Evolution of hydrodynamic conditions of the port of the city of Phanagoria in the 5th-1st centuries BC

The present article is a study of hydrodynamical conditions that existed in the water area of Phanagoria in the second half of the I millenium BCE, during the construction and the following operation of a large pier structure. Its unusual shape and size is hard to explain without taking into account its local surroundings - wave and wind patterns, directions and strength of the currents. Models created using modern data and a paleogeographic reconstruction of the outlines and depth of the water area determined the hydrodynamic conditions of said area and confirmed the practical necessity of the ancient pier’s shape.