Mecca of archaeologists, modern Atlantis and other fascinating facts about Chersonesos in Crimea

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Those who come to rest in Crimea, as a rule, try to visit the ruins of Chersonesos - to look into the museum, and then walk along the coast and take a picture against the background of the bell and antique columns. Everyone knows that this is an ancient Greek city-state, which has experienced a heyday, and decline, and wars, and the invasion of enemies. But, in addition to general information, a lot of interesting facts are associated with this place.

1. Modern "Antique Theater"

The only open-air antique theater in the former Soviet Union is located in Chersonesos. Spectators pay a fixed amount for viewing and occupy any empty seats on the stone stands, as the inhabitants of Chersonesos did many centuries ago. The natural ruins of the theater become the scenery for the actors. In summer, viewers are advised to take sweaters or windbreakers with them, since the performance begins when it is still light, but during the time the performance is on, it is late evening and the sea becomes cooler.

2. Chersonesus was temporarily renamed the Country of Fools

It was in Chersonesos that some episodes of the famous Soviet fairy tale film "The Adventures of Buratino" were filmed. For example, it was there that the shooting of the imaginary Country of Fools was taking place, and at the moment when the wooden boy, the cat Basilio and the fox Alice go there at night to bury the money, the famous Chersonese Signal Bell is clearly visible in the frame. In the morning, the fox and the cat share gold coins and fight again in the ruins of ancient Chersonesos.

3. We haven't seen much

During the excavation of the ancient city, archaeologists have found more than 200 thousand different exhibits from different historical eras - these are coins, and decorations, and dishes, and mosaics, and parts of ancient weapons, and even well-preserved grain. But in the museum itself, only a small part of the finds are presented. All the rest are kept in the museum fund and visitors cannot see them. By the way, archaeological excavations in the ruins continue to this day.

4. The walls went to build new houses

The ancient city suffered the most from the Mongol-Tatar invasion, after which it turned into ruins and ashes. But Chersonesos had no less hard time during the construction of Sevastopol. The first inhabitants of the young city actively took stone in Chersonesos to build their houses, due to which almost nothing remained of the ancient walls. Contemporaries, for example, Pyotr Sumarokov, wrote about this fact with bitterness. Local residents even carried away ancient stone squares, cornices and bas-reliefs with inscriptions.

However, the Turks did the same in their time, who actively plundered Chersonesos, taking stone and marble columns from the ancient city: they transported them to Turkey along the Black Sea in order to use them to build their houses.

5. Swimming in Chersonesos is no longer possible

Ancient Chersonesos received the status of a reserve only in 1978. But long before that, and in subsequent years, Sevastopol residents and guests of the city traditionally used the coast of Chersonesos as a wild city beach, which was appreciated for its clear water and beauty of the landscape. However, in 2013, an object called "The ancient city of Tauric Chersonesos and its chora" was officially included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, and now it is prohibited to swim in the territory. You can swim only early in the morning - such a slight relief was made by the administration to local residents, who for years have been accustomed to going to Chersonesos to swim before work, as well as to pensioners.

6. Chersonesos through the eyes of the Polish ambassador

The very first documentary description of Chersonesos dates back to the end of the 16th century. Its author is the Polish diplomat Martin Bronevsky, who traveled to Crimea as an ambassador to the Tatar Khan Mohammed-Girey. He writes that this is a very amazing ancient city and mentions the presence in Chersonesos of the remains of an ancient aqueduct, the pipes of which are made of stone (in them, according to Bronevsky, at that time there was still water - and very clean). By the way, later historians found that this is one of the most ancient aqueducts known to scientists.

At the same time, the ambassador notes in his notes that, although Chersonesos is destroyed, traces of culture and luxury are visible on many buildings.

7. Ukrainian city-namesake

The Ukrainian city of Kherson, located on the shores of the Sea of Azov, is named exactly in honor of the Crimean Tauric Chersonesos. The corresponding decree on the foundation of the fortress, shipyard and city was signed back in 1778 by Catherine II.

8. Almost Atlantis

Chersonesus belongs to the sinking cities. The fact is that the sea level near the coast has changed over the centuries and if at first the sea receded here, then, on the contrary, it began to approach.

In the first centuries of the ancient city's existence, the water level, according to scientists, was several meters lower than it is now. One of the confirmations of this hypothesis is the wells for water intake and the ancient cisterns of the Chersonesos settlement. At the moment, their bottoms are so low that they are filled with sea water. Naturally, in ancient times this could not be - wells with clean fresh water were always built at a sufficient height.

In addition, as archaeologists have found out, the necropolis, which was located in Chersonesos around the 5th century BC. e., and later was built up with an ancient quarter, now it would be located in the place where the coastal zone ends and the stones lie, which during a storm wash the waves. Thus, the sea was farther from the ancient settlement than it is now.

Those who are interested in the history of Crimea will certainly be curious to read the notes of the American observer commander, which he left after visiting the peninsula during the period fierce battles in the 19th century.