To the question of the types of funeral and commemorative complexes of the North Pontic area in the period of classical antiquity

The research scope covers funeral and commemorative complexes of city sites and necropoleis of classical antiquity in the North Pontic area. Two types of such complexes were distinguished by the authors on the basis of the archaeological record. The first one is spatially associated with individual burials in necropoleis. A series of events may have taken place there, such as feasts following immediately after a burial ceremony, rites of revisiting graves in a long while after the funeral, as well as those dedicated to deceased ancestors and held during annual celebrations. Complexes of the second type were discovered both in necropoleis and in city sites. Basically, these were not associated with individual graves, being most likely a result of gradual transformation of complexes of the first type. It is actually these places wherein elaborated magical actions have been performed with an eye to unite all family members into a solid spiritual force.