Archaeology, Ethnology & Anthropology of Eurasia 54 (3) 2026   doi:10.17746/1563-0110.2026.54.3.053-059

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Artifacts from the Necropolises of Chersonesos as a Historical
and Cultural Source: An Interpretation of Cultural Meanings

L.V. Dmitrieva and A.D. Chistova

Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia, Naberezhnaya reki Moiki 48, St. Petersburg, 191186, Russia

This article describes archaeological artifacts from the necropolises of Chersonesos with regard to their historical and cultural relevance. Based on an extensive sample, the authors classify the principal groups of finds, explore the semantics of grave goods, and reconstruct the system of funerary ritual practices within the context of cultural values and the related worldview. Focus is made on the cultural meaning of the most numerous and informative artifacts, the most typical of which are coins, ceramic oil lamps, bronze mirrors, and golden wreaths. Using semiotic and hermeneutic approaches, related images and ideas as parts of the ancient culture are reconstructed. The findings offer insight into the system of beliefs shared by people of the Northern Pontic from 400 BC to 300 AD.

Keywords: Cultural artifact, grave goods, classical mythology, necropolis, ritual practices, Chersonesos.