Early Greek Fortifications in the Territory of the Later Bosporan Cities

Abstract

Scholars have long debated the question how a small state like the Bosporus managed to remain independent for almost a millennium by the side of two nomadic giants, the Scythians and the Sarmathians. One of the reasons of their success were the fortifications that they had started building around their cities in the early stages of the colonization effort. Summing up the current knowledge of early Greek fortifications in the territory of the future Bosporan state, one cannot but note the weakness of the evidence. Changes of ground topography, natural and anthropic, have destroyed most of the earliest occupation sites. Practically none of the early Greek cities that should have had fortifications judging by their later histories are known.

Keywords

• Early Greek fortifications
• Bosporus