"The book discusses the grave stelai and grave reliefs from the Bosporan kingdom. Occupying the eastern Crimea and the Taman Peninsula on the northern shore of the Black Sea, this ancient Greek state was situated in an important contact zone of the ancient Greek world. The permanent interaction of Greeks and indigenous peoples (the Scythians, others and later the Sarmatians) in this region resulted in a dynamic local culture. Subjected to long-term acculturation processes, this culture reflected elements of Greek and indigenous traditions. In this respect, the grave stelai erected in Bosporan necropoleis and their numerous relief depictions dating from the 5th century BC to the 3rd century AD are a unique source: they provide us not only with pictorial evidence for local identities, but are, ultimately, also of great value for our understanding of the development and transformation of this local culture in general."--Provided by publisher.