Tauric Chersonesos: history, leisure and attractions

Tauric Chersonesos appears in any modern textbook of ancient history. Every schoolchild has heard about the ancient Greek culture, and quite a few people are interested in it. In this case, a trip to Greece is the best, but still optional option in order to get acquainted with the Hellenic culture and history, because the legendary Chersonesos is located on the Crimean peninsula. To get here, do not need a visa, tens of millions of people live in the bus availability from this place, because such a monument of history and architecture should be included in the mandatory program.

Chersonese is a greatest value as an ancient city that existed for about two thousand years. It is often called the ancient Greek polis, which is not entirely fair, because in fact it existed right up to the late Middle Ages, and therefore in the end there was no longer any ancient Greeks. At this time, it already belonged to the Genoese, and after all Italy from our edges is even further away than Greece, because such a landmark acquires special value, especially since it represents two in one.

Objectively speaking Chersonese was not the only ancient Greek colony of the Black Sea, however, experts distinguish several tribes that made up the Hellenic ethnos. This city was founded by the Dorians, and in the case of them, this is indeed the only polis in the region, which is unique. In addition, the city itself is not left, only its ruins are preserved, but in other similar places only experienced archaeologists can recognize the former settlement, and here the traces of ancient buildings are clearly visible to any tourist.

The value of the dilapidated city is recognized even by international organizations - in particular, the policy itself and the surrounding area, once a former agricultural, included in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. At the same time, international organizations have suspended the observation of the object since 2014, since the world community does not recognize the legality of the annexation of the peninsula to Russia.

The year of foundation of the settlement at this place is unknown for sure - Hellenic colony called Chersonesos was founded in 424-421 BC, but there are hypotheses according to which people have lived here before. Thus, the total age of the settlement is at least two and a half thousand years, if you slightly round up. The colony was founded by immigrants from the city of Hercules Pontic, which existed in Asia Minor.

The small village quickly grew and extended its influence, first on the adjacent territories of the Herakleian Peninsula, and then on the western parts of the northern Crimea, divided with the neighboring Kingdom of Bosporus.

The historical value of Chersonesos lies in the fact that it was a typical policy. In the center there was a fortress, which was the city itself, while the entire Herakleian peninsula, which is 100 square kilometers, was divided into uniform plots - this is the choir, that is, the adjacent agricultural land. Due to the fact that according to the ancient rules of the choir is a part of the city, the ancient Chersonese can be considered geographically larger than modern Sevastopol. The Greeks grew mainly cereals and grapes, props for the latter are still well preserved in some places.

For its region, Chersonese was a real political wonder because it was governed by democratic principles. At the same time, he was not divorced from the rest of the Hellenistic world, but took part in public holidays and sports competitions. The authority of the city can be judged by the fact that already after 100-200 years, silver coins were issued here, which were taken into account everywhere in the Black Sea region.

The specific location of the polis on the edge of the ancient Greek world, and then on the edge of European civilization, led to the fact that the city had been at war with some or other opponents for almost its entire history. In the II century BC, a long-term bloody war broke out with the Scythians, during which the Chersonese were repeatedly close to losing and losing their own city, while many of the territories they had previously controlled were lost. For help, it was decided to turn to the neighbors of the Kingdom of Bosporus, the same Greeks, and they really came to the rescue, but after that they had to forget about democracy for some time - the winners decided to control their ward.

In order to regain its freedom, Chersonese began to actively contact the Roman Empire, which by this time had already become a very influential power. The Romans played with the neighboring Kingdom of Bosporia, which often acted as an ally of Rome, in geopolitics - in order to appease the local kings, they were subordinated to Chersonese, if they began to show inappropriate ambition, the Dorian polis was granted freedom. During the 1st century BC, such changes occurred repeatedly.

From the beginning of our era, Chersonesos again became a conditionally independent state, since the authorities in it must look back at the decisions of Rome. At the same time, a similar Roman form of government is established in the form of oligarchy - there is no one-man ruler, but the city is managed by a narrow group of representatives of selected wealthy families who inherit their influence.

This relationship was only strengthened after in the 60s of the first century the Scythians again approached the city, and the Romans sent a military expedition that defeated the aggressors. After that, the Roman troops are nowhere to go, and Chersonese becomes their stronghold in the region.

The eastern location of the city, as well as the predominant Greek population, led to the fact that already in the 1st century AD, the first local Christians began to appear in Chersonesos. After a couple of centuries, Christianity is transformed from a marginal religion, representatives of which are persecuted by law, into a state religion, and then in the polis, as in other parts of the empire, they begin to massively destroy ancient temples and monuments, as well as theaters. Instead, Christian architecture appears - churches and chapels.

The geographical position of the city played a cruel joke with him during the Great Migration - from the IV century, Chersonesus was one of the first to meet more and more new barbarians, each of whom sought to seize the policy. As we remember from the school lessons of history, as a result, the Roman Empire could not withstand their onslaught, but Chersonesus, supported by help and its own fortress walls, could resist. Historical upheavals led to the fact that the city again changed the system of governance - now it has become not even oligarchic, but feudal.

Since the eastern part of the former Roman Empire was able to preserve its integrity, and was closer to Chersonesus, both geographically and culturally, the polis became part of this state, known as the Byzantine Empire, from the 5th century.

The status of the Byzantine city of Chersonesos existed over the next few centuries, but it was not easy for him. On all sides, the fortress was surrounded by nomads, from the Khazars to the Pechenegs and Polovtsy, who repeatedly attacked the freedom and independence of the ancient polis.

However, the city was keeping up well, and for all the centuries, the enemies managed to capture it only once, and not to those who have already been mentioned, but to the Rus, who entered the city in 988. The question between the Byzantine emperor Vasily II and Prince Vladimir of Kiev was decided traditionally for those times - the first gave his daughter to the second to marry, and so they reconciled.

At the beginning of the XIII century, the Byzantine Empire began to collapse rapidly, and chaos reigned on the Crimean peninsula. For some time, representatives of the Orthodox Trebizond empire fueled here, but this state was relatively weak and could not effectively withstand the onslaught of the nomadic peoples, who at that very moment were particularly active in exploring relations with all their neighbors.

Tatar-Mongols were pressing in from the north, Seljuk Turks were advancing from the territory of the former Byzantium, who managed to close all trade in the region. Trade routes shifted, but representatives of the Apennine Peninsula reappeared in the region - this time not the Romans, but the Genoese.

For some time, the ancestors of modern Italians, who were notable masters of commerce, controlled Chersonesos, but the consequences of the destruction caused by the Tatars did not quickly disappear, and in the middle of the XIV century the city was still far from its former glory.

Of course, the locals gradually made attempts to revive the destroyed, cared about both functional moments and aesthetic. However, the city still was destined to fall - in the second half of the XIV century it was destroyed three more times, and the first 2 times it was another new enemy - the Lithuanians.

To be fair, it should be noted that the Genoese did not care much about the future of Chersonesos - they only controlled it, while they directed their main development and trade forces to their own colonies in the Crimea. For this reason, by the beginning of the 15th century, the once great city and major regional center had become a modest fishing village. After only 100 years, Martin Bronevsky, the Polish ambassador, who visited this place, found only ruins.

Sevastopol, as is known, is not part of the Crimea, it is on the territory of this city (administratively) that the ancient Chersonese is located. If you focus on the areas of the city, the ruins are located in the Gagarin district. Moreover, the reserve even has an address according to which it is located on Ancient Street, but be prepared for the fact that there is no street in the conventional sense.

If you look at the map, then Chersonese is located at the entrance to the Sevastopol Bay, on its southern shore. It’s difficult to talk about the distance from the city, since in fact the ancient fortress itself is located within the city limits, that is, it is part of the city.

The Crimean peninsula is most interesting for tourists in the summer, so it’s not surprising that the reserve is open to the public for a longer time during the season. At the same time, Chersonesos, not being a beach resort, works year-round, which means that you can visit it at any time of the year.

From May to September, the museum is open to visitors from 8.30 to 20.00, in the cold 7 months from October to April - from 8.30 to 17.30. In this case, theoretically, deviations from the standard schedule in honor of holidays are possible, therefore, in terms of the relevance of the schedule, it is best to focus on the official website of the institution. In addition, when visiting you should be aware that the schedule is not uniform for the whole territory - For example, the admission of new guests may end earlier, you can stay inside longer, and the toilet and store can work according to their own schedule. It is important to note that the schedule of the museum is constantly changing.

As for the cost, it all depends on the objects that you would like to see. Guests who are under 16 years of age, as well as residents of Sevastopol, are allowed to enter the territory for free, but, interestingly, with this method of visiting the toilet is paid separately. Without falling into these categories, an adult can enter the territory of Chersonesos for 100 rubles.

The ancient and Byzantine expositions are paid separately, the first one costs 150 rubles, and the second one - 100, and these tickets already suggest visiting the toilet, included in the price. If you intend to visit everything that is in the museum, you can pay 350 rubles for a single ticket - discounts, as we see, do not, but the benefit is in the form of the possibility of visiting not only permanent but also temporary exhibitions. Students upon presentation of the relevant document can purchase all of the specified tickets for half the cost.

If you still abandoned the organized excursion and decided to wander around the city on your own, you need to at least have an idea about what he is famous for and what you need to see here. Let's walk briefly in the iconic places of the ruins.

The central square of the ancient Greek polis was an obligatory architectural feature of the city and was present everywhere, where democracy was the form of government — it was here that all pressing issues were resolved. As it should be, it is located in the middle of the main street, it was laid in the project at the base of the policy, and then for two thousand years it kept its value, without being rebuilt even once. In ancient times, it was here that the main altars and temples were located, as well as the statues of ancient gods.

With the official adoption of Christianity in the Roman Empire, a complex of seven temples was being built here, and it was here that Vladimir was supposedly baptized, who was about to marry the Byzantine princess Anna. At the end of the century before last, on this place it was decided to build the Vladimir Cathedral as a tribute to the baptism of Russia, and although during the Second World War it was thoroughly destroyed, after the collapse of the USSR it was restored.

The amphitheater in Chersonesos is not in the best condition, but at one glance it becomes clear what is in front of you. This is the only antique theater in the former Soviet Union, even despite the presence of other Black Sea colonies of the Greeks. Here, all the ancient attributes of theatrical life took place - mass festivals, drama productions, and gladiator fights.

The basilica is the ruins of an old church, whose age is estimated at a good fifteen hundred years.Despite the fact that the walls are destroyed by time and modern vandals, the ancient architecture is still visible.

The tower of Zeno is a well-preserved defensive structure, clearly showing how ancient Chersonesos could not be captured by any enemies for so long. The excavations here periodically continue to this day, archaeologists are finding new and new artifacts in the form of sculptures, paintings and other handicrafts of great historical value.

The bell is one of the biggest attractions of Chersonesos. Do not be surprised that it is preserved so well - compared to most of the ruins around the bell is relatively new. There are two versions of how and when it appeared. According to the first, it was cast in 1778 in Taganrog, and 30 years later they were brought to the site of the planned construction of the cathedral.

However, the cathedral was not started then, and after the Crimean War of 1853-56. he was taken abroad as a trophy. He was allegedly returned back only in 1913. This version is considered official, but there is also an alternative one - the bell for it was completely cast in 1890 specifically for the Vladimir Cathedral, and in 1925 the Soviet government, which created the museum here, decided to find constructions of practical use, and brought it to shore, making a sound lighthouse.

Naturally, in the history of such an ancient city there simply cannot be some curious pages that not everyone knows about. If you were on a self-guided tour, such information could pass you, but we will be happy to share.

• In many states, the practice of expelling untrustworthy citizens somewhere to the north away from the capital was used, and Chersonesos was perfectly suited for Byzantium for this role. Whoever turned out to be here, falling into disgrace - among the famous prisoners, for example, includes even two popes (Clement I and Martin I), as well as the former Emperor Justinian II.

• Awareness of the historical significance of Chersonesus occurred even in the nineteenth century, because it was often visited by the first persons of Greece (as the descendants of the founding fathers) and Russia (as the controlling state). For example, Queen of Greece Olga and Prince George came here, and on the Russian side - emperors Alexander III and Nikolai II.

• A common version is that the modern city of Kherson was named Empress Catherine II in honor of Chersonesus, but experts are critical in this regard - at least at that time the remnants of the Hellenic polis were located on the territory of the independent Crimean Khanate, and interest in them was not so as in the following centuries.

• The bell from Chersonesos even hit the cinema - it can be seen in the Soviet adaptation of “the adventures of Buratino”.

• Recently, the ruins of Chersonese repeatedly fell on the bills of different states. Thus, the characteristic landscapes can be found on the old banknote of 1 Ukrainian hryvnia, and from 2017 - on the back of 200 Russian rubles.

• In 2009, Ukrainian scientists, working together with their American colleagues, carried out fundamental work on digitizing the entire set of documents present in the museum. To understand the scale of the work, it should be said that the digital version required as many as 75 DVDs.

• According to Putin, Chersonese is of enormous importance to the entire Orthodox world, since the Russian president compared it to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, Israel, which is a sacred place for Muslims and Jews. Such a statement sounds quite loud, given that the city has never been considered the recognized center of Christianity, and the fact of the baptism of the Kiev Prince Vladimir precisely here is not proven.

• In 2015, a scandal broke out when the local authorities of Sevastopol decided to appoint the priest as the new director of the reserve. Even the collective rebelled - apparently, employees in love with history were afraid that the actual monuments would be given less attention, while the emphasis would be on turning the museum into a Christian shrine, which it definitely cannot be considered.

For more information about Tauric Chersonesos, see the following video.