The absence of buildings and the ‘images of horsemen in the ornamental fields,…[and]…the mix of animal bones found among cooking waste’ in the Palace complex further suggest this.

Archaeological evidence of ‘tiles, jugs, and cups, lamps and altars, and terracotta figurines’ illustrate that pottery manufacturing occurred, with it being primarily traded locally and used practically.

[3] This is demonstrated as handmade cooking ware, toiletries (tweezers, mirrors) and tools (knives, spinning wheels and needles) are archaeological objects found from this period.

Imports identified during this period include amphorae from ‘Rhodes, Sinopa, Chersonesos, and Knidos’ as well as tableware, ornaments and ‘mould-made cups’, with the Southern Palace being the main area of relocation for them as of these objects were found there.

Imports, such as brown and red-slip tableware, special ornaments and beads, Roman items and Egyptian faience illustrate a bigger variety of goods being traded during this time, specifically stating during the 1st century CE.

Whilst there was an increase in animal husbandry, evidenced through the finds of bones throughout the farmland areas in Scythian Neapolis, agriculture was not abundant as there is a lack of tools found during this period, except for some crude stone pestles used for grain processing.

During this time, imported objects were a primary archaeological find with numerous red-slip pottery, glass vessels and metal items, including ‘enamelled Roman brooches’ (Vysotskaya as cited in Zaytsev, 2004).

Daily life during this period included simple female toiletry items, such as mirrors and curling irons for hairstyling, and horse equipment that varied in skill.

Dashevskaya (1962) suggesting that they were individual ‘autographs’ by the residents during ceremonies whereas other historians theorise that they have ritualistic meaning or were the works of Sarmatian conquerors (Vysotskaya and Puzdrovsky as cited in Zaystev, 2004).

Zaystev (2004) states that the population demonstrated the general characteristics of group settlements in the Black Sea region; ‘decline in lifestyle, total barbarization, and deep religious syncretism’.

Excavators found the bones of horses, cows, goats and sheep which historians believe indicate that hunting games occurred and played a role in the economy of this settlement.

Building techniques for dwellings/houses and the defensive walls didn’t differ during this period, with the absence of skilled masons and carpenters is identified through ‘surface and level variances’.

The exception to this is the Southern Palace, with parameters of the megaron suggesting a two-storey construction and archaeological evidence illustrating a tiled roof and thick walls.

An inscription, specifically lines 4-8, found within the Mausoleum has stimulated an academic debate amongst historians with some believing it was about King Skiluros whilst others suggest the epitaph was about Argotas, an individual and part of the Scythian nobility.

[5] Makarov (2019) states that Argotas came from the ruling class of Scythians and reflects the close relationship between the royal families of Bosporus and Scythia during the second half of the 2nd century BC.