Preliminary results of studying the Kyathoi dating to the 5th-4th centuries BC from the graves of the Volna 1 cemetery

The paper publishes preliminary data obtained through research of the bronze kiathoi from the graves dating to the first half of the 5th - first half of the 4th centuries BC at the in-ground Volna-1 cemetery located in the Taman Peninsula. Presumably, the graves at Volna-1 have been left by the Greek and barbarian populations; 10 out of 26 kiathoi found in funerary assemblages during the 2016-2018 excavations were examined using neutron tomography and X-ray radiography in order to collect data on inside structural elements, specific features of their fabrication and repair as well as the degree of metal fracture caused by corrosion. The chemical composition of the kiathoi metal was analyzed in the places where metal was preserved using the XRF method. Based on the resulting data on the employed technological operations and composition of bronze, it was suggested that the Volna-1 kiathoi were imported and probably, produced in the workshops of Greek colonies in Italy, Macedonia and Etruria. The finds of this type of metal vessels in the graves at Volna-1 are indicative of development of a local burial tradition also reflected in the funerary assemblages at other cemeteries located in Asian Bosporus (near Panaghia promontory, in Hermonassa, Phanagoria, and Artyushchenko).