Abstract
The article presents some observations about the methodological features of the excavations at the necropolis of Phanagoria. This is the most difficult site for excavations on the Asiatic Bosporus. The capital status of the city became the reason for the diversity of funeral traditions of its inhabitants. The ancient cemetery, full of burials, was formed over a millennium, and it is of enormous size. The best preservation of the archaeological landscape of the necropolis in the region is noted. The burial mounds are complex architectural structures. Most of the stone tombs underneath are badly destroyed. In addition to stone, mud brick was used to build tombs under the kurgans, but most tombs were cut into the ground. The most complex technique is used when excavating ground crypts. They had a complex design and enormous dimensions. Wood is rarely preserved in deep burials of Phanagoria, but modern methods of field work make it possible to reconstruct wooden structures based on the imprints of objects in the ground. The necropolis of Phanagoria is a reference site for the study of ancient cemeteries on the territory of the Taman Peninsula.
Keywords
Phanagoria, necropolis, antiquity, burials, field archaeology, research methodology, Taman Peninsula.