The Taman Peninsula is situated on the north-east coast of the Black Sea on the Asian side of the Russian Federation. Opposite, on the European side, lies the Kerch Peninsula, forming a narrow strait between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov: the Cimmerian Bosporus. This strait acts both as a barrier and a transit route between the continents and affords access to the River Don.
In the 6th century BC Greek settlers came to the Taman Peninsula. A project of the DAI’s Eurasia Department is reconstructing the ancient landscape and studying the course of the colonization.
In the course of several campaigns, more than 120 pile core probes have been taken at a depth of 5 and 15 metres. The extracted samples are used for soil analysis: macrobotanical remains of fauna and flora are examined and radio carbon dating is conducted. The data allows the coastline from around 600 BC to be approximately reconstructed. Also, inferences can be made on whether – and if so, to what extent – there were navigable passages between islands and harbours that today are silted up.
In the search for the remains of the ancient Greek settlement of Kepoi, a floating magnetic probe holder was made for the first time. It was used for magnetic mapping, also in deep water (Photo: DAI, Eurasia Department) 
An 8,000 year development has been documented thanks to over 120 pile core probes taken here in cooperation with the Institute of Geography at the University of Cologne (Photo: DAI, Eurasia Department) 
Bone used as a skate for transporting goods on ice, found at the Greek settlement Golubitskaya 2. The Kerch Strait still completely freezes over in severe winters (Photo: DAI Eurasia Department)