What is the oldest city in Crimea? Ancient cities of Crimea

Africa

From ancient times, sea routes connected the Black Sea coast with the Mediterranean, where at the end of the II - beginning of the I millennium BC. the great civilization of Greece arose. From the coast of Hellas, brave sailors set off in search of new lands.
Where the big ones are now seaports, industrial and resort centers of Crimea - Evpatoria, Sevastopol, Feodosia and Kerch, in the VI - V centuries. BC. the Greeks founded the cities of Kerkinitida, Chersonesos, Theodosia, Panticapaeum, and near it - Mirmekiy, Tiritaka, Nymphaeum, Kimmerik and others. Each of them was the center of an agricultural region where wheat was grown, grapes were cultivated, and cattle were bred. In the cities there were temples, public and administrative buildings, markets, craftsmen's workshops. Convenient geographical position contributed to the development of trade. Merchants exported to the Mediterranean slaves and agricultural products purchased from local tribes - Scythians, Meots, Sinds. In exchange, olive oil, wine, art and crafts were brought from the cities of the Balkan Peninsula and Asia Minor.
Chersonese was founded in 421 BC. on the shore of the bay, which is now called Karantinnaya. Later, the city significantly expanded its holdings. During its heyday, Kerkinitida, the Beautiful Harbor (on the site of the modern Chernomorsky settlement) and other settlements of the northwestern Crimea were subordinate to him.
The Chersonese state was a slave-owning democratic republic. The supreme body of power was the people's assembly and council, which decided all issues of foreign and domestic policy. The leading role in the management belonged to the largest slave owners, whose names were conveyed by Chersonesos inscriptions and coins.
Archaeological excavations, begun in 1827, showed that the city was well fortified. The remains of defensive structures - massive towers, fortresses, parts of stone walls - have also been preserved throughout the state. This speaks of the constant military danger to which the inhabitants were exposed. The famous Chersonese oath tells about their patriotism. Its text was carved at the end of the 4th - beginning of the 3rd centuries. BC. on a marble slab found during excavations of the city:
... "I swear by Zeus, Gaia, Helios, Virgo, the gods and goddesses of Olympia... I will not betray Chersonesos..." secrets.
As confirmed by archaeological research, the city had a correct layout. Residential buildings were combined into quarters, the streets intersected at right angles. They were paved with small stones. Stone gutters ran along the streets. Temples were erected in the squares. Public buildings and houses of wealthy citizens were decorated with colonnades and mosaic floors.
Only the foundations of the walls and basements have survived from ancient buildings to the present day. Particularly interesting are the mint, baths, the ruins of a theater that existed from the 3rd century BC. BC e. according to the IV century. n. e. Only stairways and stone benches for spectators have been partially preserved from it. Judging by their size, the theater could accommodate up to 3,000 spectators.
Near the city walls was the artisans' district. There, archaeologists discovered the remains of ceramic production: kilns for firing pottery, stamps for ornaments, molds for making terracotta reliefs. Other crafts also flourished in Chersonese - metalworking, jewelry, weaving.
The largest ancient state of the Black Sea region was the so-called Bosporan kingdom. It was formed as a result of the unification of originally independent Greek cities, such as Panticapaeum, Mirmekiy, Tiritaka, Phanagoria and others, located along the banks of the Cimmerian Bosporus - modern Kerch Strait. Panticapaeum became the capital of the state. From 438 BC for more than three hundred years it was ruled by the Spartokid dynasty.
At the end of the 5th - beginning of the 4th centuries. BC. Nymphaeum and Theodosia, as well as lands inhabited by other tribes, were annexed to the possessions of the Bosporus. In the 1st century BC. The Bosporus captured most of the territory of the Crimea, subjugated Chersonese.
Excavations on Mount Mithridates, carried out in Kerch since the end of the 19th century, made it possible to restore the size and plan of Panticapaeum. At the top was the acropolis - the central fortification of the city with powerful defensive walls and towers. Inside it housed the most important temples and public buildings. Quarters of one- or two-story stone buildings descended in terraces down the slopes. The whole city and its environs were surrounded by numerous lines of fortifications. A deep and comfortable harbor reliably sheltered merchant and military ships.
Found fragments of marble statues, pieces of painted plaster and architectural details allow us to talk about the rich decoration of the squares and buildings of the city, about the skill of ancient architects and builders.
On the site of Myrmekia and Tiritaki, not far from Kerch, in addition to the city walls, residential buildings and sanctuaries, archaeologists discovered several wineries and baths for salting fish. In Nymphea, near the modern village of Geroevka, there are temples of Demeter, Aphrodite and Kabir; in Ilurat, near the modern village of Ivanovka, - a Bosporan military settlement of the first centuries AD, guarding the approaches to the capital.
Next to each ancient city was its necropolis - City of dead. They were usually buried in simple earthen graves, sometimes lined with tiles or stone slabs. The rich and noble were placed in wooden or stone sarcophagi. For their burial, crypts were built, made of stones or carved into the rocks. The walls of crypts and sarcophagi were decorated with paintings, reliefs, and inlays. They applied ornaments, depicted mythological plots, scenes real life. Together with the deceased, they put things that belonged to him: jewelry, dishes, weapons, vessels with incense, terracotta figurines and other items. In one of the Panticapaeum burials of the 3rd c. AD, possibly the Bosporan king Riskuporides, a unique golden mask was found that reproduced the facial features of the deceased.
Researchers have long been interested in large burial mounds located in the vicinity of Kerch. They found burials of Bosporan kings and nobility with outstanding works of Greek art: gold and silver jewelry, bronze and glass items, painted and figured vases.
Golden temporal pendants of the 4th century BC are rightfully considered a masterpiece of world art. BC. from the Kul-Oba kurgan. They are made in the form of disks, to which are attached numerous woven crossed chains connected by plates and rosettes. On a disk 7 cm in diameter there is a relief of the head of Athena in a helmet with clearly distinguishable figures of griffins, an owl and a snake. The thinnest or faceted plates, rosettes, as well as the circumference of the disc are covered with granulation and blue enamel.
The most valuable finds from the excavations ancient cities Crimea are represented in the collections of the State Hermitage in St. Petersburg, the State Historical Museum and State Museum fine arts them. A.S. Pushkin in Moscow, as well as others.
Now on the territory of Chersonese in Sevastopol and on Mount Mithridates in Kerch, reserves are organized. Every year, thousands of people come there to walk through the streets and squares of ancient cities, to get acquainted with the greatest monuments culture, it is better to know the distant past of our Motherland.

Encyclopedia "Sights of Crimea"

Pontus Euxinus - Scythian Sea

Crimea became known for world history many centuries before our era. AT ancient times, the peninsula was called Taurica. This name was recorded by the Byzantine historian of the VI century AD Procopius nz Caesarea. The Old Russian chronicle "The Tale of Bygone Years" gives a slightly modified form of this name - Tavriania. Only in the 12th century did the Tatars, who conquered the peninsula, call Crimea Greek city Solkhat (now Old Crimea), which became the center of their possessions. Gradually, during the XIV-XV centuries, this name spread to the entire peninsula. The names of the Greek colonies that arose in the Crimea in the VI century BC. cannot be considered the oldest Crimean toponyms. Before the arrival of the Greeks in the Crimea, numerous tribes lived here, leaving their mark on history, archeology, and toponymy.

Crimea belongs to those few places on earth where people have appeared since time immemorial. Here, archaeologists discovered their sites of the Paleolithic era - the early Stone Age.

Scientists believe that before the beginning of the divergence of peoples - about 3700 BC. throughout the entire territory of the Caspian steppes of Eastern Europe and Western Asia, the common language of communication was, the roots of which lie in.

The roots of the most ancient names of the Crimean places, rivers, mountains, lakes should be sought in the Proto-Indo-European language - Vedic Sanskrit: support, stronghold, tower, tower, pylon.(a related word in Old Russian: KROM - castle, fortification, secluded, hidden from ...; Kromny - outer edge (edge); KROMA - edge, piece of bread;) At the root of the word Kram - kram - fortress, verb " kR" and "krta" - create, build, make, that is - this is a man-made structure - the Fortress, the Kremlin.

Slavic historian, archaeologist, ethnographer and linguist, author of the 11-volume encyclopedia "Slavic Antiquities" Lubora Niederle claimed that “... among the northern neighbors of the Scythians mentioned by Herodotus, not only the neurons ... but also Scythians called plowmen and farmers ... were undoubtedly Slavs, who were influenced by the Greco-Scythian culture.

The first population of Crimea known to us from ancient Greek sources was the Scythians, Taurus and the Cimmerians, who were related or Thracian.

In the southwestern part Crimean peninsula, 15 km from Sevastopol, there is an ancient city balaclava, having rich history over 2500 years old.

Since ancient times, it has been a powerful military fortress created by nature itself. Balaklava harbor is closed high cliffs from all sides from sea storms, and the narrow entrance to the harbor reliably protects it from enemy invasions from the sea. reports that Tauris lived in the mountains of Taurida, who knew a lot about martial arts.

There are two toponyms within the Dnieper Left Bank ancient Slavic species - Perekop, near Sreznevsky - Perekop, possible calque of relict Indo-Aryan * krta - “made (that is, dug by hand)” , hence the name Crimea. Approximately in the same place, at the base of the Crimean peninsula, there is another Russian. Oleshye , one of the "populated places" by the sea, which from time immemorial - from Herodotus Hylaea ('Y - "forest") up to the present Aleshkovsky (!) Sands - steadfastly conveyed and preserved the image of this "wooded" patch among the surrounding treeless spaces.

The name "Balaklava" comes from the word, strength, power, energy, strength, military force, army, army. The word "Bala" comes from - RV). Perhaps the name of the harbor "Bala + Klava" - comes from "Bala" - military, "Klap, kalpate" - klṛ p, kalpate - "strengthen, strengthen, fortress" (from the root "kḷ p"), that is - Military Fortress.

The ancient Greek geographer and historian Strabo (64 BC - 24 AD) and the Roman writer, author of Natural History Pliny the Elder (23-79 AD) associated the name of the harbor and military fortress with the name of their son (II century BC) Palak - "strong warrior." Names of the god of war ancient greece - Pallas (Pallas), an epithet of a goddess Athena Palada(other Greek Παλλὰς Ἀθηνᾶ) – militant goddess of war strategy and wisdom, and the name of the Scythian prince Palak - "warrior", come from the same root.

In the 5th century, a powerful city arose on both banks of the Kerch Strait, whose inhabitants consisted of representatives of various peoples - Greek colonists, Scythians, Meots. Dominant dynasty The Spartakids were of Thracian origin, and the royal guard also consisted of the Thracians. The roots of the language of the Scythians, Cimmerians, Greeks lie in the Proto-Indo-European language, which is why they found a common language and, allowing for the interpenetration of cultures and language borrowings on the peninsula, for example, from the Germanic tribes - - the Scythians, who were in a single Gothic union of tribes in the Crimea .

The role of the Goths in the life of the Crimea was very significant, since even in the Byzantine medieval sources the Crimea was called Gothia. belongs to the Indo-European group of languages. A few fortified Ostrogothic settlements remained in the Black Sea region in the western mountainous part of Crimea, inhabited by Greeks and subordinated to Byzantium, as well as from the 5th century in the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov on Taman Peninsula the Ostrogoths at the end of the 4th century were cut off by the invasion of the Huns and other nomads in the Black Sea region. Byzantine Emperor Justinian I built a line of fortifications in the Crimea to protect the settlements of the Ostrogoths (Eastern Goths). In Taurida (Crimea) there was a Gothic the fortress city of Mangup, the cities of Doro (Doros), Theodoro, ready-meal merchants living on the "table mountain" (near Alushta).

In the 6th century, the Crimean Goths adopted Orthodox Christianity and patronage from Byzantium. The Crimean-Gothic language was preserved in the Crimea for a long time, dating back to the Ostrogothic dialect. tribes of the Eastern Goths, who came to the Black Sea and the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov in 150 - 235, and living in the neighborhood with Greek settlers and Scythians. Flemish monk V. Rubruk, who testifies in 1253 that the Goths in the Crimea at that time they spoke the "Germanic dialect" ( idioma Teutonicum - "Taurian language").

Distribution of power Kyiv princes Ancient Russia on a fairly large part of the peninsula closely and for a long time brought the population of Crimea closer to the ancient Russian state. There were gates of sorts through which Kievan Rus went out to communicate with the countries of the East. In the first centuries of our era in the Crimea appeared Slavs. Their migration to the peninsula is most naturally explained by the so-called great migration of peoples in the II-VII centuries.

From time to time, Byzantine sources recall the Slavs in Tavria. But scientists were able to get a more complete picture of their life on the peninsula only starting from the era of Kievan Rus. Archaeologists have discovered in the Crimea the remains of material culture, foundations architectural structures, close to those that were built in the cities of Kievan Rus. Moreover, the fresco paintings and the plaster itself of the Crimean Russian churches are very similar in composition to the fresco paintings of the Kyiv cathedrals of the 11th-12th centuries.

Much about the ancient Russian population of the Crimea becomes known from written sources. From "The Lives of Stefan of Surozh" know that at the beginning 9th century Russian prince Bravlin took possession Crimean cities Korsun (or Kherson, so in the Middle Ages Chersonesus began to be called) and Sudak. And in the middle of the same century, the ancient Russians settled for a long time in the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov, having mastered the Byzantine city Tamatarkhoy later Tmutarakan, the capital of the future ancient Russian principality of Tmutarakan, part of whose land stretched in the Crimea. Gradually Russian principality spreads its power northwestern part of it on the outskirts of Kherson, the entire Kerch Peninsula.

Tmutarakans principality formed in the middle of the 10th century. Remote from other Russian lands, it was under constant pressure from Byzantium, but managed to survive. Successful Vladimir Svyatoslavich's campaign against Kherson in 989 expanded ancient Russian possessions in the Crimea. According to the Russian-Byzantine agreement, Kievan Rus was able to annex the city of Bosporus with its outskirts to the Tmutarakan principality, which received the Russian name Korchev (from the word "wrath" - a forge, the current Kerch).

On the Taman Peninsula, a Tmutarakan stone was found, on which an inscription was carved that in 1068 Russian prince Gleb Svyatoslavovich “I measured the sea on ice from Tmutarakan to Korchevo. 10,000 fathoms and 4,000 fathoms.

The Arab geographer Idrisi called Kerch Strait "the mouth of the Russian river". There he even knew a city with the name "Russia". Medieval European and Oriental geographic Maps Crimea recorded a lot of place names, names of cities and settlements, indicating a long and long stay of the Russians in the Crimea: " Cosal di Rosia", "Rossia", "Rosmofar", "Rosso", "Rossika" (the latter near Evpatoria), etc.

At the end of the 12th century, a mass of nomadic Polovtsy, who took possession of the steppes of the northern Black Sea region, cut Crimea off from Kievan Rus for a long time. At the same time, the Polovtsians destroyed the Tmutarakan principality, but a significant part of the Russian population remained on the peninsula. One of its strongholds was city of Sudak(Russian name Surozh). According to the Arab writer Ibn al-Athir. At the end of the 12th - beginning of the 13th centuries, many Russian merchants lived in the Crimea and the Black Sea was called Russian sea.

The Russian population of the peninsula, as well as representatives of other local peoples, was dealt an irreparable blow by the conquest of the peninsula Mongol-Tatars after 1223.

The territory of Crimea was inhabited 3,000 years ago. Its indigenous inhabitants were the Taurians, famous for their warlike character and penchant for piracy. More precisely, this is the first nation about which it was possible to find out reliable information. Archaeologists also found the oldest sites, whose age exceeds 1 million years. The favorable location of the peninsula at the crossroads of trade routes determined its fate, full of conquests. Greeks and Venetians, Scythians and Romans, Goths and Huns, Genoese and Turks, Tatars and Slavs managed to visit here. A rich historical past and traces of various cultures have led to the formation of the region in different eras many different settlements, many of which still exist today.

Top 10 oldest cities in Crimea

Many ancient and earlier settlements that existed in the Crimea have not been preserved. The most famous of them were:

Tauric Chersonese - founded in antiquity by the Greeks, now located on the territory of Sevastopol and protected by UNESCO;
Panticapaeum - the capital of the powerful Bosporan kingdom, the ruins of which are now on Mount Mithridates in Kerch;
Kerkinitida is a settlement created by the ancient Greeks, on the site of which Evpatoria now stands.

The Crimean Republic includes 16 cities, and only two of them were founded in the last century: Krasnoperekopsk in 1932 and Shchelkino in 1978. The rest can boast a rich, rich history: at least three appeared more than two thousand years ago, and the formation of a significant part of others belongs to the Middle Ages.

Among the most ancient cities of Crimea, from among the existing ones, are:

Kerch - VII century BC. e.
Theodosius - 6th century BC e.
Evpatoria - 497 BC e.
Sudak - 212.
Alushta - VI century.
Alupka - 960.
Yalta - 1154.
Old Crimea - XIII century.
Belogorsk - XIII century.
Bakhchisarai - 1389.

Kerch - the most ancient in the Crimea

ancient city The Crimean peninsula is located in its eastern part of Kerch. Archaeological studies show that people lived on these lands already 100,000 years ago, and in the center of Kerch, scientists found a mammoth tooth. More than 60 sites belong to the later periods of the Mesolithic and Neolithic. At first, the local primitive population was engaged in fishing and hunting, later they mastered cattle breeding and crafts.

real story cities began in the 7th century BC. e., when the Greek navigators who mastered the neighboring regions actively founded new colonies in the Black Sea region. One of them was the settlement of Panticapaeum: it was located on a hill - Mount Mithridates, and was surrounded by other, less famous settlements. Subsequently, they all merged together, forming the urban area of modern Kerch. In 480 BC. e. Panticapaeum flourished when it took the title of the capital of the Bosporus kingdom - one of the most powerful in the region at that time. Since then, the ruins of the Temple of Apollo, the Royal Mound of the king of the Spartokid dynasty and an impressive necropolis have come down to us.

By the 4th century of the new millennium, after the unsuccessful era of the reign of the Tiberian Julius dynasty and the Hun invasion, Panticapaeum finally lost any importance. Two centuries later, the Turks came here and named the settlement Karsha, which meant "the other shore". In the 10th century, the Slavs took possession of the lands, changing the toponym in their own way: Korchev. After it was owned by the Genoese, then the Turks, and then the Russians. From this period, military fortresses remained in Kerch: the Turkish Yeni-Kale and the Russian Kerch, buildings of the 18th and 19th centuries, respectively. The main attraction of the resort, the Mithridates Stairs, appeared only in the middle of the last century, but it is worth climbing it for the sake of stunning panoramas.

Feodosia - an old picturesque town

Almost simultaneously with Kerch, and with the forces of the same Milesian Greeks, Theodosius was founded. Unlike its famous rating neighbor, Feodosia did not distinguish itself in anything special in antiquity, but in 2015 it received the honorary title of the City of Military Glory for the merits of the centuries-old defense of the Fatherland.

The date of formation of the settlement is streamlined to indicate the VI century BC. e., since there is no exact data on the time of appearance. However, it is reliably known that from 355 BC. e. it already belonged to the territory of the Bosporan kingdom. Concerning further destinies settlements are similar: Huns, Byzantines, Tatars, Genoese. The latter brought a golden era to the small settlement: they renamed the town Kafu. The Genoese made it an important trade trading port and the administrative center from which they ruled the entire Northern Black Sea region: by the 15th century, it could already be compared with Constantinople in size.

They gave Feodosia the main tourist attraction today: a defensive limestone fortress built in the 14th century. Previously, it skirted the territory of 70 hectares, and today only its southern part and several towers are well preserved, among which special attention deserves the tower of St. Constantine with hinged loopholes.

Evpatoria - beautiful and historically attractive

By the fifth century, or rather by 497 BC, the appearance of Yevpatoriya - the best modern children's balneo-mud treatment climatic resort not only Crimea, but also all countries of the post-Soviet space. The healing properties of the local mud have been known since ancient times, when the first reliably known settlement, Kerkinitida, was formed. The settlement was located on the shores of the Kalamitsky Bay and on the cape, today called Karantinny.

According to some reports, the Greeks from Ionia arrived here a century earlier, and by the 4th century of the last era, they were able to create a prosperous trading settlement that existed in the status of an independent policy that independently developed its own economy. This state of affairs did not last long: in the same century it became dependent on the Kherson kingdom. And if development continued under him, then the Scythians, and then the Huns, destroyed everything. In the Middle Ages, the Turks founded the Gezlev fortress here, and in 1784, by decree of Catherine II, the settlement received the status of a city and was renamed Evpatoria in honor of the famous ruler Mithridates VI Evpator, who ruled in antiquity in Kerch.

Greek city-states of Crimea:
construction history, location, public order

The formation of Greek city-states in the Crimea is an achievement of the Great Colonization of the Hellenes, which took place on the lands of the peninsula between the 8th and 6th centuries. BC e. It is sometimes believed that the process of development mediterranean coast and the Black Sea region is better denoted by the term "resettlement". However, what made the Greeks leave their native places and go where they had to start life anew?

First, there was a population explosion in Greece during this period of history. The overpopulation of Hellas gave rise to the beginning of migration processes. Secondly, the Greeks were sorely lacking in agricultural land. In addition, the migration processes were associated with trade expansion, the search for products and sources of raw materials that were scarce or did not exist at all in Greece.

All this is complemented by military, social and ethnic reasons. The Hellenes were threatened by the Lydians and Persians, and there were significant disagreements between the Greeks, generated by belonging to different strata of the population and interethnic tensions.

At first, the Hellenes, pampered under the warm sun, did not like the relatively cold local climate, and the inhabitants of the Crimea inspired fear. They called the Black Sea the phrase "Pont Aksinsky", which means "inhospitable sea". However, they soon changed their point of view and the prefix "a" was transformed into "ev". This is how the Greek toponym Pontus Euxinus (“hospitable sea”) appeared, and the history of Crimea began to take on a different character.

The Greek city-states of the Crimea were built by immigrants from Miletus. Less often - by settlers from Heraclea Pontus. However, scientists managed to find on the peninsula traces of the habitation of the Greeks, who arrived from Colophon, Ephesus and Theos. The area of Greek settlers was formed: the South-East of Crimea, the shores of the Kerch Strait and the territory of the Taman Peninsula.

Greek city-states and settlements in the Northern Black Sea region:

The political structure of the Crimean ancient settlements was similar to that in mainland Hellas. The Greek city-states of the Crimea were predominantly slave-owning republics with a democratic way of life. The polis model allowed the city and its chora to coexist organically, made such settlements independent and viable units.

The Greek city-states of Crimea had three traditional branches of power for our days, they could solve all internal problems and independently choose state bodies. Legislative power they represented the people's assembly, the executive - colleges and magistrates. Adult men were allowed to solve problems of national importance. Slaves, foreigners and females had no rights. The courts in the Greek colonies of the Crimea were highly specialized.

The first Greek city grew up in the east of the Crimea, its name is Panticapaeum.


Kerch. The ruins of Panticapaeum - the first Greek city-state on the territory of Crimea	In the center of the picture K.F. Bogaevsky "Feodosia" (1930) - Quarantine Hill - the alleged place of the foundation of the Greek city-state, the traces of which are now hidden by the layers of subsequent civilizations. The Genoese fortress of Kafa is depicted on the Quarantine Hill.

Over time, several more large buildings were erected on the peninsula. settlements: Chersonese, Kerkinitida, Kalos-Limen, Nymphaeum, Feodosia.


The Greek city-state of Chersonese: the ruins of a residential area (Gagarinsky district of Sevastopol)	The ruins of the Greek city-state of Kalos-Limen (north-western coast of Crimea)

The largest Greek state association of the Crimean Peninsula of ancient times - the Bosporus Kingdom - appeared as a result of constant confrontations with local barbarians, it will be discussed separately.

The Greek city-states on the Crimean peninsula can be conditionally divided into two parts - those that fell under the influence of Chersonesus at some historical moment and found themselves in the sphere of interests of Panticapaeum. The second, starting as independent city-states, united in an alliance, or rather, they were forced to do so by necessity - it was necessary to resist the local tribes and develop trade with the metropolis. Later, these policies became part of the Bosporus kingdom of the Spartokid dynasty. What are these cities?

Greek city-states under the influence of Panticapaeum

If the capital was founded in the 7th century BC, then Nymphaeum, located a little south, at the beginning of the 6th. It was one of the largest and most important Greek city-states.

Founded by the Milesians, it soon fell under the influence of Athens and, accordingly, entered the Delian symmachy, which was eventually defeated in the fight against Sparta. Nymphaeus broke away from Athens and handed over his fate to the Spartocids and the Bosporan kingdom. More than once the city was destroyed (especially catastrophically by the Goths), more than once artifacts were taken away in our time, so archaeologists did not get so much. But even what remains allows us to judge the greatness of the city and its architectural splendor.

A little north of Nymphaeum, in the same period as the latter, another policy was founded by the Milesians - Tiritaka. This Greek city-state had an industrial and economic orientation, which is confirmed by excavations. It was surrounded by walls only in the 3rd century AD. It was repeatedly destroyed both by the enemy and by earthquakes. Under the Byzantines, during the reign of Justinian I, a basilica was installed in Tiritaka, the ruins of which were examined during an archaeological expedition.

Among all the Greek city-states of Crimea, Acre is the most attractive, all because this policy has almost completely gone under water as a result of transgression, raising the water level of the Black Sea. This city was not as big as Panticapaeum, its main building was the port. As a result of underwater archaeological expeditions, walls, towers, building foundations, many small items and a rich collection of coins were found.

From the west, the Greek port city-states were constantly attacked by nomads, especially after the fall of the Pontic kingdom. To protect the policies from these raids, the city of Ilurat was built from the depths of the Kerch Peninsula in the 1st century AD. Active excavations were carried out after the war, massive walls were discovered, which were rebuilt more than once. Underground passages, wells, towers - Ilurat was built using all modern fortification knowledge at that time. However, the fortress did not last long, already at the end of the third century AD, the defenders left it.

The history of Crimea from antiquity is a constant search for allies and a regular struggle for survival. Who were the Crimean Greeks afraid of? Their relations with the Taurians who inhabited the peninsula were changeable. At first, the Crimean natives were perceived by the Hellenes only as a pirating people, capable of killing a foreigner in order to sacrifice him. In the places of settlement of the Taurians, almost no objects made by the Greeks were found. It means that trade relations did not exist between nations.

Samples of stucco ceramics with black walls were found in ancient policies, which suggests the presence of marital ties between young representatives of the Taurus tribes and the sons of the colonists. A tombstone from the 5th century BC was also found in Panticapaeum. BC e., located above the grave of a respected brand. This means that male Taurians sometimes lived in the Greek cities of the Crimea. Scientists believe that, as a rule, they had the status of slaves, but there were still exceptions.

Greek settlers tried to live peacefully with Scythian neighbors, brought rich gifts to the barbarian kings, and they ceded their territories to them. From time to time, short-term military confrontations arose between them, and the frightened Greeks built defensive fortresses. One of these wars marked the end of the existence of the Scythian kingdom.

During the excavations of some Greek cities, surgical instruments made of bronze and bones were found. These artifacts suggest that in the ancient Crimean settlements of settlers from Greece there was a fairly advanced medicine.

About the high level cultural life in the Greek city-states of Crimea, the presence of the same theaters as those that existed in the historical homeland of the Hellenes testifies. Up to 3,000 people could be in such structures at the same time. Scientists have also found musical instruments used by the Greeks in the Crimea: lyre, trumpet, flute, cithara.

The people who inhabited the Greek city-states of Crimea professed polytheism and polytheism. They worshiped pagan gods who personified the forces of nature. Very soon, more attention began to be paid to Apollo, the protector of the settlers.

In Chersonese, the cult of Artemis, the patron goddess of this policy, was honored. They made sacrifices in the form of fish, domestic animals, agricultural products. Deities were worshiped in sanctuaries, in temples, at home altars. Clay copies of victims were often brought there. In the III century. n. e. paganism in the Crimea began to be replaced by Christian teaching.

Let's draw some conclusions. The ancient colonization of the Crimea began in the VIII-VII centuries. BC e. and the Greek city-states existed until the invasion of the Huns, which occurred in the 4th century. n. e.

All settlements founded by immigrants from Miletus, Heraclea Pontica, Colophon, Ephesus and Theos were republics with three branches of government. Among them, only one monarchy stands out - the Bosporan kingdom. The first Greek city in the Crimea - Panticapaeum. It appeared in the 7th century. BC e.

A century later, the Nymphaeum was built. Then Tiritaka, Acre, Ilurat, Kitey, Kimmerik, Pormfiy, Mirmekiy, Zenon Chersonese, Theodosius grew up. Soon they all fell under the influence of Panticapaeum and became part of the Bosporan kingdom.

In the VI century. BC e. the Greeks erected Tauric Chersonesus, which managed to conquer Kerkinitida and Kalos-Limen. The Crimean Greeks got along with the Taurians, Scythians, Sarmatians, who also lived on the peninsula. From the 1st century BC e. the authorities of the Greek city-states of the Crimea were forced to submit to Rome. Chersonese lasted longer than all other Greek policies and became a stronghold of Byzantineism in the Crimea.

INLIGHT / olegman37

Ancient cities of Crimea

In ancient times, sea routes connected the Black Sea coast with the Mediterranean, where at the end of the 2nd - beginning of the 1st millennium BC. the great civilization of Greece arose. From the coast of Hellas, brave sailors set off in search of new lands.

Where now there are large seaports, industrial and resort centers of Crimea - Evpatoria, Sevastopol, Feodosia and Kerch, in the VI-V centuries. BC. the ancient Greeks founded the cities of Kerkinitida, Chersonesus, Theodosia, Panticapaeum, respectively, and near them - Mirmekiy, Tiritaka, Nymphaeum, Kimmerik and others. Each of them was the center of an agricultural region where wheat was grown, grapes were cultivated, and cattle were bred. The cities housed temples, public and administrative buildings, markets, craftsmen's workshops.

The convenient geographical location contributed to the development of trade. Merchants exported to the Mediterranean slaves and agricultural products purchased from local tribes - Scythians, Meots, Sinds. In exchange, olive oil, wine, art and crafts were brought from the cities of the Balkan Peninsula and Asia Minor.

Chersonese was founded in 421 BC. on the shore of the bay, which is now called Karantinnaya. Later, the city significantly expanded its holdings. During its heyday, Kerkinitida, the Beautiful Harbor (on the site of the modern Chernomorsky settlement) and other settlements of the northwestern Crimea were subordinate to him.

The Chersonese state was a slave-owning democratic republic. The supreme body of power was the people's assembly and council, which decided all issues of foreign and domestic policy. The leading role in the management belonged to the largest slave owners, whose names were conveyed by Chersonesos inscriptions and coins.

Archaeological excavations, begun in 1827, showed that the city was well fortified. The remains of defensive structures - massive towers, fortresses, parts of stone walls - have also been preserved throughout the state. This speaks of the constant military danger to which the inhabitants were exposed. The famous Chersonese oath tells about their patriotism. The people of Chersonesus swore that they would not betray either the city or its possessions to the enemies, that they would protect the democratic system and would not divulge state secrets.

As confirmed by archaeological research, the city had a correct layout. Residential buildings were combined into quarters, the streets intersected at right angles. They were paved with small stones. Stone gutters ran along the streets. Temples were erected in the squares. Public buildings and houses of wealthy citizens were decorated with colonnades and mosaic floors.

Only the foundations of the walls and basements have survived from ancient buildings to the present day. Particularly interesting are the mint, baths, the ruins of a theater that existed from the 3rd century BC. BC. according to the IV century. AD Only stairways and stone benches for spectators have been partially preserved from it. Judging by their size, the theater could seat up to 3,000 spectators.

Near the city walls was the artisans' district. There, archaeologists discovered the remains of ceramic production: kilns for firing pottery, stamps for ornaments, molds for making terracotta reliefs. Other crafts also flourished in Chersonese - metalworking, jewelry, weaving.

The largest ancient state of the Black Sea region was the Bosporan kingdom. It was formed as a result of the unification of originally independent Greek cities, such as Panticapaeum, Mirmekiy, Tiritaka, Phanagoria and others, located along the banks of the Cimmerian Bosporus - the modern Kerch Strait. Panticapaeum became the capital of the state. From 438 BC for more than three hundred years it was ruled by the Spartokid dynasty.

At the end of the 5th - beginning of the 4th centuries. BC. Nymphaeum and Theodosia, as well as lands inhabited by other tribes, were annexed to the possessions of the Bosporus. In the 1st century BC. The Bosporus captured most of the territory of the Crimea, subjugated Chersonese.

Excavations on Mount Mithridates, carried out in Kerch since the end of the 19th century, made it possible to restore the size and plan of Panticapaeum. At the top was the acropolis - the central fortification of the city with powerful defensive walls and towers. Inside it housed the most important temples and public buildings. Quarters of one- or two-story stone buildings descended in terraces down the slopes. The whole city and its environs were surrounded by numerous lines of fortifications. A deep and comfortable harbor reliably sheltered merchant and military ships.

Found fragments of marble statues, pieces of painted plaster and architectural details allow us to talk about the rich decoration of the squares and buildings of the city, about the skill of ancient architects and builders.

On the site of Myrmekia and Tiritaki, not far from Kerch, in addition to the city walls, residential buildings and sanctuaries, archaeologists discovered several wineries and baths for salting fish. In Nymphea, near the modern village of Geroevka, there are temples of Demeter, Aphrodite and Kabir; in Ilurat, near the modern village of Ivanovka, - a Bosporan military settlement of the first centuries AD, guarding the approaches to the capital.

Next to each ancient city was its necropolis - the city of the dead. Usually they were buried in simple earthen graves, sometimes lined with tiles or stone slabs. The rich and noble were placed in wooden or stone sarcophagi. For their burial, crypts were built, made of stones or carved into the rocks. The walls of crypts and sarcophagi were decorated with paintings, reliefs, and inlays. Ornaments were applied to them, mythological plots, scenes of real life were depicted. Together with the deceased, they put things that belonged to him: jewelry, dishes, weapons, vessels with incense, terracotta figurines and other items. In one of the Panticapaeum burials of the 3rd c. AD, possibly the Bosporan king Riskuporides, a unique golden mask was found that reproduced the facial features of the deceased.

Researchers have long been interested in large burial mounds located in the vicinity of Kerch. They found burials of Bosporan kings and nobility with outstanding works of Greek art: gold and silver jewelry, bronze and glass items, painted and figured vases.

Golden temporal pendants of the 4th century BC are rightfully considered a masterpiece of world art. BC. from the Kul-Oba kurgan. They are made in the form of disks, to which are attached numerous woven crossed chains connected by plates and rosettes. On a disk 7 cm in diameter there is a relief of the head of Athena in a helmet with clearly distinguishable figures of griffins, an owl and a snake. The thinnest filigree plates, rosettes, as well as the circumference of the disk are covered with granulation and blue enamel.

The most valuable finds from the excavations of the ancient cities of Crimea are presented in the collections of the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, the State Historical Museum and the State Museum of Fine Arts. A.S. Pushkin in Moscow, as well as others.

Now on the territory of Chersonese in Sevastopol and on Mount Mithridates in Kerch, reserves are organized. Every year, thousands of people come there to walk through the streets and squares of ancient cities, to get acquainted with the greatest cultural monuments.

When on south coast the Romans established themselves, they created fortified points on the coast to protect Chersonese. Of the Roman fortifications, the largest was Charax on Cape Ai-Todor (now there is a lighthouse on it next to " swallow's nest"). The fortification of Charax (in Greek “pillar”, “stake”, that is, “enclosed place”) was founded in the 70s. 1st century under the Roman emperor Vespasian. At the end of the century there was a garrison here, in the II century. soldiers of the 1st Italian Legion were stationed. The last Roman garrison of the fort consisted of the soldiers of the XI Claudian legion (late II - first half of the III century). Marks on bricks and tiles testify to these three periods of the history of Charax.

N.I. Sheiko

A photo beautiful places Crimea