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

The territory of Crimea was inhabited 3,000 years ago. Its indigenous inhabitants were the Taurus, famous for their warlike character and penchant for piracy. More precisely, this is the first people about whom reliable information was found out. Archaeologists have found the most ancient sites, which are more than 1 million years old. The favorable location of the peninsula at the intersection 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 different cultures led to the formation in the region in different eras of 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 survived. The most famous of them were:

• Chersonesus Tauric - founded in antiquity by the Greeks, now located on the territory of Sevastopol and protected by UNESCO;
• Panticapaeum is the capital of the powerful Bosporus 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 Yevpatoria 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 of a rich, eventful history: at least three appeared more than two thousand years ago, and the formation of a significant part of others falls on the era of the Middle Ages.

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

1. Kerch - VII century BC NS.
2. Feodosia - VI century BC NS.
3. Evpatoria - 497 BC NS.
4. Pike perch - 212 years old.
5. Alushta - VI century.
6. Alupka - 960
7. Yalta - 1154.
8. Old Crimea- XIII century.
9. Belogorsk - XIII century.
10. Bakhchisarai - 1389.

Kerch is the most ancient in Crimea

The oldest city Crimean peninsula Kerch, located in its eastern part, stands out. Archaeological research shows that people lived here 100,000 years ago, and in the center of Kerch, scientists have found a mammoth tooth. More than 60 sites date back to the later Mesolithic and Neolithic eras. At first, the local primitive population was engaged in fishing and hunting, later they mastered cattle breeding and crafts.

True story the city began in the 7th century BC. BC, when the Greek navigators who were exploring 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. NS. the peak of the heyday of Panticapaeum came when he assumed 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 Tsar's mound of the king of the Spartokid dynasty and an impressive necropolis have come down to us.

By the IV century of the new millennium, after the unsuccessful era of the rule of the Tiberian Julian dynasty and the Hunnic invasion, Panticapaeum finally lost some essential... Two centuries later, the Turks came here, calling the settlement Karsha, which meant "the other side". In the X century, the lands were seized by the Slavs, who changed 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 Mithridatskaya 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 by the forces of the same Miletus Greeks, Theodosius was founded. Unlike the famous neighbor in the rating, Feodosia in antiquity did not distinguish herself in anything special, but in 2015 she received honorary title Cities of military glory for the merits of the centuries-old defense of the Fatherland.

The date of the formation of the settlement is vaguely indicated as the 6th century BC. e., since there is no exact data on the time of appearance. However, it is reliably known that from 355 BC. NS. it already belonged to the territory of the Bosporus kingdom. In this regard, the further destinies of the settlements are similar: Huns, Byzantines, Tatars, Genoese. The latter brought the small settlement a golden era: they renamed the town to Kafu. The Genoese made it an important commercial trading port and administrative center, from where they ruled the entire Northern Black Sea region: by the 15th century, it could already be compared with Constantinople in size.

They also presented Feodosia with the main tourist attraction of today: a defensive fortress made of limestone from the 14th century. Previously, it skirted an area of ​​70 hectares, but today only its southern part and several towers are well preserved, among which the tower of St. Constantine with hinged loopholes deserves special attention.

Evpatoria - beautiful and historically attractive

The emergence of Evpatoria - the best modern children's balneo-mud-therapeutic climatic resort not only in Crimea, but also in all countries of the post-Soviet space - dates back to the fifth century, or rather to 497 BC. The healing properties of the local mud have been known since the ancient period, when the first reliably known settlement, Kerkinitida, was formed. The settlement was located on the shores of the Kalamitsky Bay and on the cape, now called Karantinniy.

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, which existed in the status of an independent polis 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 Eupator, who ruled in Kerch in antiquity.

The history of Kerch is more than 2.5 thousand years old. This city has a large number of Byzantine villages, monuments Bosporan and Scythian kingdoms, Tmutarakan. Even a gravity water supply system, built during the Byzantine Empire, has been preserved in Kerch.

In Kerch there is Orthodox Church — ancient working temple, built by the Byzantines about 1400 years ago. There is even such a version (it was put forward by the German historian Theodor Mommsen in the 19th century) that the famous leader of the slaves, Spartacus, who raised an uprising in the Roman Empire, was born in Kerch.

The Scientific Council of the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) recognized Kerch as the most ancient city in Russia. This was announced by the director of the East Crimean Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve Tatyana Umrikhina.

“After the report of the head of the Panticapaeum expedition, Vladimir Tolstikov, the scientific council recognized that the city of Panticapaeum (modern Kerch) was founded in 610-590. BC NS. The corresponding paper has arrived at the East Crimean Nature Reserve, and now we are preparing documents for the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Government of Russia, so that this date would be officially fixed ”,- said T. Umrikhina and added: by their decision, scientists confirmed the status of Kerch as ancient city country.

Tatyana Viktorovna clarified: Kerch is also the capital of the first state in the country.

“Panticapaeum was the center of the Bosporus kingdom. Therefore, we can talk about the most ancient statehood in territory of Russia», -
she stressed.

Before the reunification of Crimea with Russia, the Dagestan Derbent was considered the most ancient city in the country: in September 2015, it solemnly celebrated its 2000th anniversary.

Since ancient times, sea routes connected the Black Sea coast with the Mediterranean, where at the end of the 2nd - the beginning of the 1st millennium BC. the great civilization of Greece arose. From the shores of Hellas, brave sailors set off in search of new lands.
Where large 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, Tiritaku, Nympheus, Cimmerik and others. Each of them was the center of an agricultural region where wheat was grown, grapes were cultivated, and livestock were raised. In the cities there were temples, public and administrative buildings, markets, artisan workshops. Convenient geographical position promoted the development of trade. Merchants exported slaves and food to the Mediterranean Agriculture, purchased from local tribes - Scythians, Meots, Sinds. In exchange, olive oil, wine, art and craft items were brought from the cities of the Balkan Peninsula and Asia Minor.
Chersonesus was founded in 421 BC. on the shore of the bay, which is now called Quarantine. Later, the city expanded its holdings significantly. During its heyday, Kerkinitida, the Beautiful Harbor (on the site of the modern village of Chernomorsky) and other settlements of the northwestern Crimea obeyed him.
The Chersonesos state was a slave-owning democratic republic. The supreme body of power was the People's Assembly and the Council, which decided all issues of foreign and domestic policy. The leading role in the administration belonged to the largest slave owners, whose names were brought by the Chersonese inscriptions and coins.
Archaeological excavations, begun back in 1827, showed that the city was well fortified. 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 Chersonesos oath tells about their patriotism. Its text was carved in the late 4th - early 3rd centuries. BC. on a marble slab found during the excavations of the city:
... "I swear by Zeus, Gaia, Helios, the Virgin, the gods and goddesses of the Olympics ... I will not betray Chersonesos ..." secrets.
As confirmed by archaeological research, the city had the correct layout. Residential buildings were combined into quarters, streets intersected at right angles. They were paved with small stones. Stone gutters ran along the streets. Temples towered on the squares. Public buildings and homes of wealthy citizens were decorated with colonnades and mosaic floors.
From ancient buildings, only the foundations of the walls and basements have survived to this day. Particularly interesting are the mint, baths, and the ruins of a theater that has existed since the 3rd century. BC NS. to IV century. n. NS. Only stairways and stone benches for spectators have been partially preserved from it. Judging by their size, the theater could accommodate up to 3 thousand spectators.
The area of ​​artisans was located near the city walls. There, archaeologists discovered the remains of ceramic production: kilns for burning pottery, stamps for ornaments, molds for making terracotta reliefs. Other crafts flourished in Chersonesos - metalworking, jewelry, weaving.
The largest ancient state of the Black Sea region was the so-called Bosporus kingdom. It was formed as a result of the unification of originally independent Greek cities, such as Panticapaeum, Mirmekiy, Tiritaka, Phanagoria and others, located on the shores of the Cimmerian Bosporus - the modern Kerch Strait. Panticapaeum became the capital of the state. From 438 BC more than three hundred years they were ruled by the dynasty of Spartokids.
At the end of the 5th - beginning of the 4th centuries. BC. Nympheus and Theodosius, as well as lands inhabited by other tribes, were annexed to the possessions of the Bosporus. In the 1st century. BC. The Bosporus seized most of the territory of the Crimea, subjugated Chersonesos.
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. It housed the most important temples and public buildings. Quarters of one- or two-story stone buildings descended as terraces down the slopes. The whole city and its surroundings were surrounded by numerous lines of fortifications. The deep and comfortable harbor was a safe haven for merchant and military vessels.
Found fragments of marble statues, pieces of painted plaster and architectural details allow us to speak about the rich decoration of the city's squares and buildings, about the skill of ancient architects and builders.
On the site of Myrmekiya and Tiritaki, not far from Kerch, in addition to city walls, residential buildings and sanctuaries, archaeologists have discovered several wineries and baths for salting fish. In Nymphea, near the modern village of Heroevka, there are the temples of Demeter, Aphrodite and Kabirov; in Ilurat, near the modern village of Ivanovka, there was a Bosporan military settlement of the first centuries AD, which guarded the approaches to the capital.
There was a necropolis next to every ancient city - 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, inlay. They were decorated with ornaments, depicted mythological plots, scenes of real life. Together with the deceased, they put things belonging to him: jewelry, dishes, weapons, vessels with incense, terracotta figurines and other items. In one of the Panticapaean burials of the 3rd century. AD, possibly the Bosporan king Riskuporis, a unique golden mask was found that reproduced the facial features of the deceased.
Researchers have long been interested in large mounds located in the vicinity of Kerch. They found burials of the Bosporan kings and nobles with outstanding works of Greek art: gold and silver jewelry, bronze and glass items, painted and figured vases.
Gold temple pendants of the 4th century BC are rightfully considered a masterpiece of world art. BC. from the Kul-Oba mound. They are made in the form of discs, to which are attached numerous braided crossing chains, connected by plates and rosettes. On a disc 7 cm in diameter, there is a relief of the head of Athena wearing a helmet with clearly distinguishable figures of griffins, an owl and a snake. The thinnest or granular plates, rosettes, as well as the disc circumference are covered with grains 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 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 Chersonesos in Sevastopol and on Mount Mithridates in Kerch reserves have been 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, to better know the distant past of our Motherland.

Encyclopedia "Attractions of Crimea"

This is the name of the ancient city-states (city-states), whose inhabitants were equal citizens, each of which had the right to his own land plot and all political rights. Part of the population was not included in the policy and did not have the rights of citizens. From the 6th century BC such Greek antique cities began to arise in the northern Black Sea region. Chersonesus Tauric (Sevastopol) was such an ancient city along with Feodosia, Panticapaeum (Kerch), Olvia and others.

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"ANTIQUE CITIES OF CRIMEA" in books

Chapter Seven FROM THE CITY OF GLUPOV TO THE "STORY OF ONE CITY"