On the Question of the Sacral Centre of Archaic Tyritake

Abstract

The recent years of researches at Tyritake uncovered a number of new results about the Archaic Period in the history of this Bosporan town. The urban structure of Tyritake was created from 540–530 to 480–470 BC. From this period, there are two clearly distinguished stages II-A and II-B, with the border between them as the horizons of two fires and destructions. At stages II-A, the construction of adobe-and-stone residential buildings started in the central area of the town, as well as in its western area with already existing buildings of another purpose around rectangular square. The excavations uncovered numerous storage pits with amphorae and black-slip tableware, as well as ash stains with broken black-figured goblets. The whole area on the western edge of the town was used for all-town sacral purposes and was the western temenos of Tyritake. The western fortification wall of the town was erected ca 520–510 BC, after the first fire; and the layer of the next, second fire, dated to ca 480–470 BC, touches the said wall. The houses and temenos constructed in Tyritake suffered from the second great fire in 480–470 BC. According to the extraordinary sacrificial and sacral complex with four horses (storage pit no. 19), these events ended with some important success of the Tyritake population. The western temenos of Tyritake was active throughout a long period, from 540–530 BC to the turn of the eras.