Some aspects of city archaeology in historical context (on the example of Prymorskyj Boulevard in Odesa)

The study on archaeological sites has some peculiarities when undertaken inside the territories of modern cities. And the reason behind it is not only the usual situation when parts of a site are covered by present-day constructions or cut by communication trenches. Sometimes a stratigraphic position and/or a level of recovery for ancient artefacts are blurred by inherent ambiguity. This is exactly the case, which can be traced for the settlement of ancient times on the Primorsky Boulevard of Odessa.The variability of the level of occurrence of the cultural layer and the virgin soil can be explained by referring to historical documentation. During the design and preparation of the territory for the landing of trees and construction, preparatory work was carried out. The area was cleared and leveled down. In addition, one should keep in mind the relief of the terrain, the presence of slopes, the elevation drop, the leveling of which led to the present ambiguous stratigraphic situation.The cultural layer was also damaged when some soil was withdrawn from its original position from the territory of the former military barracks, which were located here at the beginning of the XIX century in order to strengthen the slopes of the boulevard. These works are recorded in archival data stored in the State Archive of Odessa region. The construction of numerous communications also contributed to the inevitable alterations in the state of the settlement's preservation. Given the available historical information, it is possible that individual archaeological sites can be discovered during the reconstruction of existing buildings located on Primorsky Boulevard.The history of construction and subsequent re-building on the Primorsky Boulevard is linked with the material remains that are stored underground. Consideration of this aspect provides the necessary information on the identification of objects that can be found in archaeological sites situated underneath the modern buildings.There is an obvious and urgent necessity of archaeological supervision for all types of reconstruction or building works, in accordance with existing legislation. This conclusion is relevant not only to the territory of the ancient settlement, but also to its surveillance zone. The construction works should be suspended until the final archaeological research, if archaeological sites would be identified.Key words: Classical age, city archaeology, cultural layer, Prymorskyj Boulevard.