Mangup-Doros in the Theme Period of Its History

Abstract

The modern reconstruction of the history of the fortified settlement atop Mangup mountain from the mid-ninth to the mid-eleventh century, when it was a part of the Byzantine theme in the Crimea, was developed by A. G. Gertsen in 1990. This article discusses the new materials obtained by recent years of archaeological research of the site which allow significant corrections to it. The review of archaeological objects and complexes from the mid-ninth to the mid-eleventh centuries uncovered in the ancient town shows that Mangup-Doros continued to be a large, well-fortified Byzantine fortress, with the main defensive line running along the outer edge of the Mangup plateau. Very important are the traces of big repairs and reconstructions of the fortification system discovered by excavations and dated from the mid-ninth and late tenth century. They indicate that maintaining the defensive system of the settlement was one of the main tasks assigned to the Byzantine commanders and the military contingent stationed there. The intra-fortress space was divided into two functional zones, residential and industrial buildings (up to 50% of the total area) and the unbuilt territory, which could be a refuge for the population of the neighbouring area. The excavations of residential areas indicate their ordinary character. As in the previous period, the basilica was topographic, ideological, and administrative centre of the settlement. Specifically, archaeological research has not discovered traces of the fortified centre (citadel) at Mangup, though such centre was typical of many towns and fortresses of the Byzantine Empire from the Middle Byzantine Period on. Throughout the Theme Period, the population of the town in question continued cattle-breeding and agriculture, with viticulture and commercial winemaking oriented to exportation gradually became specialized branches. The Byzantine administration controlled the winemaking, as evidenced by the finds of stationary winepresses in the habitable zone of the fortress.