Antique ceramic import on settlements of Scythian time in the Don forest-steppe: cartographical research

In the article on the basis of the data obtained during excavation the author analyzes spatial distribution of ceramic import on household monuments of the 6th-3rd centuries BC in forest-steppe Podonye. This region is included into an area of Gorodetz and Scythian-like archaeological cultures. It is established that on settlements of Gorodetz culture import is practically absent. Fragments of products of the Greek potters (about 800 findings are considered) are present only on some settlements of Scythian-like culture. Mainly these are fragments of amphoras of various production centers (Bospor, Gerakley, Kos, Sinope, Fasos, etc.) and parts of table vessels (constitute less than 2 % of findings). On settlements a little antique ceramics is found, as a rule: some fragments, and usually even less than the share of 100 square meters of the dug-out area. The saturated layer allocates only three big hillforts (Storozhevoe, Voloshino, Kirovskoe) which were obviously large shopping centers. Mapping of the available data doesn’t confirm the hypothesis of delivery of import which is earlier stated by researchers on the Don River. Existence of overland ways on which trade with the South was performed is more probable. An important communication role was played in the ancient time by water separate roads, known on medieval sources under the name of the Muravsky way. Its branch - the Kalmiussky sakma - passed just in the district of two hillforts (Voloshino, Kirovskoe) which are sharply allocated with quantity of the found fragments of amphoras.