Rural Settlements of the Bosporus in the 6th - First Third of the 3rd Century BC: Problems of Identification and Interpretation

Large-scale archaeological work in recent years in Eastern Crimea and on the Taman Peninsula has highlighted the study of rural settlements in the Bosporus. The article addresses the challenges of identifying, typologizing, and classifying these sites during the initial phase of the rural settlement system from the 6th century to the first third of the 3rd century BCE based on archaeological data. The author analyzes the possibilities and limitations of using this information to distinguish settlements from other sites located in rural areas. Particular attention is paid to the difficulties arising in defining seasonal settlements. Based on an analysis of excavation results and individual surveys, an attempt is made to expand and deepen the typology of settlements developed by I. T. Kruglikova and A. A. Maslennikov, which proposed the existence of only villages and unfortified estates for this period. Additionally, the author discusses the prospects for classifying rural settlements. The research methodology is based on a comprehensive analysis of archaeological data regarding the monuments of the rural territory of the Bosporus, as well as information about the planning and characteristics of rural settlements. As a result, the author identifies key issues related to the identification of settlements, such as the multilayered nature of monuments, the presence of seasonal inhabited sites, low-profile structures, and variations in the quality of archaeological data across different regions. Furthermore, a refined typology of rural settlements is proposed, which includes three main types: standalone households (unfortified, block-type, fortified estates), villages (Greek and barbarian with linear planning, as well as block complexes known only from the settlement of Manitra), and settlements with elements of nuclear planning (fortified and unfortified "towns"). For Eastern Crimea, a four-part dimensional classification of settlements based on the number of economically active residents has also been developed. It has been established that data from the Taman Peninsula requires different methods of analysis due to the peculiarities of the preservation and study of monuments, which raises acute questions about the comparability of archaeological materials from the discussed regions. The results of the study create a foundation for further analysis of the rural settlement system in the Bosporus and for comparing settlement structures from different regions within the Northern Black Sea area.