SEVASTOPOL, August 24. / TASS /. The remains of a medieval house were found during excavations in the ancient city of Phanagoria (the territory of modern Krasnodar Territory), among the ruins they found sharper dice and other accessories for the game, Sergey Ostapenko, deputy head of the Fanagoria archaeological expedition of the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told TASS.
“The quarter in which the inhabitants of Phanagoria have been building houses for several centuries – representatives of different cultures, different peoples, replacing each other over generations, has been studied for several years. a house that has existed for about 150 years, “Ostapenko said.
He specified that the house was destroyed in the late 8th – early 9th centuries. Unlike the neighboring buildings, which are fully or partially built of adobe bricks, this building is built of stone. Among the objects found there are pottery for household use – for example, huge pithos vessels, in which wine or grain was usually stored. However, there were also rare finds.
“This house is interesting, among other things, due to the fact that astragals were found inside (animal bones, which were then used as dice are now), and lead was poured inside. This technique was used to shift the center of gravity and force the bones They also found glass items – probably chips for the game, “the interlocutor noted.
Phanagoria is an ancient city founded in the 6th century BC. NS. on the Taman Peninsula. Later it became the capital of the Asian part of the Bosporus kingdom, created by the Greeks on the basis of colonial cities on the shores of the Black and Azov seas. Archaeological excavations on the territory of the ancient city have been conducted since the 19th century. Research is carried out annually, Phanagoria is studied by scientists of various specializations. In 2012, with the support of the Volnoe Delo foundation, organized by Oleg Deripaska, a scientific and cultural center was created on Taman, and the work of the Fanagoria archaeological expedition is also funded.
