Excavations of an ancient settlement continue under Kerch. video. Archaeologists reveal the secrets of the blue gates of the Kerch fortress

Rescue archaeological excavations of the ancient mound "Cement Slobodka-1"(mound No. 4) were 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. - first centuries AD The crypt was moved to the territory of the Kerch fortress for use as a museum.
Photos are clickable, with geographical coordinates and linking to a Yandex map, 06.2017.

1. Video interview with the head of the excavations, Irina Rukavishnikova, for the Kerch-Net channel. The sound is very bad due to the strong wind, so you need to listen closely

2. View of the Cement Slobodka-1 mound 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 robbed and destroyed, and was also reused

6. The upper part of the crypt was destroyed by fortifications from the time of the Great Patriotic War, and horse bones were also found here. Many mounds were used for military purposes, as observation points and firing points

7. The crypt of the late 4th - early 3rd century BC, belonged to the Bosporan nobility. But like many, it was reused. In the photo, archaeologists have reached the level of the secondary burial; the owner of the crypt still has to dig and dig. Pieces of a South Pontic pseudo-Kos amphora from the second half of the 1st century were found here. BC, fragments of red glaze ceramics, a single-arm lamp, a red clay urn, two faience pendants in the form of a scarab and a demon

8. Human bones and ceramic fragments

9. Far away from the house in Nizhny Solnechny microdistrict

10. View from the mound to the side Crimean Bridge

11. Industrial zone for bridge construction

14. View of the dromos (entrance corridor) and the stones covering the entrance to the crypt

15. Six more burials from different eras were found around the crypt, two of them were cremation burials

16. On the staircase of the dromos a child’s burial from the Roman period of the 1st century AD was found. Next to the remains are a crushed vessel, a glass bottle, bronze bells and beads. Here also lay a pyxis (a round jewelry box) and a funeral urn with ashes

19. View from the crypt along the future highway "Tavrida" towards the excavations of the Bronze Age settlement Gospitalny-2, the mound and the settlement Gospitalny-1, about which there will be separate articles

20. After the completion of the excavations, it was decided to move the crypt to the territory of the Kerch fortress and make it a museum. Next in the photo is the crypt in the process of being transferred. Several rows of blocks have already been transported. The crypt markings are clearly visible for subsequent collection in a new location

21. The crypt is completely cleared and the floor slabs are clearly visible. You can compare with photo 18, the crypt is one block lower

22. View of the entrance to the crypt and dromos

30. Marking for assembly. Later, when the crypt had already been transported to the fortress but had not yet been assembled, a funny thing happened with the markings. In Kerch there were heavy rains with hail and the markings began to smudge, so archaeologists had to urgently take measures to protect and restore them

November 30th, 2018 admin

The Archeology Foundation and the leadership of the East Bosporan Archaeological Expedition announce a recruitment of volunteers who want to take part in the excavations of the ancient necropolis and settlement of Kyz-Aul, the Bosporan city of Kitey, and the study of the Russian fortress “Kerch”. Field archaeological camps are located on the Kerch Peninsula in the area Yakovenkovo ​​village and on the territory of the Kerch fortress.

This is the fifth year of our work at Kyz-Aul and the third at the Kerch fortress. In past seasons, we carried out large-scale reconnaissance of nearby territories, explored more than 2000 sq. m. necropolis, They opened several dozen burials and cleared 6 ancient monumental crypts. Our volunteers also took part in excavations of the ancient city of Kitey and Scythian mounds in the area of ​​​​Cape Kazantip, the ancient necropolis near Kerch, excavations on the Kul-Oba mound, ancient fortifications on the Uzunlar shaft and the Alan necropolis. Now we know well what we have to study.

The Kyz-Aul necropolis is an interesting ancient archaeological monument, where in the period from the 1st century BC. to 1st century AD b representatives of the upper class were buried Bosporan society. According to some scientists, the necropolis belonged to the city of Kitei. Of course, this still needs to be sorted out, but it is already clear that the people buried on it were very close in their culture to the Sarmatians.

Currently, the southern coast of the Kerch Peninsula remains a poorly studied area by archaeologists. Meanwhile, it is known that it was on this territory that several ancient cities and many settlements were located. Among them are such famous ancient cities like Kitaeus, Acre and Cimmeric. Kitey city mentioned in the works of Pseudo-Scylacus, Pliny, Claudius Ptolemy, Stephen of Byzantium. Next to him in 257 there was even a major naval battle.

City of Cimmerick, founded by Milesian colonists on the lands of the legendary Cimmerians, also remains a mystery that has yet to be solved. Located Cimmerick on Mount Opuk - amazing and mysterious place Eastern Crimea. It was here that it was discovered plate with runic inscriptions , made by a master, a Crimean Goth, presumably belonging to Heruli tribe , considered in ancient times to be magicians and sorcerers.

Head of the Eastern Bosporan Archaeological Expedition, Candidate of Historical Sciences Nikolai Sudarev in the 90s of the last century already carried out excavations of the Kyz-Aul necropolis. Then his expedition discovered unique monumental crypts. Unfortunately, the expedition had to curtail its activities and relocate to the Taman Peninsula without completing the research. Based on the results of archaeological work in the summer of 2015, it was decided to continue studying this interesting monument, which is what we are still doing.

In 2018 we continue to provide assistance in the study of the Kerch fortress . This is a unique monument to Russian fortification of the 19th century, created under the leadership of the legendary engineer, hero of the Sevastopol defense Eduard Ivanovich Totleben . The Kerch fortress had a total area more than 400 hectares and tens of kilometers of underground structures and tunnels. At one time it was the largest fortress in the territory Russian Empire, which could only be compared with the Kronstadt fortress. Most of its fortifications have not yet been studied. Until 2003, the Kerch fortress was under the control of the military. This object will be most interesting to those interested in military history Russia XIX- XX centuries. Work at the Kerch fortress last year yielded excellent results. Our volunteers cleared several fortifications, such as the Blue Gate and the covered path reduct.

Field camps of the East Bosporan Archaeological Expedition in Crimea will exist on the principles of self-organization. Perhaps some of the household chores will fall on the volunteers who came on the expedition. By creating such a camp, we are not reinventing the wheel. Many archaeological expeditions live by this principle. They themselves choose the caretaker, and they themselves conduct economic activities. There have always been volunteers on duty and camp and kitchen assistants in our camp on Taman.

The village of Yakovenkovo ​​(Kazy-Aul) is located 30 km from the nearest city is Kerch. The archaeological site itself is not actively visited tourist area Crimea. This has both its disadvantages and advantages. Perhaps the minus is the distance from civilization, and the plus is the sandy Black Sea beaches stretching beyond the horizon, where there are no strangers.

We hope that the sea and interesting archaeological research will brighten up all the inconveniences associated with field life and the lack of resort infrastructure for our future volunteers. Believe me, Crimea and archeology are worth it. In any case, we are waiting for those on the expedition to whom archeology is primarily important, and everything else is secondary.

“The Gold of the Scythians” is on the lips of everyone who has heard about the existence of archeology, but does not know what this science usually does. Experts joke that The best way to piss off a representative of their profession by asking how many gold finds he has. But it was not always so. Having found the Kul-Oba mound in Crimea in 1830, scientists of that time were wildly delighted with the amount of yellow precious metal found there. But they failed to understand that they had become the discoverers of a whole group of valuable historical monuments.

Where is the Kul-Oba mound located on the map

It is located in Eastern Kerch, near Vokzalny Highway and Current. Not far from here is also the State Garden with the Temple of Vladimir and Olga, Station Square.

Construction history

It all started with the search for deposits of stone suitable for construction manipulations - the Kerch leadership urgently needed to resettle the families of sailors. The Kul-Oba mound (“ash hill” translated from Tatar) towered above the city of Kerch. The soldiers of the garrison were quarrying stone there when they came across an interior chamber - a tomb. Ivan Aleksandrovich Stempkovsky, who was then the mayor of Kerch, was interested. When he was informed about the memo, he suggested that Paul Dubrux, who was already researching historical antiquities in the Crimea, examine it.

Dubrux has the honor of discovering an unlooted burial mound from the Scythian period (V-IV centuries BC). They found a lot of valuable things in it, mostly jewelry and dishes made of gold, as well as weapons and elements of horse harness. Much later, several similar mounds were also found in the Black Sea steppe and in the central steppe part of Ukraine (Tolstaya Mogila, Solokha, Chertomlyk and others). Modern scientists have identified them as belonging to the nomadic Scythians (according to Herodotus, “royal”), who buried the most authoritative warriors and rulers in this way.

Another opinion was also expressed: supposedly Kul-Oba is the burial place of one of the Bosporan kings. Near Kerch such a burial is known -. But the inventory of the described place (images and style features) suggests that it is still not Greek, but Scythian. The fact that the items identified in it were clearly made by Greek craftsmen does not mean anything - artisans constantly carried out orders from nobles, who paid well for it in horses, skins and slaves. Thus, Kul-Oba is the first known rich Scythian mound on the territory of the Russian Empire.

Black archeology of the 19th century

It must be said that the working methods of P. Dubrusque would have brought down modern archaeologist into a pre-infarction state. He simply dismantled the damaged tomb walls (with the help of soldiers) and took out all the things he could find. Yes, he carefully described what he saw, weighed and sketched them all. But he never noted their relative position, depth and other similar details that are of primary interest now.

When Tsar Nicholas I was told about the find in Kul-Oba and the discovered things were shown to him, officials Anton Ashik and Damian Kareisha were ordered to examine other mounds in the vicinity. These two acted like real “black archaeologists” - they opened the monument and threw it away if they did not immediately discover precious metals. They destroyed several similar monuments of the past.

And Dubrux turned out to be not without sin. He managed not to notice the lower chamber in Kul-Oba, which he examined under the floor. But robbers quickly found her as soon as he left the mound. They pulled out a lot of interesting things from the additional burial (judging by the clasp in the shape of a deer, which Stempkovsky managed to buy from one of the swindlers).

Ashik and Kareisha are simply not very honest and conscientious people. But Dubrux cannot be judged strictly. He was not a specialist in archeology and did not know any scientific research methods. And the results of his work in the Kul-Oba mound in Kerch pushed modern researchers to correct scientific research and saved finds of enormous historical and aesthetic value for humanity.

Royal jewels in our time

Incredibly, it is not possible to visit the Kul-Oba mound today - the map can indicate the place where it was, but Dubrux did not carry out any restoration work, so now there is just an earthen mound. But the descriptions exist, and the valuables from them are preserved in the Hermitage.

Four burials were found in Kul-Oba: two noble men, a woman, and a servant. One of the rich Scythians lay in a secret tomb, while the page was almost in the wall. The main burial was male. The deceased was laid on a wooden sofa, with a sarcophagus nearby. There was also a women's bed there. These people could have been buried all together (including as a sacrifice), or in different time– both versions are allowed.

The central graves are equipped with precious grave goods. There was a quiver of arrows,
whetstone, whip handle and bronze mirror, trimmed with gold edging. The outfits of the “king” and “queen” are decorated with many decorations - pendants, plaques with images of animals and faces, clasps, buckles. The man and woman had neck hryvnias weighing more than 400 g each, fine workmanship, and bracelets. The representative of the fair sex in her costume had delicately crafted openwork pendants with a painted goddess of Athena. The “king” had ends decorated in the form of Scythian warriors on horses.

The most famous things from the mound are a clasp in the shape of a deer (found by robbers) and a vessel with scenes from the life of the Scythians on the walls. It depicts a warrior pulling a string on a bow, two people talking and even an ancient dentist, clearly intending to pull out a comrade’s aching tooth. The images are realistic and allow you to study the appearance and clothing of the people. Reviews from knowledgeable individuals believe that all the gold here is made by Greek craftsmen in the so-called “Scythian animal style.”

How to get (get there) to the mound?

To get to the place where Kul-Oba was located by public transport, get off at the stop " Train Station", where minibuses No. 6, 24, 26 and 35 go. Then walk a little south.

By car from the center of Kerch we recommend getting to the desired point in the following way:

Note to tourists

• Address: sh. Vokzalnoe, Kerch, Crimea, Russia.
• GPS coordinates: 45.357561, 36.432660.

The Kul-Oba mound has already told that it could and has become a thing of the past. But other places like it still exist. Rest and sightseeing of such sights should not include unauthorized excavations - otherwise you can become the culprit in the death of a miracle.

The territory of modern Kerch has been inhabited by people since ancient times - information about the first settlements here has been lost for centuries. It has been proven that at the top of Mount Mithridates and at its foot in the 7th century BC. a city of Hellenic colonists arose with a defensive wall, stone houses, a port, trades and crafts, and subsequently with a highly developed culture, mansions of the nobility, state and public institutions, a mint, temples and all other attributes of the policies of that era. It is believed that since the emergence of Panticapaeum, life here has never been interrupted, although eras, peoples and civilizations have changed. Kerch is therefore recognized in the scientific world as the most ancient city in Russia.

However, in the area modern city people lived before - it is enough to mention the so-called Cimmerians (the conventional name for the pre-Scythian peoples of the Northern Black Sea region), traces of whose life activity have been preserved by the Crimean land. Just remember the well-known anthropomorphic sculptures - “stone women”, dating back to a millennium BC. Therefore, traces of ancient settlements and burials are hidden in the ground everywhere in Kerch.

The Nizhny Solnechny region is no exception, in the vicinity of which a lot of traces of ancient people have been preserved. During the construction of auto approaches from the Tavrida highway to the bridge, some sections of these historical monuments will inevitably be lost, and therefore archaeologists should extract all possible artifacts and document the finds. You can find out more about the configuration of the route and the area where it will take place in our.

In August 2016, “Crimean regional center archaeological research” conducted an examination and identified those places of future construction where it is necessary to conduct preliminary archaeological surveys, identifying 13 objects cultural heritage, which need to be bypassed, conservation measures taken, or explored in as much detail as possible before the construction of the road begins.

In this relatively small area on both sides of the Heroes of Stalingrad Highway there are a number of archaeological sites. WITH west side− the “Hospital” settlement, the “Lesnoy I” and “Lesnoy II” mounds, the Tiritaksky shaft with a length of more than 20 kilometers. On the east, near the dacha cooperative “Zaliv”, there is the “Hospital” mound, the “Hospital II” settlement and a group of 4 “Nizhny Solnechny I” mounds with burials of the Bosporo-Scythian and Panticapaean nobility of the 4th-3rd centuries BC, and The “Nizhny Solnechny II” mound turned out to be right on the territory of the household plots. Even closer to the bridge is a group of 8 mounds “Cement Slobodka I”.

Also, near the future highway “Tavrida”, 3 kilometers from the village of Oktyabrskoye, there is a group of 4 mounds, the surface of which is plowed, and a little to the east there is a group of two mounds “Dzharzhdava Western”. In the same area, but to the south of the future road junction, there is the “Balochny Zapadny” mound, and closer to Kerch there is the “Balochny” mound.

The settlement “Hospital” (the name comes from the nearby tuberculosis dispensary) is located on the banks of the Dzharzhava River, which, undoubtedly, was fuller in ancient times, which attracted residents. Its area is estimated at 13,350 square meters. m, of which the territory of permanent land allocation for road construction accounts for 8,890 sq. m. This does not mean that historical monument throughout this entire area will be lost, but access to it will, of course, be terminated. Today, thanks to funding, scientists will be able to conduct the largest excavations in recent decades.

Extensive archaeological research of this area over an area of ​​3 thousand square meters. m was carried out just before the division of the country, in 1989-1991, under the leadership of Kerch specialists Viktor Nikolaevich Zinko and Nikolai Fedorovich Fedoseyev, and a small area was additionally explored in 1993. The discoveries made during the excavations made it possible to date the settlement to the end of the 5th - first quarter of the 3rd century BC. Four rectangular semi-dugouts for residential and utility purposes, equipped with a system of sewage drains and receiving pits, were discovered; the remains of a manor with a courtyard, traces of a fire, garbage pits and household items, including fragments of red-figure pottery, amphora containers, ceramic stamps, Panticapaean coins and sling stones. Residents were engaged in fishing and livestock farming.

The “Hospital” mound is also noteworthy, which is seen every day by thousands of people passing near the tuberculosis dispensary: ​​due to its position near the road, it is clearly visible. With a diameter of 70 meters, the height of the burial reaches 7 m. The total area of ​​the security zone is set at 13.7 thousand square meters. m. The mound of the mound bears traces of digging, but some researchers believe that this burial may still remain unplundered, at least in modern history no one opened it. If these expectations are true and archaeologists decide to excavate the mound, then interesting finds await us. Most of these burial structures have been plundered both in ancient times and in very recent times. However, for now only a study of the 4 thousand square meters adjacent to the mound is planned. m adjacent to the future highway.

Behind the private plots towards the bridge on an area of ​​20.7 thousand square meters. m is located the Bronze Age settlement “Hospital II”, dating back to approximately the 2nd millennium BC. and discovered in 1983. The task of archaeologists today is to study the historical space on an area of ​​8,280 square meters. m. The work is carried out by the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences together with the East Crimean Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve.

During the expedition, which involves over 40 people, ordinary workers and specialists, thousands of fragments of molded Bronze Age ceramics, household items made of stone and bone, and agricultural tools have already been identified. There are also objects from ancient times.

Perhaps, already in the summer, the Kerch Museum will demonstrate the most remarkable of these finds in the framework dedicated to the Crimean Bridge. There are plans to make it permanent and place it on the territory of the Kerch fortress, where many magnificent casemated rooms have been preserved. This will contribute to the preservation and development of the fortress itself as an object of Russian cultural heritage. Moreover, on the territory of the fortress, by the time the bridge is launched, it is planned to build a gigantic monument to “Reconciliation” for the centenary of the beginning of the revolution and civil war, as well as an extensive observation deck with a road connection, that is, visiting museum exhibitions and the fortress itself will be interesting and convenient.

In general, the scope of archaeological work in Crimea is much wider due to active infrastructure construction. Thus, today, about 50 archaeological heritage sites are planned for study along the route of the future Tavrida highway, and completely new monuments may be discovered during construction: contractors are required to inform scientists about all discovered historical objects, immediately stopping work on these sites.

Last year, when laying a gas pipeline through a ditch near the Cimmerian Wall, a discovery was made in the Northern Black Sea region of excellent preservation with the remains of adjacent defensive fortifications. And the volume of ceramic fragments from the marine sections of the supports of the Crimean Bridge is absolutely stunning - in 2015 alone, 1200 square meters were excavated in the area of ​​Cape Ak-Burun. m of the bottom and more than 20 thousand finds were recovered. Work continued last year, and its scale is increasing. In 2017, marine archaeologists are going to take hundreds of thousands of ancient debris from Poseidon along the bridge construction route. The most remarkable examples of ancient culture found recently are the Kerch Museum.

At the Kerch fortress, volunteers from the Archeology Foundation began clearing 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, the besieged could emerge through the Blue Gate to strike the flank of the enemy advancing on the northern part of the fortress. Nearby there was a covered path from which fire was fired, preventing the besiegers from breaking the gate.

We are currently engaged in uncovering the earth masses that have accumulated in this area 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 territory was examined by sappers from the Leader center of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations. Clearing showed that the thickness of the influx of soil in the area of ​​the gate ranges from 20 cm to one and a half meters. Research participants expect to find interesting findings. Thanks to excavations, it is possible to discover previously unknown elements of the architecture of the Kerch fortress.

At the same time, work is underway to fix the graffiti left by the “artists” on the walls of the fortress. But this, as they say, is women’s work, and therefore it fell on the shoulders of female volunteers. During the existence of the outpost, its territory was visited by both builders and defenders of the fortress, and foreign invaders. During the Great Patriotic War, the Kerch fortress changed hands several times.

As the Foundation clarified, all work is supervised by the head of the research department of the “Kerch Fortress”, Ph.D. Yuri Beilik, volunteers of the Archeology Foundation in the Kerch fortress are led by Alexander Okhremenko.

Cape Ak-Burun (translated from Crimean Tatar as “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, noted Oleg Markov.

By the way, it is interesting not only for its fortifications of the 19th century, but also for the archaeological remains of ancient times. There is a hypothesis that on Ak-Burun there is ancient city Hermisius, mentioned by Pomponius Mela and Pliny.

In principle, this is possible, although in the list of names of ancient settlements preserved by written tradition for the section of the coast of Eastern Crimea from Nymphaeum to Panticapaeum, there is another possible antique city“Diya,” said the director of the Foundation. - In any case, only systematic archaeological excavations will be able to determine which city is located on Cape Ak-Burun. On this moment We know for sure that the “father of Bosporan archaeology” Paul Dubrux, in his description of this area, repeatedly drew attention to the rapid destruction of the remains of ancient walls and buildings he recorded, which disappeared from the surface literally before our eyes. According to his calculations, 500 cubic fathoms (4900 m3) of stone were removed from just one such point for construction needs, and the lime kiln probably destroyed twice as much.

According to his observations, only the fortress wall with towers and gates stretched for a length of two kilometers. Later, when Cape Ak-Burun firmly came under the jurisdiction of the military authorities, these antiquities became almost inaccessible to researchers and they gradually began to be forgotten.

Interestingly, in 1858, the Pavlovsky mound was excavated at Cape Ak-Burun, in which a burial dating back to the 4th century BC was discovered. The gold jewelry found there suggested that this was the burial of a priestess of the temple of Demeter, the Foundation emphasized. - Our volunteers have already had to take part in excavations of the Temple of Demeter, however, on the other side of the Cimmerian Bosporus in the village of Vestnik (Anapsky district). Now they may have the opportunity to study the admirers of the cult of this goddess already in Crimea.

On Friday, July 14, festive events dedicated to the 160th anniversary of the start of its construction are scheduled to take place in the Kerch fortress. 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 Crimean peninsula with the mainland, then after restoration and partial reconstruction it can become one of the main attractions on the route of tourists.

BY THE WAY

Anyone can become a volunteer and take part in the work of the Archeology Foundation. Anyone interested in the military history of Russia is invited to come to Kerch. Volunteer work on the Kerch Peninsula will last until September 1, 2017.