A basement at the Phanagoria acropolis

Constructions sunk into the soil within the historical center of Phanagoria in the central part of its upper plateau have been known since the first decades of the city existence. Such constructions include not only middens round in the plan but also rectangular pits without special reinforcement of the walls as well as basements (semibasements) of the buildings bound with the walls made of mudbrick or stone along the perimeter. Pits were used for domestic needs during short periods up to the early 4th century BC. Existing evidence suggests that the basement stories of the buildings were built after this period as well. These constructions are worth mentioning because, among other features, their characteristics and layout are not typical for housing constructions of public centers in Greek cities. These structures are valuable because of abundant ceramic material that they contain which helps determine the time they went out of use rather precisely. One of such assemblages analyzed in the paper (basement 745) provided an opportunity to propose the chronological period (circa 350 BC) that specifies the time of the next reconstruction of the Phanagoria acropolis and the startup of its new architectural design.