Ancient cities of Crimea. What was the name of Crimea before: how did the name of the territory of the peninsula change? Antique cities of Crimea briefly

CITIES OF CRIMEA Successes in the economy contributed to the growth of Crimean cities. By the end of the century, Simferopol was rightfully the administrative, cultural and economic center of the province. All provincial institutions and organizations were located in the city. Simferopol is the first of all

Ancient cities of the Northern Black Sea region

ABOUT THE CAPTURE OF THE CITY OF THESSALONIKI BY THE LATINS. REPORT BY EUSTATHIUS, ARCHBISHOP OF THESSALONIA, ON THE LAST, AS WE HOPE, CONQUERATION OF THIS CITY

ABOUT THE CAPTURE OF THE CITY OF THESSALONIKI BY THE LATINS. INFORMATION BY EUSTATHIUS, ARCHBISHOP OF THESSALONIA, ON THE LAST, AS WE HOPE, CONQUERATION OF THIS CITY During the ill-fated reign of Emperor Andronicus Komnenos, Thessalonica became weak and exhausted, which

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Crimea has been known as a tourist center since the second half of the 19th century. The special popularity of the peninsula among the imperial persons and the highest foreign guests is evidenced by a large number of summer residences - palaces and villas, which to this day make up the architectural appearance of the Crimean cities. Time passes, and the Crimea becomes not just a privileged vacation spot, but a health resort on an all-Union scale. However, having retained its mass character, this tradition has also undergone transformations. Wild recreation has triumphed over organized sanatorium treatment.

Today, Crimea is perceived by many as the focus of seaside resorts that popularize beach and outdoor activities. At the same time, the rich and deep history of the peninsula is not unknown, traces of which are kept by numerous monuments covering the widest temporal and thematic range. The seven diverse cities presented in our review can rightly be called museums that introduced their guests to the heritage of the ancient, multinational and generous land called Crimea.

A hero city, one of the three cities of federal significance in Russia, the largest city in Crimea in terms of population, one of the key naval facilities of the country, a large non-freezing commercial seaport - all these are the definitions of the legendary Sevastopol. The city acquired special significance from the moment of its foundation, when in 1783 it became the main base of the newly formed fleet of the Russian Empire - the Black Sea Fleet. Sevastopol valiantly withstood two defenses - during the Crimean War and during the Great Patriotic War, securing the unofficial status of the city of Russian glory.

Numerous sights tell about the military-historical heritage of Sevastopol, among which are the world-famous panorama "Defense of Sevastopol 1854-1855", large-scale memorial complexes on Malakhov Hill and Sapun-mountain, the Military History Museum of the Black Sea Fleet, the museum complexes "Mikhailovskaya Battery" , "35th coastal battery", "Balaklava" (underground submarine base). Near Primorsky Boulevard, on a granite cliff washed by the sea, rises the main symbol of Sevastopol - the Monument to the Scuttled Ships.

On the Central (City) hill is the majestic Vladimir Cathedral, which became the burial place of the famous Russian admirals - Lazarev, Nakhimov, Kornilov, Istomin. Another significant place located in the historical center of Sevastopol is the Aquarium Museum - the first in Russia and one of the oldest public marine aquariums in the world, founded in 1897 on the initiative of N.N. Miklouho-Maclay. Sevastopol squares and boulevards are beautiful, their appearance is made up of interesting historical and architectural objects. The city has an art museum, four professional theaters, two of which have academic status.

The ancient history of the southwestern part of the Crimean peninsula is told by unique monuments located in the suburbs of Sevastopol: the ancient settlement of Khersones, the Genoese fortress of Chembalo in Balaklava, the ancient Klimentovsky cave monastery in Inkerman. Not just a background for them, but an independent original attraction is an unusually beautiful nature. Numerous picturesque bays of the city are especially attractive.

Sevastopol, surrounded by the sea on three sides, is not inferior to other Crimean resorts in terms of beach recreation, striking not only in the number, but also in the variety of beaches - from wild rocky to well-maintained golden sandy ones.

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Ancient, 1, Sevastopol

In ancient times, the central part of the Crimean peninsula was occupied by the fortress city of Naples-Scythian - the capital of the Scythian kingdom. Now here is the capital of the Republic of Crimea - the glorious city of Simferopol. It has no access to the sea. The Salgir River, the longest river in Crimea, flows here.

Being the main transport hub of the peninsula, the city lives up to its name, which is translated from ancient Greek as "city of benefit", "gatherer city". However, Simferopol gathers not only casual guests who perceive the city as an intermediate point on the way to the Black Sea coast, but also connoisseurs of history. Indeed, entire epochs were imprinted in the appearance of the city. The memory of the Late Kythian state is kept by the Scythian Neapolis settlement, located on the Petrovsky rocks. A kind of symbol of the Crimean Tatar city of Akmesdzhit, the predecessor of Simferopol, is the Kebir-Jami mosque - the oldest building in the city, known since the beginning of the 16th century. And, finally, the beginning of the Russian period in the life of the Crimean city is marked by Orthodox churches of the late 18th - 19th centuries. Practically the same age as Simferopol is the Constantino-Eleninskaya Church - the first Christian church in the city. Ancient cathedrals - Peter and Paul, Holy Trinity - admire with their grandeur. An interesting religious building of the Karaites - Kenassa, erected at the end of the 19th century. During the Great Patriotic War, Simferopol took on a powerful enemy blow, having survived the German occupation. The feat of the defenders of the city was immortalized by monuments placed in its parks and squares.

The most complete picture of the nature, history and culture of not only Simferopol, but the entire Republic of Crimea is given by the main museums of the city - the Central Museum of Taurida, the Crimean Ethnographic and Simferopol Art Museums. The city has the oldest theater of the Crimea - the Russian Drama Theater. M. Gorky, as well as the Musical Theater of the Republic of Crimea, the Puppet Theater and the only theater of the Crimean Tatars in the world.

Simferopol is famous for its unique green areas. It is impossible to ignore the ancient parks founded in the XVIII-XIX centuries. A special place among them is occupied by the Botanical Garden of the Tauride National University (Park "Salgirka" or Vorontsovsky Park) - one of the largest and most beautiful parks in Simferopol. The young squares of the city are picturesque and cozy.

The easternmost and most ancient city of Crimea is the city of Kerch, whose age has exceeded a colossal figure - twenty-six centuries! One of the heights of the city - Mount Mithridates - is its historical and geographical center, the place where at the end of the 7th century BC. e. the future Kerch was born, and then - the ancient Greek policy of Panticapaeum, which became in 479 BC. the capital of the Bosporus kingdom. The ruins of his Acropolis are now a unique monument of the Antiquity era and one of the main attractions of Kerch.

In addition to Panticapaeum, there are other ancient settlements on the territory of Kerch - Nymphaeum, Tiritaka, Mirmekiy. Many artifacts found during the excavations of the settlements are presented in the famous Kerch Museum of Antiquities. Until our time, monuments of funerary architecture of the 4th century BC have also been preserved. BC. - Tsarsky and Melek-Chesme barrows.

Until 1774, that is, before the annexation of Kerch to Russia, the city was part of many states: the Byzantine Empire, the Khazar Khaganate, the Republic of Genoa, the Ottoman Empire. The Church of St. John the Baptist, the oldest Orthodox church on the Crimean peninsula, has witnessed many historical events. Its construction dates back to the period between the 8th and 9th centuries.

Kerch bears the honorary title of Hero City. During the Great Patriotic War, the front line passed through Kerch four times; in 1941-1944, the most severe occupation regime was established here. Soon after the liberation of the city, a memorial complex was created on the top of Mount Mithridates - the Obelisk of Glory to the Immortal Heroes and the Eternal Flame.

423 steps of the Great Mithridates Stairs lead to the top of the mountain, which is an outstanding architectural monument of the first half of the 19th century. A magnificent panorama of the city and the Kerch Strait opens from the top observation deck of the stairs.

Evpatoria, stretching along the Kalamitsky Bay off the western coast of the Crimean peninsula, is known primarily as a resort city. Each summer season, the number of tourists is several times greater than its population. The huge popularity of the small town, of course, is due to the presence of beautiful beaches with golden sand and a shallow seabed, a favorable climate (at the height of summer, the air temperature, as a rule, is + 26-28 ° C). However, limited to coastal areas, it is impossible to form a holistic view of the city, whose history goes back centuries.

On the site of Evpatoria from the 5th century. BC e. to the end of the 2nd century n. e. there was one of the ancient Greek colonies - Kerkinitida. The settlement of the ancient polis is the most valuable archaeological complex, and the ruins of the city wall of Kerkinitida today are one of the main historical relics of Evpatoria. The Greek settlement was destroyed by the Scythians. The city reappeared here already during the time of the Crimean Khanate. It was called Kezlev (tur. Gozleve). The sonorous name Evpatoria, which is translated from Greek as "Noble", the city received after the Crimea became part of the Russian Empire.

A typical eastern city of the Middle Ages is the eastern part of modern Evpatoria, the so-called Old City. The area is distinguished by narrow crooked streets and ancient buildings. The age of some buildings of the historical part exceeds 500 years, among them is the Khan-Jami Cathedral Mosque, founded in 1552.

A unique historical, architectural and religious monument in Yevpatoria - Tekie dervishes - the only Muslim monastery in Crimea, founded at the end of the 15th - 16th centuries. Of no less interest is the complex of religious buildings of the early 19th century - the Keraim kenasses. Outstanding monuments of Russian temple architecture are pre-revolutionary Orthodox churches - St. Nicholas Cathedral, the Church of St. Elijah.

The resort history of the city began at the end of the 19th century, when the first mud bath was built, where the healing mud of Lake Moinaki was used. Subsequently, the healing properties of mud and waters of other lakes of Evpatoria were discovered. There are several mineral springs on the territory of the resort, which, together with numerous other natural factors, makes rest in Evpatoria incredibly useful.

On the southern coast of the Crimean peninsula, a magnificent pearl shines - the beauty of Yalta. This is one of the sunniest resorts in Crimea, a city with luxurious nature and rich cultural heritage. Interestingly, Yalta acquired the status of a city and the fame of a fashionable resort only in the 19th century, although its history began much earlier ...

Once upon a time, on the site of the future city, on the picturesque coast of the Black Sea, there was a small village of Yialos (from Greek - “shore”), founded in the 6th-5th centuries BC. Greek sailors. Like other cities of Crimea, the settlement changed hands more than once: from the Tauride Greeks to the Venetians, then to the Genoese, Byzantines; later included in the possession of the Principality of Theodoro, the Ottoman Empire, and, finally, Russia. Cardinal changes took place in the middle of the 19th century, when the highest state officials paid attention to a small town, in the recent past - a fishing village. In the 1860s, the nearest Yalta suburb - Livadia - became the summer residence of the royal family. And by the end of the 19th century, Yalta was turning into a prestigious vacation spot for the Russian aristocracy. It was to this time that the creation of fabulous palaces (Livadia, Massandra, Vorontsovsky), noble estates and mansions, organically inscribed in the mountain landscape, belong. In pre-revolutionary times, Yalta also attracted distinguished foreign guests. So, for example, the German oilman Baron P. Steingel, who loved to relax in the Crimea, in 1912 built a Gothic castle on the edge of the Aurora Rock - the famous "Swallow's Nest".

Without belittling the value and beauty of the palace and park ensembles, we will give priority in the ranking of the region's attractions to the Yalta nature. Enclosed in the stone embrace of the Crimean mountains, Yalta is open only to the sea and the sun. The terrain is extremely varied. There are mountain ranges here, one of which includes the famous Ai-Petri peak; hills covered with dense pine and beech forests; deep gorges with waterfalls; valleys of mountain rivers, on one of which the largest waterfall in the Crimea is formed - the Uchan-Su waterfall with a height of 98 meters. Yalta, immersed in greenery, boasts an abundance of exotic plants: palm trees, cypresses, magnolias, wisteria grow here ...

One of the most beautiful places in the city and the most visited street in Crimea is Yalta Embankment. Today it is a developed resort area with numerous restaurants, cafes, attractions. On the embankment is the President Hotel "Tavrida", formerly the hotel of the same name, where Rimsky-Korsakov, Nekrasov, Chekhov, Bunin, Mayakovsky, Stanislavsky, Chaliapin stayed at different times. Not far from the hotel building is the entrance to the Yalta-Gorka cable car, which makes it possible to enjoy the views of the city from a bird's eye view.

Outstanding figures of art and literature lived in Feodosia at different times - the world-famous marine painter I.K. Aivazovsky, whose name today is the Feodosia Art Gallery; an outstanding writer, the brightest representative of neo-romanticism A. Green, to whom the Literary and Memorial Museum in Feodosia is dedicated. The Feodosia Museum of Local Lore, which is the oldest provincial museum institution in Russia, tells about the history, culture, and natural wealth of the southeastern Crimea.

During the Great Patriotic War, the city survived the German occupation. Fierce battles were fought here, leading to significant destruction. For courage, steadfastness and mass heroism, Feodosia was awarded the honorary title - City of Military Glory.

The fortress city of Aluston has been known since the 6th century. The fortification, built by order of the Byzantine emperor Justinian I, retained the role of an important coastal defensive point for all the states that owned it in the Middle Ages: the Byzantine Empire, the Khazar Khaganate, the Principality of Theodoro. The fortress lost its strategic importance after the conquest of the Crimea by the Turks. The ruins of an ancient structure that have survived to this day are one of the main attractions of the peninsula.

Like Yalta, by the end of the 19th century, Alushta had turned from a quiet seaside village into a popular resort. Among the curious pre-revolutionary buildings are the mansion of General Golubov, known as the dacha "Dove"; mansion of merchant N.D. Stakheev Palace of Princess Gagarina. In 1941–1944 The city was under German occupation. A number of monuments of Alushta are dedicated to military-historical events.

Shortly after the end of the war, in the middle of the last century, a real tourist boom began in Alushta, when dozens of sanatoriums and boarding houses opened here. Today, the city still attracts tourists. On its territory there are a large number of beaches, attractions, an aquarium with a large collection of freshwater and marine fish, a dolphinarium, and interesting museums.

Alushta, located in a vast valley on the southern coast of Crimea, is surrounded by an amphitheatre, the Crimean mountains. From the west, the high massif of Babugan-Yayla rises above the city, in the north-west - Mount Chatyr-Dag, in the north - Demerdzhi. The slopes of the mountains are covered with dense beech and pine forests. In the picturesque surroundings of Alushta, the shooting of the famous Soviet films "Prisoner of the Caucasus", "Hearts of Three", "Ships Storm the Bastions" and others took place.

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In the sixth century BC e. the first settlement of the ancient Greeks was founded on the Crimean peninsula, thus the beginning of the Great Greek colonization in the Northern Black Sea region was laid. The ancient Greeks were attracted by fertile lands, favorable conditions for cattle breeding and trade, they were not afraid of either the cold climate or the hostility of the Scythians and Taurians, who inhabited the territory of Crimea at that time. Today, on the site of some ancient Greek cities, there are ruins of fortress walls, the remains of residential and utility rooms, museums with antique objects that are carefully stored and are the sights of the Crimean peninsula.

Kerkinitida - antiquity under the dome

One of the first ancient Greek cities founded on the western coast of the Crimean peninsula was. The city was founded on the territory of modern Evpatoria at the turn of the 6th-5th centuries BC and until the end of the 4th century it existed as a separate state that actively traded, was engaged in agriculture, various crafts and minted its own coins. During the IV-II centuries BC. e. Kerkinitida was part of Chersonese and was engaged in the supply of bread, after which, as a result of the Greco-Scythian wars, Kerkinitida was destroyed.

The remains of the ancient Greek colony are kept under a glass dome in Evpatoria on Duvanovskaya Street, on the Gorky Embankment and in the local history museum of the city. Here, tourists and residents of Evpatoria can see the foundations of the residential buildings of Kerkinitida and household items of the ancient Greeks.

Kalos Limen - a historical landmark of the village of Chernomorskoye

In the 4th century BC, an ancient Greek city was founded on the territory of the modern village of Chernomorskoye. The inhabitants of the city were engaged in agriculture, trade and crafts. Due to its favorable geographical position and the convenient bay of Kalos, Limen was often attacked by stronger neighbors, and by the end of the 4th century it became part of Chersonese. In the II century BC. e polis was under the rule of the Scythians, but after a few decades it again became a Greek city. At the beginning of our era, Kalos Limen was finally destroyed.

Today, on the site of the ancient city, there is a historical monument and Kalos Limen, where you can see the ruins of an ancient Greek fortress, residential buildings, the remains of the central gate of the city and the main street slab, on which traces of chariots have been preserved.

Kalos Limen

Chersonese Tauride - a monument of world significance in Simferopol

In the middle of the first century BC. e. on the southwestern coast of the Crimean peninsula was laid. For about two thousand years, this ancient Greek city was the political and cultural center of the nearby Greek colonies; it entered the history of Ancient Greece, the Roman Empire and Byzantium. It was here that the Grand Duke Vladimir was baptized, in honor of this event, the Vladimir Cathedral was erected on the former square of Chersonese.

Today, the ruins of this ancient city are a historical monument of world importance and are under the protection of UNESCO. Tauric Chersonesos includes several expositions and a large research center.

Panticapaeum - archaeological museum in Kerch

In the first half of the 6th century BC, an ancient Greek polis was founded in the eastern part of the Crimea on the territory of the city of Kerch. The city developed rapidly and already in the 5th century it became the capital of the Bosporus state, uniting the nearest cities. Panticapaeum was the craft, trade and cultural center of the Bosporus. Gold, silver and copper coins were minted here, and the total area of ​​the policy was about 100 hectares.

The ruins of Panticapaeum are located in the center of Kerch on the slopes and top of Mount Mithridates, there is also a historical and archaeological museum, the exhibits of which are amphorae, painted ceramics, coins, epigraphic documents and other archaeological finds from the excavations of Panticapaeum.

Charax - fortress and palace in Gaspra

In the 1st century AD, after the victory of the Roman army over the Taurus-Scythian army, which kept Chersonese under siege, the Romans built a fortress-city on Cape Ai-Todor. The fortress was not only a haven for the Roman garrison, but also the center where the main sea and land routes converged. Today, only ruins of stone and brick and a pond decorated with mosaics remain from it.

The remains of the Kharaks fortress are located on the territory of the Dnepr sanatorium, where the famous Kharaks palace, built for Georgy Mikhailovich Romanov at the beginning of the 20th century, has also been preserved. Excursions are conducted on the territory of the sanatorium, and the main building for guests is located in the palace.

Naples Scythian - archaeological reserve in Simferopol

In the 3rd century BC, the city of Naples, the capital of the late Scythian state, was founded on the southeastern coast of the Crimean peninsula. Solid buildings in the Greek style, stone living and utility rooms, craft workshops, grain pits found by archaeologists make it clear that the late Scythians were no longer a nomadic people, but were actively engaged in agriculture, cattle breeding and handicrafts.

In the archaeological reserve "" you can see the remains of the fortress wall of the city, visit the mausoleums of the ancient Scythian kings and learn about the culture and life of the Scythians.

If you are planning a trip to the Crimea, do not forget to take care of booking accommodation in advance, because Crimean hotels are very popular during the tourist season, and be sure to include antique sights in your itinerary. Here you can not only touch real antiquity, but also listen to interesting stories of guides and expand your horizons. Travel and discover!

The history of Kerch has more than 2.5 thousand years. In this city there are a large number of Byzantine villages, monuments Bosporan and Scythian kingdoms, Tmutarakan. In Kerch, even a gravity water pipeline, built back in the days of the Byzantine Empire, has been preserved.

There is an Orthodox Church in Kerch - ancient active 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 back in the 19th century) that the famous leader of the slaves Spartak, 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 Tatiana 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 e. The corresponding paper was received by 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 is officially fixed,”- said T. Umrikhina and added: by their decision, scientists confirmed the status of Kerch as the most ancient city in the country.

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

“Pantikapeum was the center of the Bosporus kingdom. Therefore, we can talk about the most ancient statehood on the territory of Russia”, -
she emphasized.

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

Pontus Euxinus - Scythian Sea

Crimea became known for world history many centuries before our era. In 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 XII century, the Tatars, who conquered the peninsula, called the Greek city of Solkhat (now Stary Krym) 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 of the Crimean peninsula, 15 km from Sevastopol, there is an ancient city balaclava, with a rich history spanning over 2500 years.

Since ancient times, it has been a powerful military fortress created by nature itself. Balaklava harbor is closed by high rocks on 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 in 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 the Crimea, inhabited by Greeks and subordinated to Byzantium, and also from the 5th century in the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov on the 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 Kiev princes of 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, the foundations of 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 Kiev 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 In the 9th century, the Russian prince Bravlin took possession of the Crimean cities of 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 eastern geographical maps of Crimea recorded many place names, names of cities and settlements, indicating a long and long stay of the Russ in 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.