Russia: Crypt and remains of wealthy warrior’s family unearthed in Phanagoria dig

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Mandatory courtesy: Volnoye Delo fund

A well-preserved crypt containing the ancient remains of a warrior, his wife and three have been unearthed in the Eastern necropolis of ancient Phanagoria in Krasnodar Krai.

The high status of the warrior and his family is indicated by the depth of their burial - more than five meters, and the valuables they were buried with, as well as the other items found in the crypt. The remains date back to the 5th century AD.

The archeological expedition in Phanagoria, organized by the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences was coming to an end just as the discovery was made.

“In these graves we can see the remains of a family: an adult man - a warrior and a horseman and a woman - his wife and three children. Judging by what we have found here the man was served the city’s army. He was a horseman, because we found riding stirrups and spurs too. There is also a leather harness attached to a belt which was used to carry a sword. The buckles on the harness are really worn-out which means this warrior has seen a lot of fighting. He was unsheathing and sheathing his sword again and again,” head of the Necropolis division at the Phanagoria archeological dig Aleksei Voroshilov said.

According to archaeologists, the warrior and his wife along with his three children may have died from the plague or during an attack by Nomadic tribes.

Several other valuable artifacts have been found this summer in excavations above ground in ancient Phanagoria and underwater, in the flooded parts of the ancient city.

“This year we have discovered very accurate and strong evidence [that Christianity was founded in Phanagoria in the fifth century], which is a marble tabletop, which could be used as an altar in a church. We have discovered a marble baptistery for infants or probably for toddlers as well. It is not very big, nevertheless it is massive and made from marble,” said head of Phanagoria open-air museum Vladimir Kuznetsov regarding the claims the discovery confirms Phanagoria was the birthplace of Christianity in Russia.

The archaeological finds are not only of interest to Russian experts but to the wider world as they are unique among other nation’s discoveries.
“One of our underwater expeditions discovered a ship some time ago, which was sunk following the uprising in Phanagoria against Mithridates VI of Pontus which occured exactly in 62 BC. This ship is one of the most ancient one ever found in the world,” said head of Phanagoria open-air museum Vladimir Kuznetsov.

Around 250 people took part in this year’s archaeological dig at Phanagoria, among them were experts from France and Bulgaria as well as student volunteers.

Video ID: 20190826-033

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