NO. 13 SOVIET ANTHROPOLOGY — FIELD 75 



Ncapolis. — During the latter part of 1945 an expedition under the 

 leadership of P. Shults was sponsored by the Museum of Fine Arts 

 in Moscow and tlic Institute for tiie History of Material Culture 

 (IIMK) of the Academy of Sciences of the U.S.S.R. 



Shults bep^an excavations at Ncapolis, the Scythian capital, often 

 mentioned by early writers. The numerous finds indicate that Xeapolis 

 existed from the fourtii century R. C. to the fourth century A. D. 

 This ancient city was encircled by a thick, protective wall of unique 

 masonry. The excavations revealed the first specimen of monu- 

 mental Scythian architecture consisting of a large house whose 

 basement had been hewn out of rock. 



The first Scytiiian winery to be found contained marble goblets 

 as well as Scythian and Greek pottery of different periods, some of 

 them bearing Greek inscriptions. 



The first Scythian mural painting, showing no evidence of Greek 

 influence, came to light. The designs resemble those with which the 

 modern Ukrainians decorate their cottages and household utensils. 

 The clay roof ornaments and animals found during the excavation 

 of another site also resemble Russian roof ornaments and Slavic toys. 



Scythian handicrafts, in particular pottery, were as fine as other 

 expressions of art. A complex kiln for pottery making was unearthed. 



Archeological surveys were conducted in many parts of the Crimea 

 with a view to establishing the boundaries on this peninsula of the 

 Scythian State, which evidently extended along the Black Sea coast 

 as far as the Danube. 



A system of fortifications, consisting of three lines of defense, pro- 

 tected the Scythians from outside enemies : 



1. In the north stood the rampart and moat at Perekop. 



2. Along the Salgir River. 



3. Along the Alma River at the i)oundary between the foothills and 

 the mountains. 



Along these lines stretched a chain of fortress towns. On the 

 western coast there were also Scythian fortifications at intervals of 

 6 to 8 kilometers. Evidently they protected the Scythians from in- 

 vasions by sea and at the same time served as ports." 



P.T..\CK SE.\ COAST 

 Cave excavations."— During 1936-1937 S. X. Zamiatnin excavated 

 two caves in the Sochi and Adler Raions of Krasnodar Kroi. The 



8 Quoted from Nina Militsyna in the Moscow News, February 2. 104^. 



"Translated and summarized from S. N. Zamiatnin. Na\-alishinskaia i 

 .Mxlislityrskaia Peshchcry na Chcrnomorskom Poberezhe Kavkaza. Bulletin dc la 

 Commission pour TEtudc du Quatcrnairc. Nos. 6-7. pp. loo-ioi, Moscow. 1940. 

 See also Field and Prostov in Amcr. Anthrop. vol. 44. No. 2, p. 213, 194a. 



