tauric Chersonesos (Crimea). Investigations of 2012 in the Yukharine Ravine

PL

Wiejskie terytorium Chersonezu Taurydzkiego (Krym). Badania 2012 r. w mikroregionie Wąwozu Jucharina

• Languages of publication: RU EN PL

Abstracts

EN

Site: Sevastopol (Balaklava District), Crimea, Ukraine Field directors: T. Sarnowski, L.A. Kovalevskaja Financial assistance: Institute of Archaeology, University of Warsaw Fieldwork: 26.06-20.07.2012 During the fieldwork of 2012 carried out by the joint Ukrainian-Polish Protection Expedition we proceeded further with archaeological investigations on the ancient settlement activity in the Yukharine Ravine, situated in the Heraclean Peninsula within the agricultural territory (chora) of Crimean Chersonesos, divided into plots by Greek colonists in the Late Classical Period.1 This summer investigations took place only at two sites - 341 and 343 - containing the remains of countryside farmhouses. The farmhouse at Site 341 is situated on the north-eastern slope of the upper part of the Yukharine Ravine, between the Sevastopol municipal cemetery and the area occupied by modern garden houses (datchas). After the site had been cleared by removing grass and any existing rubbish, vertical and oblique aerial photographs were taken from a kite by M. Pisz and S. Rzeźnik. The pictures (Fig. 1) show contours of a rectangular stone enclosure, measuring about 48x35 m. In the north-eastern part of the inner space there can be seen distinct traces of a masonry stone tower with a cistern. In 1989 the site was an object of an archaeological survey2 and in 1995 and 1996 a small rescue excavation was carried out.3 The ceramic material collected during these works can be mostly dated to the 2nd and 3rd c. AD but some later sherds (8th-10th c.) were also present. The main goal of our project in 2012 was to go on with further investigations of topography and architecture of the countryside farmhouse at Site 343 (Fig. 2). Situated between two upper watersheds of the Yukharine and Berman ravines, it forms one complex (Bliznecy) with another farmhouse (Site 344), each provided with a large square tower. The last excavation campaigns revealed within the former a winery (Room 14), a storeroom (Room 4), partially sunk in bedrock, with nine round rock- cut pits for large clay containers (pithoi) and an entrance leading to the courtyard. Both rooms show traces of two building and occupation phases. In addition to the two abovementioned rooms and the tower, Site 343 also contained three circular structures probably used for storing various plant and animal food products. Based on the present state of research we are convinced that circular structures and the farmhouse itself operated simultaneously in the 2nd and 3rd c. AD. A large area of about 300 m2 between the circular structures and the tower was dug last winter by treasure hunters so that we were forced at the beginning of our work to clean it and remove the top soil. No traces of ancient walls were revealed. The vast majority of ceramic sherds can be related to the first centuries AD. The earliest construction on the farm site was the tower, a rectangular structure measuring originally 7.7 x7 m. At a later stage its walls were doubled with four sets of wide, exterior buttresses, usually referred to as “anti-battering ram,” made of very large stones. During the excavation campaign of 2011 the tower was found divided into two rooms, 5x4 m (Room 6 in the south-western part of the tower) and 5x1.5 m (Room 5) large. The fieldwork of 2012 was concentrated on Room 6. Under a thick destruction layer consisting of medium size stones there was found another partition wall made of irregular stones in earth bonding. This very sloppily made wall overlies a pavement made of large stone slabs and fragments of clay pithoi (Fig. 3). Two small concentrations of powdered charcoal and ash were revealed on the pavement in its north-western part (Room 7). To judge by this structural and stratigraphic sequence, we are dealing with the 3rd and probably also the 4th occupation period when the tower did not fulfil its original function any more. The thin layer of soft earth overlying the pavement produced many pottery fragments of the Roman period, dated mostly to the 2nd and 3rd c. AD. In the upper part of the destruction layer there were also found some Medieval sherds and a small fragment of an inscribed (votive?) stone plate with four Greek letters which can be completed as [Άπο]λλοδ[ορος or οτος]. Probably we have to deal with the name of the owner of the farmhouse. In the north-eastern part (Room 5) of the tower a large part of a cellar sunk more than 1 m into the rocky ground was uncovered. The cellar undoubtedly formed part of the original construction of the tower. To judge by many parallels from the Chersonesan chora, it should have contained clay pithoi for storing various food products but no fragments of such containers have been found so far in the cellar filling consisting mostly of very large stones.

PL

Badania prowadzone w 2012 r. nad osadnictwem starożytnym w mikroregionie Wąwozu Jucharina, to jest w południowej części wiejskiego terytorium Chersonezu Taurydzkiego na Półwyspie Heraklejskim, były ograniczone do farm 341 i 343. Po oczyszczeniu stanowiska z pozostałościami zabudowy farmy 341 na północno-wschodnim stoku wąwozu z roślinności i śmieci, wykonano ukośne i pionowe zdjęcia lotnicze z latawca. Pozwoliły one ustalić przybliżone rozmiary powierzchni zajętej przez zabudowę prostokątnego obejścia (48x35 m). Na obszarze badanej w poprzednich latach farmy 343 pracami objęto przede wszystkim wieżę, w obrębie której odsłonięto pozostałości trzeciego okresu jej funkcjonowania. Materiał ceramiczny pochodzi głównie z II-III w. n.e. Na uwagę zasługuje znalezisko fragmentu kamiennej płytki (wotywnej ?) z czterema literami imienia [Άπο]λλοδ[ορος lub οτος], prawdopodobnie właściciela gospodarstwa.

• Publisher: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
• Journal: Światowit
• Year: 2013
• Volume: Tom X (LI), fasc. A
• Pages: 139-144

Contributors

author

Sarnowski Tadeusz

author

Kovalevskaja Ludmiła A.