Φαναγόρεια(in Ancient Greek) | |
.JPG) The remains of Phanagoria | |
  Phanagoria Shown within Krasnodar Krai Show map of Krasnodar Krai.jpg) Phanagoria Phanagoria (European Russia) Show map of European Russia | |
| Location | Sennoy,Krasnodar Krai,Russia |
|---|---|
| Region | Taman Peninsula |
| Coordinates | 45°16′37″N36°57′58″E / 45.27694°N 36.96611°E /45.27694; 36.96611 |
| Type | Settlement |
| Area | 75 ha (190 acres) |
| History | |
| Builder | Settlers fromTeos |
| Founded | Approximately 543 BC |
| Periods | Archaic Greek toMedieval |
| Cultures | Greek,Bulgar,Khazar |
| Site notes | |
| Condition | Ruined |
Phanagoria (Ancient Greek:Φαναγόρεια,romanized: Phanagóreia;Russian:Фанагория,romanized: Fanagoriya) was the largestancient Greek city on theTaman peninsula, spread over two plateaus along the eastern shore of theCimmerian Bosporus.
The city was a largeemporium for all the traffic between the coast of theMaeotian marshes and the countries on the southern side of theCaucasus. It was the eastern capital of theBosporan Kingdom, withPanticapaeum being the western capital.Strabo described it as a noteworthy city which was renowned for its trade.[1] It was briefly aCatholic Metropolitan Archdiocese while a medievalGenoese colony under the nameMatrega, it remains a Latin Catholictitular see.
Today the site is located at a short distance to the west ofSennoy inKrasnodar Krai,Russia. Another ancient Greek city,Hermonassa, lies 25 kilometres (16 mi) to the west, on the shoreline of modernTaman.
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Phanagoria was founded ca. 543 BC by theTeian colonists who had to fleeAsia Minor in consequence of their conflict with the Persian kingCyrus the Great. The city took its name after one of these colonists, Phanagoras. "The unusual nature of the Taman peninsula near Phanagoria, with its ravines, crevices, hills, and low cones of active volcanoes, must have impressed the ancient colonists even more than it impresses us today", historianYulia Ustinova has observed.[2]
In the 5th century BC, the town thrived on the trade with theScythians andSindi. Located on an island in the ancient archipelago of Corocondamitis, between theBlack Sea and thePalus Maeotis, Phanagoria covered an area of 75 hectares (190 acres) of which one third has been submerged by the sea. In the early 4th century BC the burgeoningBosporan Kingdom subjugated much ofSindica, including the independent polis of Phanagoria. The town's importance increased with the decline of the old capital,Panticapaeum, situated on the opposite shore of theCrimean strait, orCimmerian Bosporus. By the first centuries AD, Phanagoria had emerged as the main centre of the kingdom.[citation needed]
During theMithridatic Wars, the town allied with theRoman Republic and withstood a siege by the army ofPharnaces II of Pontus. It was at Phanagoria that the insurrection broke out againstMithridates VI of Pontus, shortly before his death; and his sons, who held the citadel, were obliged to surrender to the insurgents. An inscription found during excavations testifies that QueenDynamis honoredAugustus as "the emperor,Caesar,son of a god, the god Augustus, the overseer of every land and sea".[3] The loyalty to Rome allowed Phanagoria to maintain a dominant position in the region until the 4th century, when it was sacked and destroyed by the invadingHuns.[citation needed]
By the 7th century, the town had recovered from a century of invasions from the steppe peoples. It served as the capital ofOld Great Bulgaria between 632 and 665 underKubrat.[citation needed]
Afterwards Phanagoria became (at least nominally) aByzantine dependency. AKhazartudun was nonetheless present in the town andde facto control probably rested in Khazar hands until the defeat ofGeorgius Tzul in 1016. In 704, the deposedByzantine emperorJustinian II settled in Phanagoria (then governed by the Khazar tudunBalgatzin) with his wifeTheodora, a sister of the KhazarKhaganBusir Glavan, before returning toConstantinople by way ofBulgaria.[citation needed]
In the 10th century, the town seems to have faced an invasion, supposedly by theRus. After that, Phanagoria could not compete in significance with neighboringTmutarakan.[citation needed]
In the lateMiddle Ages the town ofMatrega was built on its ruins; the site was part of a network ofGenoese possessions along the northernBlack Sea coast. During the 15th century, it was the center ofde Ghisolfi dominions. Henceforth there has been no permanent settlement on the site.[citation needed]
The Genoese colony was canonically established on 1349.02.21 asMetropolitan Archdiocese of Matriga. It was suppressed around 1400 AD.
The diocese was nominally restored as a Latin Catholictitular bishopric in 1928 under the name Matriga, which was changed in 1929 already toMatrega.
It is vacant, having had the following incumbents, all of the lowest (episcopal) rank :
The location of Phanagoria was identified in the 18th century, when marble statue bases with dedications toAphrodite were discovered there.Hecataeus andStrabo mention a local sanctuary of Aphrodite as the largest in the Pontic region.[4] Archaeological exploration of the site started in 1822, when "soldiers dug into a large barrow, making rich discoveries of gold and silver objects, many unique, which they divided up between themselves".[5]
Apart from the ancient city itself, archaeologists have been interested in a vastnecropolis, which spreads on three sides around Phanagoria. There are thousands of burials, many with cypress or marble sarcophagi — an indication of the well-being of the ancient Phanagorians. Excavations conducted in the 19th century were, for the most part, amateurish; as many as twelvekurgans would be razed each season. Some of the most intriguing finds were unearthed in the 1860s at the Bolshaya Bliznitsa tumulus, classed byMichael Rostovtzeff as a feminine necropolis with three vaults.
One of the royal kurgans near Phanagoria "has a stone stairway leading down to a rectangular passageway, the entrance to the burial chamber (3.70 × 3.75 × 4.70 m). These two areas are covered by an arch showing remains of painted decoration. The wall frescos imitate encrusted marble. On either side of the entrance to the tomb, long stone boxes contain four horse burials along with rich grave gifts; saddlery and harnesses of gold and gilded bronze."[6]Vladimir Blavatsky resumed excavations of Phanagoria in 1936. Among the recent finds is an inscription indicating that asynagogue existed in Phanagoria as early as 51 AD. Underwater investigation of the site has revealed multiple fragments of architectural structures.
In 2009 was discovered the palace of Mithridates VI.[7]
In 2021, archaeologists discovered coins in the broken neck of anamphora. They are thought to have been minted in the late3rd or early4th century and circulated through the6th century. The coins are thought to have been hidden before an attack by theHuns or the Turks, who burned and destroyed large parts of the city. Most probably, an early Christian basilica stood on the site where the coins were found.[8]
In 2023, archaeologists announced "the discovery of one of the world’s oldestsynagogues and, according to analysis of fragments found at the site, it likely stood for over half a millennium after being constructed around the beginning of the first century BCE." The remains of theSecond Temple-era synagogue included "severalmenorahs,altars, and marble stele fragments," making it one of the earliest, if not the earliest synagogue ever uncovered outside ofIsrael.[9] Over the past year, archaeologists have concluded that the synagogue was part of a Jewish quarter located in an area intersected by major streets and surrounded by residential homes and structures such as a vineyard, a garden, and a water network. Other discoveries include tombstones bearing symbols like menorahs andshofars, and an amphora featuring a Hebrew inscription.[10]
Phanagoria Island inAntarctica is named after Phanagoria.[11]
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