ИСТИНА

The latest field works in the northern edge of the upper plateau of the First Throne (Pervoe Kreslo) of the Mountain Mithridates (the Upper Mithradates square), headed by Dr. Vladimir P. Tolstikov, Head of the Museum’s Department of the Art and Archeology of the Classical World, enabled to uncover for the first time a large part of the earliest well-preserved cultural layers with the precisely dated architectural and pottery complexes from the end of the 7th to the 1st half of the 5th centuries BC. The stratigrafical analysis along with the research of the ceramic materials, useful for dating purposes, allowed to identify approximately five construction periods. Moreover, thorough investigation of pottery fragments from various centres made it possible to highlight some features of each period. On the whole, the research results of Bosporus (Panticapaeum) expedition of The State Pushkin Museum in 2010-2015 has significantly expanded our understanding of the early history of Panticapaeum and the colonization of the North Pontic region.