The Bosporan Kingdom

The Bosporan Kingdom, or the Kingdom of Cimmerian Bosporus, was a slave state of the antique period in the northern Black Sea region. It was formed in the 80s of the 5th century BC from the union of Greek colonies and city-states located around Kerch and the northern parts of the Taman Peninsula. This union was driven by their shared commercial and economic interests (such as the export of grain) and military-defensive concerns. The initiator of the union was the city of Panticapaeum (modern-day Kerch), which became the capital of the Bosporan Kingdom.

The Bosporan Kingdom had close trade, economic, and cultural relations with Colchis. According to one of the mythical traditions preserved by Stephanus of Byzantium (7th century), Panticapaeum was supposedly founded by the son of the Colchian King Aeetes. During the excavations of Panticapaeum, Nymphaeum, Myrmekion, and Tyritáke, many fragments of 6th-4th century BC Colchian pottery, Colchian silver coins ("Colchian Tetri"), and clay lamps with the inscription "Colchos" were found. On the other hand, Bosporan amphorae and coins from Panticapaeum and Nymphaeum were discovered in Colchis.

O. Lortkipanidze