A team of Russian archaeologists has reportedly discovered evidence of a violent coup at the ancient Greek city of Phanagoria—the one-time capital of the Kingdom of Bosporous—that took place sometime during the fifth century BC.

The discovery, which was announced last week by the Volnoe Delo Oleg Deripaska Foundation, came after archaeologists reached layers dating back to the 5th and 6th century. What they found were fragments of a city that had been destroyed by a large fire around 480 BC.

According to Popular Archaeology, the ruins match historical records that describe a transition of power in the Kingdon of Bosporus that occurred when the Archaeanactids dynasty wound up being deposed by a Thracian dynasty of Spartocids during the fifth century BC.

The new find suggests that the day after the coup was accompanied by a series of violent clashes which ended up destroying the entire city, the archaeologists noted. While weather conditions at the site somewhat limited access, a more detailed expedition is scheduled for next year.

Acropolis would be the oldest ever discovered in Russia

If the remains found by the research team are confirmed to be part of an acropolis, it will be the oldest such building ever discovered in modern-day Russia. Phanagoria was first established by the Milesian Greeks during the seventh and sixth century BC, said Popular Archaeology.

In addition, the archaeologists found evidence to support the account of the city’s collapse during the 10th century, when inhabitants fled from the region for reasons which remain unknown. New evidence, combined with historical records, revealed that Panagoria was one of the main cities of Khazar Kaganate at that time, and that it was attacked by the Slavic warlord Helgu.

“One of the main results of the Phanagoria fieldwork this year is the hypothesis about possible reasons for the residents’ exodus in the 10th century,” expedition head Vladimir Kuznetsov said in a statement. “Phanagoria studies allow us to tie the history of the Byzantine Empire, Khazar Kaganate and Ancient Rus together.”

Based on their findings, he and his colleagues “can see that the emerging Old Russian state had a strong political and social influence in the region. As for the ancient cultural layers, we possess unique historical artifacts that have no analogues in the world. We’re currently working with 6th-5th century BC layers covering 1,000 square miles, so the new finds are to follow.”

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Feature Image: Volnoe Delo Oleg Deripaska Foundation

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