On the Discovery of a Fossil Seal Scapula in Ancient Panticapaeum (Crimean Peninsula)

Abstract

This study reports the discovery of a fossilized left scapula of the extinct Miocene seal Cryptophoca maeotica within Hellenistic layers of Panticapaeum, an ancient Greek city on the Kerch Peninsula, Crimea. Excavated from a 4th-century ad water cistern repurposed as a refuse deposit, the scapula represents a rare instance of fossil remains in an urban archaeological context. Morphological and biometric analyses, supported by the region's Miocene geological context, confirmed the species identification. The absence of human modification suggests that it was probably not used as a tool or ritual object. The find indicates that Hellenistic communities in Panticapaeum, a key center of the Bosporan Kingdom, may have collected such fossils as curiosities or symbolic items, reflecting engagement with the region's paleontological heritage. This discovery underscores the value of interdisciplinary approaches to studying ancient human–fossil interactions.