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The Main Results of the Excavations atOlbia in the Past Three Decades

S. D. KRYZHITSKIY

THE LOCATION OF OLBIA WAS ESTABLISHED in the 1790s.1 Systematic

excavations began there in 1901, after which the work was in the hands

of three successive generations of scholars. The first of these was

Pharmakovskiy and his school (190126).2 The work of the second

generation proceeded under the leadership of Slavin (193671, at the

Institute of Archaeology, Ukrainian Academy of Sciences), Levi, and

Karasev (respectively, 193674 and 193672, at the Leningrad section of

the Soviet Academy of Sciences).3 The third generation took over from

1972, with almost the only sustained effort being provided by the Instituteof Archaeology of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences, under the lead-

ership of Kryzhitskiy (197295) and Krapivina (from 1995). This chapter

sets out the contribution made by this third generation of scholars.

1 There followed a series of topographical plans through the following century and more, for the

city and its necropolis: Karasev 1956; Tunkina 2002, pls.10611. There were a few exploratory

excavations, e.g. by Uvarov in 1853, Arkas and Brun in 1870, Zabelin and Tizengauzen in 1873

(Kryzhitskiy 1985, 19ff.; Tunkina 2002, 450).2 Five main sectors were excavated, establishing the limits of the city on land, the northern gates,

the multi-roomed towers of the south-west defensive line, the north-eastern part of the Roman

citadel, dwellings (especially Hellenistic), plus stratigraphy. Two burial mounds of the early cen-

turies AD were examined, as well as a significant number of other burials from the archaic period:

Karasev 1976; Kryzhitskiy 1985, 1727.3 Excavations entailed the central temenos, with remains of two temples and altars; part of the

agora (surrounded by a large stoa), with trading areas, gymnasium, and lawcourt; Hellenistic

and later dwellings; kilns and wine-presses; what has been thought to be a headquarters building

in the middle of the Roman citadel; parts of the northern wall and two towers of the lower city

(Karasev & Levi 1976; Kryzhitskiy 1985, 27ff.). The Hellenistic (and later) necropolis was exam-

ined, as well as an outlying dugout structure of the fifth or early fourth century BC. This gener-

ation also took energetic steps in the study of the chora, which had previously been given only

episodic consideration and had not been studied in connection with Olbia (Slavin 1976;

Kryzhitskiy et al. 1989, 5ff.). Key scholars in this work were A. V. Buyskikh, Diatroptov, Kozub,

Leypunskaya, Nazarchuk, Papanova, Rusyayeva, and Samoylova, among others.

Proceedings of the British Academy 142, 715. The British Academy 2007.

Copyright British Academy 2007 all rights reserved

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RomanCitadel

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Northern gates

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U p p e r c i t y

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Westerngates

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Central(Eastern) temenos

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Figure 2. Olbia: plan of city.


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The excavations at Olbia during this time had three principal aims: (1)

the study of the historico-archaeological topography and stratigraphy of

cultural levels in the different parts of the city, including the underwater

portion beneath the Bug estuary; (2) a focus on the least-studied stages ofthe citys existence, notably the cultural levels of the archaic period and

also those of the early centuries AD; and (3) rescue and conservation

along the coastal portion of the city.

Excavations in the Upper City produced especially important results.

In particular, the Western Temenos was excavated (Sector VII), the earli-

est of its kind in the northern Black Sea region, revealing remains of a

portico (Attic order), some twenty altars, the temenos wall, a unique

assemblage of painted architectural terracottas, and the temple of ApolloIetros, from the late sixth or early fifth century BC.4

To the west of the agora was discovered a set of structures which

formed the defended western gates of the city in the fourth to second

centuries BC (Sector X). Here for the first time were found remains of the

defensive walls ofc.400350 BC, made from mud brick, and a piece of

the defensive wall of the fifth century BC.5 Meanwhile, excavations in the

south-eastern portion of the citadel (Sector XXV) allowed the examina-

tion of remains of the south-eastern defensive wall, towers of the citadel,

terracing and supporting walls, domestic cellars of the second to third

centuries AD, and a stylobate colonnade (Doric order) which doubtless

belonged to a temple built in the Hellenistic period. Here, for the first

time at Olbia, were studied dwellings of the fourth century AD across a

significant area. It was shown that at the time of the third-century

Gothic Wars Olbia was sacked twice and that subsequently habitation

was finally ended there c. AD 35075.6

Through work on the central elevations of the Upper City (Sector

XX) it was established that in the second to third centuries AD the areawas a crowded city-scape, which had been preceded, in the Hellenistic

period, by a fine building, evidently of some key social significance. Here

too was excavated a part of the city wall and a tower of the third to first

centuries BC, in whose ruins were found many architectural details (both

Ionic and Doric order), as well as the bases of statues of Zeus

Eleutherios, Olympian Zeus, Apollo Delphinios, and more besides.7

EXCAVATIONS AT OLBIA IN THE PAST THREE DECADES 9

4 Rusyayeva 1991b; Kryzhitskiy 1997.5 Kryzhitskiy & Leypunskaya 1988.6 Krapivina 1993.7 Rusyayeva & Krapivina 1992.


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OLBIA

Ochakov

Viktorovka

Beykush

Shirokaya Balka

Kutsurub

Staraya Bogdanovka

Kozyrka

Chertovatoye

Dmitriyevka

Adzhigol

Petukhovka

Dneprovka

Berezan Island

R

iver

Bere

zan

Riv

erB

ug

Kinburn

Spit

Tendra Spit

B L A C K S E A

N

Figure 3. Olbia and its environs.


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0 10 km

Novaya Bogdanovka

Didova Khata

H Y L A E A

NIKOLAYEV

ShirokayaBalka

Oktyabrskoye

Luparevo

Semenov Rog

Shirokaya Balka

Aleksandrovka

Stanislav

Olbia

Istros

TornisCallatisDionysopolis

Mesembria

Apollonia

Tyras

ByzantiumCalchedon

Heraclea

Sinope

AmisusTrapezus

Phasis

Dioscurias

GorgippiaChersonesus

KerkinittiTheodosia

PhanagoriaPanticapaeum

Tanais

R.Kub

an

R.D

niep

er

R.Bug

R.

Dn

iester

R.Danub

e

R.Hab

ys

B L A C K S E A

0 200 km


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12 S. D. Kryzhitskiy

In the north-western corner of the Upper City (Sector IV) there has

been partial excavation of the remains of a large structure of the fifth to

fourth centuries BC: might these be the ruins of the palace of Scyles

described by Herodotus at Olbia? Be that as it may, pottery kilnsoccupied the site from the first century BC into the first century AD.8

The study of the Central Quarter in the region of the agora (Sector

XII), started by Slavin, was completed.9 Excavations of the early levels on

areas of the Western Temenos and Central Quarter near the agora

(Sectors VII and XII) allowed a conclusive answer to the question of the

earliest types of dwelling in Olbia: these were dugouts and semi-

dugouts.10 At present these structures are known at the southern limits of

the Upper City in Sector XXV.Some important work has been done on the terraced area. Here, in the

north (Sector XXIX),11 have been excavated dwellings of the fifth to sec-

ond centuries BC, and a rich, well-preserved house of the Hellenistic period

8 Kryzhitskiy 1985, 121.9 Slavin 1964; 1975; Leypunskaya 1986; 1994.

10 Kryzhitskiy & Rusyayeva 1978a.11 As excavation proceeded it became clear that this part of the Lower City was built on terraces

and is better regarded as part of the Terraced City, rather than the Lower City.

Figure 4. Terrace of Olbia, overlooking the estuary of the river Bug.


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was examined in the centre of the Terraced City (Sector XXXI).12 Beneath

its remains was excavated a single-room above-ground dwelling of the late

sixth to fifth century BC. All this work provided a wealth of new informa-

tion about the plan of the city, its dwellings, and especially its terracedconstruction.

Excavations in the Lower City were all conducted in the centre of its

northern half (Sector XXX). The civic landscape here encourages the sus-

picion that this may be the agora. Meanwhile, work has continued on

Olbias outer area in the fifth century BC and early centuries AD (Sector

XI), and on the necropolis of the end of the fifththird centuries BC in its

south-western part.

In 19717 a series of hydroarchaeological studies was conducted inthe portion of the Lower City which has been submerged beneath the

Bug estuary. It has been established that the quay (or sometimes

bridge), as the nineteenth-century scholars used to call it, is in fact the

remains of a defensive complex, almost all of which consists of stone

imported from elsewhere (Sector XXVIII). Accordingly, it has been


12 Leypunskaya 1995; Kryzhitskiy & Leypunskaya 1997, 139.

Figure 5. Centre of Olbia, looking from the Bug. Photo. D. Braund.


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14 S. D. Kryzhitskiy

established that an undisturbed cultural level in the submerged part of

the Lower City can only be found beneath the massive remains ofdestroyed buildings of the classical period. Meanwhile, locations were

established for the harbour and associated installations (Sector XXVII)

and a building of the second half of the third century AD, as well as the

remains of defensive walls (Sector XXVI). In general, the archaeological

topography of the submerged area has become much clearer, which has

allowed a more reliable assessment of the dimensions of the city at

various stages in its life.13

In addition to all these activities in and around Olbia itself, theInstitute of Archaeology has taken an expansive approach to the study of

the citys rural territory.14 Extensive survey on the lower Bug revealed a

further 250 or so new locations, from various periods of the citys ancient

13 Kryzhitskiy 1984; 1985, 95ff.14 Notably, S. B. Buyskikh, Burakov, Otreshko, and Rusyayeva. Also involved in this work have

been the Museum of Nikolayev (Rudan, Snytko) and, from 1974, the Leningrad branch of the

Institute of Archaeology of the Soviet Academy of Sciences, which conducted a series of fun-

damental excavations at settlements of the late archaic and classical period associated with the

modern place-names Staraya Bogdanovka, Kozyrka, Kutsurub, and elsewhere (Domanskiy,

Marchenko, Golovacheva, Rogov), bringing new insights, e.g. into construction methods

(Golovacheva et al. 1999).

Figure 6. The southern ravine, looking from the Bug. Photo. D. Braund.


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history.15 This and ongoing excavation has enabled us to establish a

chronology around the material and spiritual culture of Olbias chora

across the different periods of the citys history.16 The settlement on

Berezan has also been the subject of systematic excavation.17 Worthy ofparticular attention is the discovery here in 1997 of a temenos and the

well-preserved remains of a temple of Aphrodite, built around 500 BC.18

Such are the results of work in and around Olbia in the past three

decades or so. They have been disseminated in a wide range of publica-

tions, ensuring their value as a source of knowledge for the archaeological

community.19


15 Kryzhitskiy et al. 1990.16 Kryzhitskiy et al. 1989.17 Until 1994 the Hermitage also sent an expedition to Berezan (Kopeykina, Domanskiy, and

Solovyov), subsequently incorporated into the expedition of the Ukrainian Institute of

Archaeology.18 Nazarov 2001; Kryzhitskiy 2001.19 Namely, on coins, Anokhin 1989; early amphorae, Leypunskaya 1981a; terracottas, Rusyayeva

1982; Olbia in the first centuries AD (including its fortifications), Krapivina 1993; ideology and

belief in Olbia, Rusyayeva 1979 and 1992; street plan, building techniques, reconstructions, and

so on, Kryzhitskiy 1971, 1982, 1985, 1993; the classical and Hellenistic acropolis, Kozub 1974,

Parovich-Peshikan 1974; the settlement of the early centuries AD, Burakov 1976. Note must also

be made of the key publications produced by teams outside Kiev: on the political history of

Olbia, Yu. G. Vinogradov 1989; coins, Karyshkovskiy 1988; handmade pottery, Marchenko

1988.


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