History of Bosporan Kingdom exhibition at Pushkin Museum

Eastern Crimea and the Taman Peninsula. The exhibition Panticapaeum and Phanagoria: The Two Capitals of the Bosporan Kingdom started on 29 June marking this milestone date.

The exhibition is dedicated to the history and culture of Panticapaeum and Phanagoria, two major centres of the Bosporan Kingdom, an ancient state on the territory of Russia. Panticapaeum was founded in the late 7th century BC involving both Greek colonists and representatives of other peoples of Asia Minor − Phrygians and Lydians.

Museum visitors will see 450 exhibits dating back to the period from the 7th century BC (Dinos with Geometric Ornament from the East Crimean Historical and Cultural Museum Reserve) up until the reign of Mithridates VI Eupator Dionysius in the 1st century BC (The sculpture of Mithridates VI Eupator Dionysius is from the State Hermitage). A small section will be devoted to the Roman period. It will include an altar with a consecration to the goddess Ditagoya (the only existing record of this deity) and a marble head of Athena from the Palace of the Spartocids in Panticapaeum.

This will be the first public display of the architectural orders from the ancient temple of Apollo in Panticapaeum dating from the late 6th century BC from the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts and the East Crimean Museum Reserve and of a new replica of the colossal building. The exposition includes a burial of a dismembered horse carcass (a sphagion) which shows evidence of performing a magical ritual aimed at helping in the fight against Scythians (the latter relied on horse riders as the main battle power).

The exhibition also sets out findings dating back to the 19th century and discoveries from recent years. These include a pedestal of the memorial headstone of Hypsicratea, the wife of Mithridates VI of Pontus (Eupator Dionysius). In the epitaph, the king ordered to spell her name as Hypsicratus, to acknowledge her courage and valiance. 

The exhibition will run until 17 September.