At the Kerch fortress, volunteers from the Archeology Foundation began to clear the so-called Blue Gate located on Cape Ak-Burun. Why blue? Previously, they were painted blue to distinguish them from everyone else. In general, the fortress had more than 20 fortified passages. In the event of a siege through the Blue Gate, the besieged could go out to flank the attacking northern part fortress to the enemy. Nearby was the reduit of a covered path, from which fire was fired, preventing the besiegers from breaking the gates.
V the given time we are engaged in opening the earth masses that have accumulated on this site over the last two centuries of the fortress's existence, - said Oleg Markov, Development Director of the Archeology Foundation. - Before the start of work, the area was surveyed by sappers from the Leader Center of the Russian Emergencies Ministry. Clearing showed that the thickness of the soil overflow in the area of the gate is from 20 cm to one and a half meters. Research participants expect to find interesting finds. Thanks to the excavations, it is possible to discover previously unknown elements of the architecture of the Kerch fortress.
In parallel, work is underway to fix the graffiti left by the "artists" on the walls of the fortress. But this, as they say, is a woman's work, and therefore it fell on the shoulders of volunteers-girls. During the existence of the outpost, both builders and defenders of the fortress and foreign invaders have visited its territory. During the Great Patriotic War, the Kerch fortress passed from hand to hand several times.
As specified in the Fund, all work is supervised by the head of the research department "Fortress Kerch" Ph.D. Yuri Beylik, the volunteers of the Archeology Foundation in the fortress of Kerch are led by Alexander Okhremenko.
Cape Ak-Burun (translated from the Crimean Tatar "white cape"), where the Blue Gate is located, is a separate fortified defense area of the Kerch fortress, the internal structure of which has yet to be studied, - said Oleg Markov.
By the way, it is interesting not only for its 19th century fortifications, but also for the archaeological remains of ancient times. There is a hypothesis that the ancient city of Hermisy, mentioned by Pomponius Mela and Pliny, is located on Ak-Burun.
In principle, this is possible, although in the list of names of ancient settlements preserved by written tradition for a section of the coast Eastern Crimea from Nymphaeus to Panticapaeum, there is another possible antique city- Diya, - said the director of the Fund. - In any case, only systematic archaeological excavations will be able to determine which city is located on Cape Ak-Burun. At the moment, we know for sure that the "father of Bosporan archeology" Paul Dubrux, in his description of this area, repeatedly drew attention to the rapid destruction of the remains of ancient walls and buildings that he recorded, which disappeared from the surface literally before our eyes. According to his calculations, 500 cubic meters (4900 m3) of stone was removed from only one such point for construction needs, and the lime kiln probably destroyed twice more.
According to his observations, only the fortress wall with towers and gates stretched over a length of two kilometers. Later, when Cape Ak-Burun firmly entered the jurisdiction of the military authorities, these antiquities became almost inaccessible to researchers and they gradually began to be forgotten.
Interestingly, in 1858 at Cape Ak-Burun, the Pavlovsky mound was excavated, in which a burial dated to the 4th century BC was discovered. The gold jewelry found there suggested that this was the burial of the priestess of the temple of Demeter, the Foundation stressed. - Our volunteers have already had to take part in the excavations of the temple of Demeter, however, on the other side of the Cimmerian Bosporus in the village of Vestnik (Anapa region). Now they may have the opportunity to study the worshipers of the cult of this goddess already in the Crimea.
On Friday, July 14, the Kerch fortress will host celebrations dedicated to the 160th anniversary of the beginning of its construction. Scientists claim that the Kerch fortress is one of the most mysterious fortifications built in the 19th century. Few people know about its existence. Meanwhile, at one time it was the most powerful fortress in the South of Russia and the second most important after Kronstadt.
Since this unique monument is located in close proximity to the future bridge connecting the Crimean peninsula with the mainland, after restoration and partial reconstruction it can become one of the main attractions on the way of tourists.
BY THE WAY
Anyone can become a volunteer and take part in the work of the Archeology Foundation. Everyone who is interested in military history Russia is invited to come to Kerch. Volunteer work at Kerch Peninsula will last until September 1, 2017.
The railway approach to the Crimean bridge will be redesigned after the ancient settlement of Manitra was discovered at the construction site in the vicinity of Kerch.
Railway will pass south of the planned route, work on a new project may take about 6 months. This is reported by the information center "Crimean Bridge".
“To preserve the unique historical monument the builders of the approach to the Crimean bridge will correct the route of the railway line at one of the sections in the vicinity of Kerch. The road will bypass and will not touch the buildings of the rich antique manor, discovered in the course of archaeological research prior to the construction of the route.
A complex of 40 rooms and 9 courtyards, dating from the end of the 5th - the beginning of the 3rd century BC. e., could belong to the family of a Bosporan aristocrat or a representative of the dynasty of kings of the Bosporan. The relocation of the approach site will allow scientists to conserve this settlement, study it and preserve it for posterity, ”the information center said.
The press service of the construction emphasized that the transfer of the section of the route will not affect the delivery date of the 18-km approach: it will work, as planned, in December 2019.
According to RBK, the railway tracks can be moved 700-900 m to the south, where "archaeologists do not expect new finds."
“We know and respect history. We understand in which region we work. Therefore, the question of preserving cultural heritage has been and remains a priority, ”stressed Leonid Ryzhenkin, Deputy Director for Infrastructure Projects at Stroygazmontazh.
Unique find
The found estate covers an area of more than 5 thousand square meters. m and is characterized by continuous buildings, typical for antique rural complexes.
Now about 80% of the found settlement has been uncovered. The upper layers have been revealed practically throughout the entire area, but the lowest horizon has not yet been excavated everywhere.
“To understand who the first owner of this estate was, you need to open the earliest level. But it is obvious that this was a representative of the aristocratic elite of the Bosporus kingdom, ”says the head of the expedition, Doctor of Historical Sciences, leading researcher at the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences Sergei Vnukov.
“There are no analogues of a rural estate of such an area, complexity and such good preservation, not only on the territory of Crimea, but throughout the entire Black Sea region.
The uniqueness of this settlement lies in the very high level of construction. The monument is located on the Kerch Peninsula, in the western part of the Bosporus Kingdom. This is a distant outskirts of the Hellenic world, but here we see the experience of ancient urban planning at its best.
The person who built this estate had not only great, but very great material opportunities. Presumably, this is not even a representative of the social property elite, but, rather, a member of the ruling royal dynasty, or even the king of the Bosporus himself, ”agrees with his colleague, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Head of the Department of Field Research at the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences Alexander Maslennikov.
August is the traditional time for summing up the results of the work of archaeological expeditions. In recent years, special attention has been focused on excavations in the Crimea. Large-scale infrastructure projects are being implemented on the peninsula. Archaeological research always precedes the construction of new roads, the construction of power plants, and the reconstruction of airports. Scientists themselves diligently avoid loud statements, but it is already clear that this year will be one of the most "fruitful". Portal site found out what riddles ancient Crimea the specialists managed to find out.
Cetotherium on land
Taurus, Cimmerians, Goths, Greeks, Romans, Huns - many peoples have left their mark on the history of Crimea. However, one of the largest finds belongs to the era when man had not yet appeared on Earth. On the Kerch Peninsula, researchers discovered the spinal column and ribs of an ancient whale that had lain in geological layers for about 10 million years. The fossils were found at a depth of only 1 m.According to scientists, the skeleton belongs to Cetotherium, a marine mammal that could reach a length of 30 m.
The found individual grew up to 5 m. She lived in the Sarmatian Sea, which occupied, among other things, the territory of the modern Kerch Peninsula. Over time, where there was a sea, land was formed. An uplift of the geological layers took place, and the skeleton of the whale ended up on a hill, although earlier it lay at the bottom.
According to the leading methodologist of the Zoological Museum of the Tauride Academy of the KFU named after IN AND. Vernadsky Dmitry Startsev, the main value is that an articulated skeleton was found. “The cranial bones are not preserved, but the vertebral column is fully represented - from the thoracic region to the caudal. All fragments belong to one instance. The structure of the bone tissue is clearly visible, ”he said. Startsev added that the find would allow obtaining useful information about the structure of the ancient organism.
Scythian gold
In the vicinity of Sevastopol, scientists were in for a different success. An ancient necropolis with Scythian burials of the 2nd-4th centuries AD was discovered here. For many centuries, burial grounds in Crimea were plundered during wars and invasions, recently it was done by "black archaeologists", therefore, the intactness of the burial place amazed scientists.
Thousands of artifacts have been found in the burials. Many earrings, necklaces, bracelets, glass vessels, buckles, and ceramics were found in early burials. In the later ones - many weapons, including swords, polearms, and shield fragments. From one of the graves, archaeologists took out an ax.
Search engines found vessels near the skulls. In some of them, the remains of the funeral food have been preserved. Fragments of a heavily corroded dagger and the remains of a belt set in the form of a bronze buckle with a bent tongue were also found. Among the finds, a gold thread (thread for beads) and a teardrop-shaped pendant with a red insert and beaded edging stand out. Noteworthy is the ring with a cut out insert-signet of carnelian.
“We have rich grave goods. On the chest of one of the remains there is a large bow fibula (fastener for clothes), on the left hand there is a bronze bracelet, in the area of the right hand we see a crushed but superbly made glass vessel, "said Alexei Sviridov, a researcher at the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
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The location of all objects found in the grave is carefully recorded, the information is entered on a special plan, described, and then photographed from different angles. The exhibits will add to the museum collections.
Khazar massacre
On the Kerch Peninsula, scientists were waiting for a more terrible find. At the excavations of the Kyz-Aul necropolis, a mass grave of people from the times of the Khazar Kaganate was discovered. The remains were literally piled up. Some of them were lying in unnatural positions. For example, one of the deceased seemed to be pressing his hands to his head. The search engines who cleaned his skeleton got the impression that the unfortunate man was simply buried alive and he tried to cover his face before dying. In total, more than 10 such skeletons were found in a small area of the excavation.
Development Director of the Archeology Foundation Oleg Markov noted that the skulls are badly damaged and it is impossible to understand whether they had any lifetime injuries or not - this will be dealt with by anthropologists. Perhaps they were the victims of a massacre or an epidemic. So far, it is only clear that death occurred at the same time and did not stand on ceremony with the bodies.
“They just dumped it in one heap. At the same time, they did not put any accompanying grave goods at all. Excavations at the Kyz-Aul necropolis continue, and scientists still hope to solve this terrible problem, "Markov emphasized.
"Flounder" at the bottom
However, not only monuments of distant antiquity are of interest. The location of the pre-revolutionary submarine "Kambala" has been established off the coast of Sevastopol. She sank during the exercises of the Black Sea squadron on May 29, 1909. After practicing a night attack at the entrance to the South Bay of Sevastopol, the submarine collided with battleship Rostislav. As a result of the disaster, it fell apart in two and sank at a depth of more than 60 m. Three officers and 17 sailors were killed.
"Joint expedition of the Russian geographic society, the Russian Sevastopol State University and the Nakhimov Higher Naval School localized the place of the death of the Russian submarine "Kambala". The cadets of the Nakhimov school figured out this place. And we established this place with the help of a side sonar, as it was lost over the years, ”said Viktor Lebedinsky, a senior researcher at the Institute of Oriental Studies.
Before the tragedy, the submarine was part of the Separate Submarine Division of the Black Sea Fleet, which consisted of five submarines: two American-built - "Sudak" and "Losos" - and three German - "Karp", "Karas" and "Flounder".
An elderly German stood for a long time on the shore
Another marine find is a German bomber that sank off Cape Tarkhankut during the Great Patriotic War... Director for scientific work of the Black Sea Center for Underwater Research Viktor Vakhoneev said that the researchers learned about the landing of the aircraft from local residents... They argued that in the 90s an elderly German came to the cape, who stood for a long time on the shore and looked out to sea. Presumably, he was the pilot of this plane.
“We made a reconnaissance expedition and found it perfectly intact at a depth of 44 m. All elements, standard armament, cockpit are visible, ”Vakhoneev said. The exact type of bomber has not been identified, but it is believed to be Heinkel. They do not plan to lift the find because of the great depth, they are going to equip the plane new expedition to study it thoroughly.
Our era of archeology
Archaeologists say that a search boom began in Crimea after reunification with Russia. Yes, during the Soviet period, research was carried out intensively, but after the collapse of the USSR and Ukraine's independence, funding problems arose. The second difficulty was the capacity of archaeologists. In 2010, in Ukraine, about 70% of representatives of this profession have reached retirement age.
After 2014, large infrastructure projects began to be implemented: energy, gas, transport. It took construction and land work, which was preceded by archaeological research. As a result, excavations are being carried out throughout the entire territory of the peninsula from Kerch to Sevastopol.
In the Ukrainian Crimea, 20-40 open sheets (permits for excavation) were issued per year. In 2017, the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation issued 136 sheets. Each expedition has between 50 and 100 people. We can say with confidence that new discoveries will occur in the near future.
Rescue archaeological excavations of the antique burial mound "Cement Slobodka-1"(mound # 4) completed in Kerch on the site of the future Tavrida highway. The excavations were carried out by employees of the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences under the leadership of Ph.D. I.V. Rukavishnikova. Archaeologists have discovered a vaulted crypt of the Bosporan nobility of the 4th-3rd centuries. BC. and several burials of the 2nd century BC. - the first centuries A.D. The crypt was moved to the territory of the Kerch Fortress to be used as a museum.Photos are clickable, s geographic coordinates and binding to the Yandex map, 06.2017.
1. Video interview with the head of the excavation Irina Rukavishnikova for the Kerch-net channel. The sound is very bad due to strong wind, so you need to listen
2. View of the mound "Cement Slobodka-1" from the south. A crypt between gazelles and a bulldozer. It can be seen that the Tavrida highway passes right through the mound, the photographer is standing on the future road
4. And here is the actual upper part of the crypt 
5. The vaulted crypt was repeatedly plundered and destroyed, moreover, it was reused 
6. The upper part of the crypt was destroyed by the fortifications of the Great Patriotic War, and the bones of horses were also found here. Many mounds were used for military purposes as observation points and firing points 
7. The crypt of the late IV - early III centuries BC, belonged to the Bosporan nobility. But like many, it was reused. In the photo, archaeologists have reached the level of a secondary burial, to dig and dig before the owner of the crypt. Pieces of a South Pontic pseudo-Kos amphora from the second half of the 1st century BC were found here. BC, fragments of red-lacquered ceramics, one-arm lamp, red clay urn, two faience pendants in the form of a scarab and a demon 
8. Human bones and pottery shards 
9. Away from home microdistrict Nizhny Solnechny 
10. View from the mound towards the Crimean bridge 
11. Industrial area for bridge construction 
14. View of the dromos (entrance corridor) and overlapping stones of the entrance to the crypt 
15. Six more graves were found around the crypt different eras, of which two are burials-cremations 
16. On the stairs of the dromos, a children's burial from the Roman period of the 1st century AD was found. Next to the remains is a crushed vessel, a glass bottle, bronze bells and beads. There was also a pixida (a round jewelry box) and a burial urn with ashes. 
19. View from the crypt along the future road "Tavrida" towards the excavations of the Bronze Age settlement Hospital-2, the mound and the settlement of Hospital-1, about which there will be separate articles 
20. After the end of the excavations, it was decided to move the crypt to the territory of the Kerch fortress and to museumize it. Further on the photo is a crypt in the process of transfer. Several rows of blocks have already been transported. The marking of the crypt is clearly visible for subsequent collection at a new place 
21. The crypt is completely cleaned and the floor slabs are clearly visible. You can compare with photo 18, the crypt is one block below. 
22. View of the entrance to the crypt and dromos 
30. Drawing of markings for assembly. Later, when the crypt had already been transported to the fortress but had not yet been assembled, an amusing incident occurred with the marking. Heavy rains with hail fell in Kerch and the markings began to smear, archaeologists had to urgently take measures to protect and restore it 
In May - June 2017, the Crimean new building archaeological expedition of the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences (head of the expedition - Doctor of Historical Sciences S.Yu. Vnukov) excavated the Hospitalny mound in the city of Kerch (Fig. 1, 2). The research was carried out within the framework of a project for the preservation of historical heritage monuments falling into the construction zone. The excavation of the mound was supervised by a researcher at the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Ph.D. I.V. Rukavishnikov, reports the press service of the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The hospital mound is located in the southeastern part of Kerch in the Solnechny microdistrict, east of the Heroes of Stalingrad highway. It is named after a former military hospital located nearby. Hospital is the largest in the chain of mounds on the central rock ridge Yuz-Oba (One Hundred Hills - Tatar) in Kerch. The height of its embankment (Fig. 1) was more than 7 m, the diameter was 70 m, the total area of the monument was approx. 13,700 sq. m. The central stratigraphic profile of the mound showed a complex structure of its embankment and several periods of its formation. The embankment was erected in several stages, which are associated with various burial structures of the mound. In addition, in all stratigraphic sections, traces of numerous plundering excavations and trenches of different times that damaged the mound were recorded. Read: Research has shown that the earliest are two burials in stone boxes (Fig. 4, right) with slab ceilings, located side by side at the same level along the north-south line. One of the boxes contained a single intact burial, the other was completely looted in antiquity, apparently twice. In an intact burial (Fig. 5), a poorly preserved human skeleton was found in a wooden sarcophagus (Fig. 8), decorated with plaster ornamental overlays. The deceased was accompanied by numerous items related to sports. These are more than 10 alabastres - special vessels for oil, which was used in training and competitions, a shearing blade - a sickle-shaped scraper, used to clean the athlete's body from oil, sweat and dirt, as well as for massage after the competition. There were also found 150 astragalus dice. Particularly noteworthy is the painted red-figure jug for wine - pelika (Fig. 9), the so-called Kerch style. Judging by these findings, in the 2nd half of the 4th century. BC. a young male athlete was buried here. Above these two early burials, the first, comparatively small mound was built. On it, to the south and north of the burials, 2 stone eschara altars were erected (Fig. 7). Bonfires and pits with remnants of funeral feasts performed in memory of the dead were also discovered not far from them. They contained numerous fragments of painted red-figure vessels of the 4th century. BC. and other ceramics. Among them are fragments of a red-figure crater (a vessel for mixing wine with water) with images of maenads and satyrs. Read: After some time, apparently at the end of the 4th century. before. AD, a grandiose stone tomb was added to the early embankment (Fig. 4), placed on an ancient day surface. It was blocked by an additional embankment. The tomb is an antique crypt with a long dromos corridor, which led to a rectangular burial chamber measuring 5.20 x 4.80 m with a stepped ceiling. The length of the dromos is about 20 m; it expands towards the entrance. The entrance to the dromos apparently came out on the surface of a new embankment and was shaped like a stepped portal. It was laid with a torn stone (Fig. 3). The inner walls of the cell and the dromos corridor were covered with thin smoothed plaster. The later, higher mound of the kurgan, which overlapped the crypt, was erected in several stages as the structure was being built. This made it easier to lay the upper rows of masonry walls and floors. Each level of the embankment was separated from the overlying layer by a layer of stone chips formed during the laying of the next row of the tomb's masonry. In some places, the foot of the new embankment was reinforced with a special roller made of limestone chips. Numerous fragments of container and table vessels of the 4th – 3rd centuries were found in the embankment. BC. To this crypt, apparently, belongs one more memorial altar-eskhara, opened in the western field of the late embankment. Later, the crypt was repeatedly robbed, it was also dismantled into stone. As a result, it was very badly destroyed. Nevertheless, some architectural details of the rich decoration of the tomb have survived: a fragment of a frieze decorated with ovs, a pilaster capital, an architectural plaster decoration covered with blue paint. Fragments of pottery dating from the 4th century BC were also found in the filling. BC. and the middle ages. In the western part of the embankment, two later burials in the sidewalls, dating to the turn of the era, were also discovered. For some time, the destructible crypt stood open. One of these periods includes the most interesting schematic drawings (Fig. 6), applied to the plaster with ocher and soot, apparently in the 3rd-5th centuries. AD Shown are battle scenes, ships, solar symbols, etc. The style of the images resembles those in the crypt of the Sabazids in Kerch. Restorers of the State Hermitage and the Kerch Museum-Reserve took part in the work on their conservation. Read: The remains of a temporary dwelling with a hearth, arranged in an already destroyed dromos, date from the Middle Ages. The nearby small settlement "Hospital" is connected with the mound. There is reason to believe that the builders of this mound lived there. Thus, the Hospital mound is a complex burial complex of different times, the main burials in which were made in the 2nd half of the 4th century. BC. The destroyed crypt opened in it, apparently, was not inferior to the best examples of Hellenistic Bosporan burial architecture and contained the burial of a representative of the top of the local society. Also of great interest are the later drawings on the walls of the crypt. Excavations of mounds of this size have not been carried out in Crimea for over 120 years. For the first time, they were carried out in a comprehensive manner, at a modern scientific level. In addition to archaeologists, specialists - anthropologists, paleozoologists, palynologists, restorers and others - took part in the work. They received important information about the funeral rite of representatives of the Bosporan nobility, the burial structures of the Bosporus and the technique of their construction, about the material culture of the Bosporan kingdom in the Hellenistic era, in Roman and medieval times.
