The Royal mound in Kerch can be called a unique archaeological monument. It has value for world archaeology as an outstanding example of funerary culture. Such monumental funerary structures are typical of ancient Egypt, but in other regions of the ancient world they are much more modest.
The Royal Mound is located 7 kilometers northeast of Mount Mithridates, the center of the ancient Panticapaeum. 800 meters from the Royal Kurgan is the Museum of the History of the Defense of the Ajimushkai Quarries, dedicated to the tragic events of 1942, during WWII.
Archaeologists date the Royal Mound in Kerch to the 4th century BC. In the period from 438 to 109 BC, the Spartacid dynasty ruled in the Bosporan kingdom. The tomb was built for one of the kings of this dynasty. Scientists suggest that it could be Perisad I or Leucon I.
The mound has royal dimensions. The height of the earthen mound is 17 meters. The diameter of the embankment at the base reaches 80 meters. A 36-meter-long tunnel in the form of a burial road is laid on the side of the burial chamber. Such a tunnel is called a dromos. Funeral roads first appeared in ancient Egyptian temples. For example, in the Karnak Temple or the Luxor temple, dromos represent a long road among pylons and columns. In the Royal Mound of Kerch, the dromos is lined with rusticated stone blocks in the form of a high pyramid.
Behind the dromos of the Royal Mound there is a rectangular burial chamber. Of particular interest is the dome of the camera. It is laid out of 12 stone rings decreasing in diameter. There are similar chambers in other tombs in Greece or Turkey.
The Royal Mound in Kerch was found in 1833 during excavations led by the director of the Kerch Museum of Antiquities, archaeologist Anton Ashik. It was not possible to find any valuables during the excavations. Only small fragments of a wooden sarcophagus were found in the cell. The tomb itself was looted in ancient times.
