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Kyzyl-Koba Culture

The Kyzyl-Koba culture is an archaeological culture of the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age (late 12th – 3rd centuries BCE), distributed in Mountainous, Foothill, and Southwestern Crimea. In written ancient tradition, its bearers are identical to or directly associated with the Taurian tribes.

Overview

The largest, most wealthy, and longest-inhabited known settlement of the Kyzyl-Koba culture is Uch-Bash in the Inkerman Valley (Sevastopol microregion). Materials from long-term excavations at Uch-Bash and its satellite settlement Sakharna Holovka, summarized in the monograph by Evelina Kravchenko and co-authors (2016), demonstrate the continuous development of the culture over more than 400 years — from the late 12th to the early 7th century BCE.

The culture is characterized by a combination of a settled food-producing economy (agriculture, animal husbandry), highly specialized crafts (highly innovative iron metallurgy, bone carving, pottery), and extractive activities (mullet fishing in Sevastopol Bay, hunting for deer and wild boars).

Key Details / Subtopics

  • Periodization and Chronology: In the history of Kyzyl-Koba settlements in the Inkerman Valley, scholars distinguish the older pre-Taurian period (late 12th – 10th centuries BCE, Final Bronze Age), the younger pre-Taurian period (9th – mid-8th centuries BCE, Early Iron Age transition stage), and the Taurian period (from the second half of the 8th – 7th centuries BCE).
  • Early Iron Age Metallurgy: Uch-Bash and the Seferek-Koba tract on Karabi Yayla represent some of the earliest centers of iron smelting and processing in the Northern Black Sea region (from the late 9th – 8th centuries BCE), synchronizing with Caucasian metallurgical centers.
  • Specifics of the Economic System:
  • Agriculture: cultivation of hulled barley, free-threshing and emmer wheat, as well as rye; likely existence of gardening and household viticulture.
  • Animal Husbandry: in the structure of the domestic herd, small cattle (sheep and goats) account for over 55%, large cattle account for about 20%, alongside pigs and horses. This ratio brings Kyzyl-Koba inhabitants closer to Mediterranean and steppe economies under conditions of pasture shortages in the mountain-foothill landscape.
  • Marine Fishing: seasonal autumn harvesting of mullet (golden grey mullet and leaping mullet) using set nets in the upper reaches of Sevastopol Bay.
  • Material Culture and Crafts: The culture is characterized by hand-molded ceramic vessels with rich incised and stamped decoration inlaid with white paste (large storage jars, bowls, ladles, cups), production of bone tools (psalia, arrowheads, spoons, needles), as well as flint sickle inserts and drills.
  • Ethnic Interrelations: Kyzyl-Koba culture materials show imported artifacts and cultural influences from Thracian Hallstatt, the Bilozerka culture of the Lower Dnieper region, nomadic peoples of the Chornohorivka-Novocherkassk circle, and Caucasian craft centers.