Russia (bbabo.net), - Specialists of the Archeology Foundation have planned to excavate the ancient stone well of the Artezian fortress, which is located on the territory of the modern village of Chistopolye on the Kerch Peninsula, in the summer of 2022. Scientists believe that at its bottom there may be unique artifacts hidden by local residents during the fatal assault and fire for the city. Another mystical mystery - why did the inhabitants of Artesian put the skulls of dogs in the corners of the well?

Antique Artesian, which existed from the 4th century BC. until the IV century AD, occupied an area of ​​about seven hectares in the steppe zone on the territory of the royal choir of the Bosporus kingdom, performing primarily a defensive function.

The historical monument, which has a complex layout of residential quarters and defensive structures built at different times, was discovered in 1986 by Viktor Zubarev, an employee of the East Crimean Archaeological Expedition (VKAE). Since then, archaeologists have well surveyed about 6,000 square meters. Fortress and residential buildings, unique artifacts, inscriptions, hundreds of graffiti and dipinti, terracotta figurines, thousands of coins, dishes and household utensils were discovered. All of them are kept in the funds of the East Crimean Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve. But some of these things, unfortunately, became exhibits of the exhibition of "Scythian gold" sent to the Netherlands in 2014 ...

The fire, in which the fortress and the entire settlement perished, was associated with a fierce struggle at the turn of the eras for the Bosporan crown of King Mithridates VIII and his brother Cotis I, a usurper and Roman protege. The defenders of the fortress died along with their families, and their remains were burned down.

- The well of Artesian is interesting because the assault on the settlement was lightning fast. The fortress was bombarded with some kind of flammable substances, and it completely burned down, and people had absolutely no time to save, - said Oleg Markov, Development Director of the Archeology Foundation. - So it is quite possible that the defenders in a hurry and panic threw something valuable, their jewelry, into this well. The well is also interesting as an engineering structure: it is all lined with processed blocks, among which there may be interesting building remains.

As Markov notes, excavations on the territory of the fortress itself have already ended, and most likely there are no more treasures there, but none of the wells has yet been explored. And the one in which archaeologists were going to dive in June 2022, during one of the expeditions 15 years ago, was excavated only six to seven meters. Indeed, according to safety rules, during such studies, it is imperative to make formwork and organize the rise of the earth to the surface. But then it was technically impossible to do it.

“We licked our lips for a long time at this well, but a very powerful and well-equipped expedition with the participation of professional builders was required for its deep research,” explained Oleg Markov. - And now we have finally managed to assemble a team that will be able to explore it to its full depth - and this is 14-16 meters. In seven to ten days, it will be necessary to free the well from the cultural layers, which is lined with stone squares on all sides. From my experience, I know that usually at the bottom of such wells, thanks to the water, an environment is formed into which oxygen does not enter. Thanks to this, all organic matter is preserved. So, for example, it happens in the swamps, where the famous mummies are found. And in the Northern Black Sea region, during excavations of small wells in the modern village of Peresyp in the Krasnodar Territory, scientists even discovered the remains of wood products. Therefore, at the bottom of Artesian's well, you can find something interesting - something that there is almost no chance to find during ordinary archaeological excavations. For example, parchment with an unpublished work of Plutarch or Tacitus.

Scientists also expect that the 2022 expedition will make it possible to better study the magical rites of ancient inhabitants. During excavations 15 years ago, a huge number of skulls of severed dog heads were raised from the well. Moreover, they lay in the corners of the well. But why?

“Scientists who study the Greek culture of that time know that the dog was one of the guides to the kingdom of the Dead, Hades,” continues Oleg Markov. - The dogs themselves were chthonic animals - various sacred actions were arranged with them. For example, a person who wanted to be dedicated to the goddess of moonlight Hecate, the underworld, everything mysterious, magic and witchcraft, had to go to the intersection of three roads on a moonlit night, kill a black dog and bury it. After that, it was believed that he received some magical powers from her. Thus, it can be assumed that the filling of this reservoir even before the storming and fire was not spontaneous, but part of some kind of sacred rite.

To get a clue, archaeologists plan to gradually remove and raise the soil to the surface, for which formwork is planned to be installed every meter of penetration.

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