The City of Labrys (Semibratnee) on the Border of the Bosporan Kingdom: First Results of the Expedition of the State Historical Museum / Bosporos Krallığı Sınırındaki Labrys Kenti (Semibratnee Yerleşimi): Devlet Tarih Müzesi Ekibinin Araştırmalarında

This paper presents the first results of the State Historical Museum expedition (2024–2025) at the Semibratnee fortified settlement, identified with ancient Labrys, located on the southeastern frontier of the Bosporan Kingdom. Building on earlier geomagnetic prospection (2018–2019) and previous research, we evaluate a rectilinear, cardinally oriented complex near the fortification line, preliminarily interpreted as an agora bordered by stoai. Excavations in Trench II (c. 500 m²) exposed the western end of the Southern Stoa (Rooms 1–2), an adjacent street with a stone-built drainage channel, and associated architectural elements, including reused Doric components. Stratigraphic observations and ceramic evidence date the primary use of the excavated street and stoa sector to the 4th century BC and the first half of the 3rd century BC, with at least two construction phases, the earlier one likely ending in a fire episode. A roof-tile collapse in Room 2 suggests destruction no later than the mid/ third quarter of the 3rd century BC, followed by the apparent abandonment of this area. A later intramural burial (1st century BC–1st century AD) indicates the long-term disuse of the public complex and its drainage system. These results provide the first excavated evidence for planned civic architecture at Labrys and outline a preliminary chronological framework to be tested by future large-scale investigations.