Phanagoria Eastern Basin – Silted Harbour Lobe at Taman (Variant Bay)
Φαναγόρεια · Phanagoria East Harbour · Sennoy Phanagoria lobe
Archaic to Medieval (540 BCE – 1000 CE)·Ionian Greek / Bosporan / Sarmatian / Khazar·🇷🇺 Krasnodar Krai, Taman Peninsula, Sennoy, Russia
About
About Phanagoria Eastern Basin – Silted Harbour Lobe at Taman (Variant Bay)
Phanagoria (540 BCE Ionian, capital of Asiatic Bosporus) already has a western submerged harbour at −7 m, but its eastern lobe harbour (400x200 m) is now silted +2 m under Taman steppe barley fields 500 m inland, preserving a Hellenistic mole 80 m at +2 m sebkha with amphora kiln dump. Coring 2015 (Kuznetsov) traced the lobe through Taman Gulf progradation 1.5 m since 500 BCE; acropolis (35 ha) and lower town (60 ha) with submerged western mole. Eastern lobe used for Asian grain export and as refuge when western mole silted after Kuban river delta growth. Included as silted eastern variant to complement western Phanagoria harbour.
Why it mattersOnly Bosporus harbour with paired submerged western (−7 m) and silted eastern (+2 m) lobes showing 500 m shoreline progradation.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Whether eastern lobe had second mole now under Kuban palaeochannel
Theories
- 01Eastern lobe built after 400 BCE western harbour silting from Kuban delta
- 02Taman Gulf 1.5 m rise + delta created 500 m shore advance
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- 540 BCE Ionian Phanagoria; eastern lobe harbour 400 BCE
- Period
- Archaic to Medieval (540 BCE – 1000 CE)
- Culture
- Ionian Greek / Bosporan / Sarmatian / Khazar
- Builders
- Phanagorians / Bosporan Greeks
- Purpose
- Eastern grain lobe harbour complementing western submerged harbour
- Abandoned
- c. 1000 CE after Taman Gulf progradation
- Rediscovered
- 2015 Kuznetsov eastern lobe coring
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
540 BCE
Phanagoria founded; western harbour mole at -7 m
400 BCE
Eastern lobe harbour 80 m mole built as silt refuge
10 CE
Polemon makes Phanagoria Bosporan capital; eastern lobe active
2015
Kuznetsov cores eastern lobe silt +2 m under barley
On the ground
Structures & features
45.2794° N · 36.9667° E · 2 m · 2 mapped features
Eastern lobe mole 80 m under barley
mole80 m eastern lobe mole at +2 m under barley field
45.2800° N · 36.9670° EWestern submerged mole at −7 m
mole200 m western mole at −7 m submerged in Taman Gulf
45.2780° N · 36.9650° E