NO. 13 SOVIET ANTHROPOLOGY — FIELD 73 



containing archaic terra cottas and many other interesting finds had 

 been discovered. 



This building was completely excavated, and many service structures 

 surrounding the building were uncovered. These included a barn or 

 storeroom, a paved courtyard, a basement with a flight of steps leading 

 into it, and extensive grain-storage pits lined with stone. 



A late Roman dwelling complex discovered in 1939 was buried 

 under a stratum of debris 3.5 m. thick. The walls were preserved to 

 the height of 2.0 m. Tlie main building, paved with stone flags, com- 

 municated with a small courtyard also paved with flags. In the floor 

 of the main building opposite the entrance a large sunken pythos 

 with a capacity of several hundred liters was uncovered. This was 

 probably used for grain storage, since many charred grains of wheat 

 were found inside the building close to the pythos, as well as several 

 hand mills. A pit i.o m. in diameter and 68 cm. deep filled with ashes, 

 near the pythos. contained a potter}' lamp, a bone needle for weaving 

 fish nets, an iron hammer, whetstones, and a gray-ware pitcher of 

 Sarmatian type decorated with a band of intersecting lines formed by 

 polishing. 



The finds from the floor of the building included many pieces and 

 fragments of molded pottery, several lamps, a round bronze mirror, 

 clay spindle whorls, fragments of glass vessels, and red lacquer 

 platters of late Roman type, one of which was stamped with the sign 

 of a cross, and several bronze coins. Large pointed amphorae of late 

 Roman type were also unearthed ; many had been repaired by means 

 of lead brackets. The building itself had been destroyed by fire : its 

 floor was covered by coal and ashes from the burned wooden parts 

 of the structure. Many of these amjihorae had apparently been stored 

 on the second floor of the building but had fallen down in the course 

 of the fire. An outside stone stairway parallel with one of the walls 

 of the building led to the upper story. 



The prevalence of burned buildings in Tiritaka, of which several 

 had been previously discovered, suggests that this city was attacked 

 and partially destroyed. The finds from the late Roman building in- 

 cluded also the remains of a charred cable, probably a part of some 

 sort of fishing gear, and of two dozen net weights manufactured of 

 stones of varying sizes, each encircled by a shallow notch for attaching 

 to the rope. A small fish-salting cistern, 1.75x1.37, and 1.90 m. 

 deep, was found in an adjoining outbuilding. 



In the lower part of one of the walls of the main structure vt^ls 

 found a clay-covered niche containing the hones of a young pig and 

 a lamb, covered by sea sand containing long scales of sci'riuga, and 



6 



