Abstract
The purpose of the article is to record a numismatic material from the excavations of the Taman-16 Settlement in the outskirts of Hermonassa–Tamatarсha in 2016. Over a hundred ancient and medieval coins have been found, including an assemblage of late Bosporan staters from the public building (a temple?) – 43 specimens. The absolute majority consists of Bosporan coins dating from the last third of the 4th century BC to the fi rst third of the 4th century AD. Of the 48 isolated coins, 30 fall on the 1st c. – early 3rd century AD. A large group of them covers the time from the end of the 1st century to the midd-2nd century AD. Apparently, at that very moment, the settlement Taman-16 is experiencing its highest fl owering, and then it gradually degrades. Since the beginning of the 3rd century AD the life on it freezes (as evidenced by the absence of coins issued before the rule of Thothorses) and again activated at the end of the century to the fi rst third of the 4th century AD only in the southern part of the settlement, where the temple (?) is discovered. The latest Rhescuporis VI’ stater in the hoard found near the temple entrance determines the date of the death of the settlement – about AD 328/329.
A small group consists of medieval coins – Byzantine and Islamic (6 specimens). Finds of the 10th century Byzantine coins and their imitations testify to the revival of life in the settlement at the end of the early medieval period and to the close contacts between Tmutarakan with Byzantine Empire, including Cherson. The published numismatic material fully confi rms the proposed archaeological chronology and specifi es the dating of the Taman-16.
Keywords
Archaeology, Bosporus, Taman-16 Settlement, Hermonassa, Tamatarcha, ancient and medieval coins, currency
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