The Elizabethan settlement represents the remains of an ancient settlement located near the village of Yelizavetinskaya in the Azov district of Rostov region. It is situated in the delta of the Don River, approximately 4 kilometers from Rostov-on-Don, on the western outskirts of the hamlet of Gorodishche, north of the village of Yelizavetinskaya.

At the turn of the 6th and 5th centuries BC, a local variant of Scythian culture formed in the area of the Elizabethan settlement, and a settlement emerged here. Archaeologists note that various cultures existed in this territory: Scythian, Sarmatian, Meotian, Greek, and possibly Amazonian. In 1967, a burial of a female warrior dating to the 5th century BC was found in one of the burial mounds, where an iron sword, a spearhead, bronze arrowheads, a fragment of an iron knife, glass and gold beads, and bronze bracelets were discovered. A burial mound of a Scythian king with golden armor was also found.

Initially, the site of Gorodishche was a seasonal nomadic camp. By the 4th century BC, under the influence of Greco-barbarian trade, the settlement became semi-sedentary and then permanent, of urban type. Its advantageous location allowed nomads to control important trade routes passing through the lands of the Lower Don.

In the second half of the 4th century BC, the Elizabethan settlement became the largest in the Northeast Azov region. It was a significant center for agriculture, fishing, and crafts. It is believed that there were two Greek colonies on its territory: the first in the second half of the 4th century BC, and the second in the first third of the 3rd century BC. The settlement also included a small Bosporan colony, a kind of separate Greek quarter-emporium connected with the Bosporan kingdom.