Underwater city acre. Crimean Atlantis Acra Crimea

Acre - city in Israel, in Western Galilee, on the coast mediterranean sea, about eighteen kilometers from the city of Haifa. The first mention of Acre dates back to 1456 BC: the name of the city is carved on the wall of the Karnak temple of Amun in Thebes among other cities conquered during the first military campaign of Thutmose III. It is known that in the fourteenth century BC the Hittites took possession of the city, but in the thirteenth century BC it was again recaptured by the Egyptians, led by the pharaoh Seti I. At that time it was a Canaanite city.

In 701, Acre was captured by Sennacherib, the Assyrian king. After that, the city was under the rule of Babylonia, and then under the power of the Achaemenids, under which it became a naval base, very important in the war against Egypt.

In 333 BC, Acre was conquered by Alexander the Great and turned into a Greek colony. Gradually, Acre becomes an important port and one of the largest cities of the Hellenistic era.

After the death of Alexander the Great, the city falls under the rule of the Egyptian Ptolemies, who rename it Ptolemais.

In 219 BC city ​​of Acre becomes part of the Seleucid Empire and receives a new name - Antioch. After the death of Antiochus VII Sidet, the city, passing from one Hellenistic ruler to another, gradually becomes independent and receives the status of a free Greek policy.

Under Alexander Jannaeus, the Jewish Hasmonean state tried to capture Acre, and Jewish troops even laid siege to the city. However, Acre turned for help to Ptolemy Soter (Lafur), who was not slow to arrive with an army of thirty thousand. After this, the siege was lifted.

In 52-54 BC, through the efforts of Pompey, Acre becomes a possession of the Roman Empire. Under the Romans, the city significantly expanded its borders. The city retained its importance in the Byzantine era.

In 638, Acre was captured by the Arabs, during which a new port was built in the city in 804-868.

In 1104 during the First Crusade acre was conquered by the crusaders. However, in 1187 the city was taken by Saladin. Four years later, after a two-year siege, the crusaders return Acre to their possessions. The city becomes the capital of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. It is surrounded by powerful fortifications and given a new name - Saint-Jean d "Acre. The knightly orders of the Templars, Hospitallers, and then the Teutonic Order build hospitals, residential buildings, warehouses, administrative buildings and churches in the city. Crusader orders, as well as merchants from Pisa, Genoa, Venice fought endless disputes over spheres of influence in the city.In 1256, there is an armed conflict between the Genoese and the Venetians, called the War of St. Sava, and the knights of the orders are gradually drawn into it. They destroy the city and massacre many Christians and Jews.After that, Acre existed for four hundred years as a small fishing village.The city was rebuilt only in the middle of the fourteenth century.

In 1517, Acre was conquered by the Ottoman Turks. Starting from 1721, the Turks gradually rebuilt the city anew: they erected a fortress, walls in Acre, built mosques, a Turkish bath, a palace, a bazaar.

The premiere screening of the film of the TV channel "Science" "Akra. Crimean Atlantis" about the archaeological excavations of the ancient city of Acre, founded two and a half thousand years ago. How underwater excavations differ from excavations on land, what artifacts archaeologists managed to find during the excavations of Acre, why the ancient city went under water, and what difficulties arose during the filming of the film - the site talked about all this with the head of the underwater archeology department of the Black Sea Center for Underwater research” by Viktor Vakhoneev and film director Alexander Konevich.

“Nature is constantly reclaiming more and more of the shore”

Alexander, why did you choose this particular plot for the filming of your film? What attracted you to the history of the ancient sunken city?

This is the biggest, unknown and unexplored story that exists now. The mystery of the disappearance of the city was not revealed for a long time, and even now it keeps more mysteries than clues. The attention of the Russian Geographical Society also played an important role. They made an expedition there with volunteers to cover significant and interesting events. In addition, this city is the least explored compared to the others. Perhaps now the most difficult work can be carried out there. In the 1980s, when the city was found, it was impossible to do something that can already be done today. At the same time, not everything can be done now, which can be done in 15-20 years, when new technologies for underwater archeology appear.

- How was shooting underwater, did you face any difficulties?

Difficulties arose all the time because of the weather. The city is located at a shallow depth and, accordingly, any rough sea creates problems: muddy water, poor visibility. At a depth of 2-2.5 meters, any excitement matters. In addition, we went twice. During this time, the picture on the coast has changed dramatically. It turns out that nature is constantly “reclaiming” more and more of the coast, and, accordingly, the city is retreating more and more.

Scientific fixation

We had our own operator for underwater filming, but we took a lot of underwater filming from underwater archaeologists, who record everything with the help of special equipment. Their footage helped a lot.

What finds impressed you the most?

Among the unique finds is an earring, which was found literally on the last day and whose age is a couple of thousand years. There are a lot of coins, ceramics, which confirms that people in Acre lived for a long time. There are fragments of ceramics, which have certain identification marks, by which, right on the shore, you can determine what century, for example, the found vessel for oil was.

Gold earring of the 4th century BC

Black Sea Center for Underwater Research

Underwater archeology and secrets of the Black Sea

Victor, why are underwater archaeological excavations so attractive to scientists, because research on land is much easier?

Underwater archeology is a fairly young and dynamically developing area of ​​historical science. The development of technical means over the past decades has made it possible to increase the depth and area of ​​research. Nevertheless, this direction is still not sufficiently developed; in Russia, underwater archaeologists can be counted on the fingers, while there are several hundred, if not thousands, of land-based archaeologists. There are many reasons for this, both subjective and objective. Until now, underwater archeology is not taught as a separate discipline in universities. We tried to fix this and in 2017 organized this course of lectures at the Crimean Federal University. The Black Sea Center for Underwater Research is the only state specialized institution in the field of underwater archeology. Of course, there are individual specialists in scientific institutes and museums, but this is definitely not enough, given the number of underwater objects. cultural heritage resting on the bottom and subject to study.

- How did the underwater archaeological expedition to Acre begin?

Acre was localized in the early 1980s thanks to the work of the Kerch archaeologist Vyacheslav Kholodkov and the Leningrad submariner Konstantin Shilik. They carried out the first exploration work in the place where, shortly before this, a Kerch schoolboy had found more than a hundred antique coins. Then, in the 1980s, after the first expeditions, the area of ​​the flooded settlement, its structure were established, defensive walls and towers were revealed, a cistern full of amphoras was excavated.

Aerial view of Acre (dark spot - city limits)

Black Sea Center for Underwater Research

In 2011, the staff of our Center and the State Hermitage joined forces and organized the first modern expedition, which focused not just on exploration, but on serious underwater excavations. This year our underwater expedition on Acre celebrated its sixth anniversary.

- Is it known when and why the ancient city went under water?

This happened in the middle of the 1st millennium AD. e. during the so-called Nymphean transgression. The city was originally founded on a low promontory protruding deep into the sea. Since antiquity, the sea level has risen by an average of four meters in this area, so that almost the entire city, founded in the lowland, was flooded. But even during the life of the Greeks, flooding occurred here. They explain construction technologies. We studied the city defensive tower, the foundation of which was made of wooden beams, which protected the structure from being washed away by groundwater. Our expedition did not record any evidence of a sharp catastrophic rise in water. The excellent preservation of the building remains is explained by the fact that the defensive wall of the city served as a kind of barrier that saved the remains of the city from being washed away by storms.

- What do the members of the expedition do?

For the past six years, we have been drawing up a plan for the settlement, excavating a number of objects: a defensive wall and a tower, city blocks and households. Since 2016, with the support of the Russian Geographical Society and IIMK RAS, work has begun in the coastal zone of Acre (about 10% of the city comes ashore). Coming to the sea level, the water from the excavation is pumped out by pumps, and the excavations are carried out by ground methods.

- At what depth do you have to work?

The settlement is located at a depth of from zero to four meters. Now the expedition is working at a depth of two to three meters. The harbor of the ancient city was located at a depth of up to seven meters. Ancient anchors can still be found there.

underwater excavation

Black Sea Center for Underwater Research

- Where and how is the examination of the finds carried out?

The word "expertise" is not entirely correct. The finds from Acre are stored in the funds of the East Crimean Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve, in its gold pantry, and in the Museum of Underwater Archeology of the Black Sea Center for Underwater Research. There they undergo restoration and participate in exhibitions.

The Black Sea keeps in itself more than one secret, how much mysterious is hidden under its waves. One of these amazing finds the world saw only in 1982. Lovers of history, antiquities and finds, welcome to the ancient Greek port city of Acre (end of the 6th century BC) or as it was also called "Crimean Atlantis" (because of its similarity to the mythical city).

Why visit this place

The city is completely hidden under water, and you can get into it only by diving. Flooding occurred due to the rise in the level of the world's oceans and the movement of lithospheric plates. Scientists suggest that the flood occurred gradually, this is evidenced by a stone ridge that protected the townspeople from the onset of water, but, alas, the sea won. Ancient authors mentioned Acre more than once in their creations. So Strabo in his "Geography" described Acre as a small village lying in the region of the Panticapians opposite Korokondama at the entrance to the strait.

In the 80s, research work was carried out, during which the construction remains of the city and an ancient well were discovered. Locals who managed to visit Acre claim that the city has the shape of a rectangle. They were also able to find masonry and a considerable number of household items - more than 100 coins of the Bosporus kingdom, almost a dozen amphorae (4th century BC), Greek ceramics, lead anchor details, and so on. Unlike Alexandria (Egypt), which disappeared from the face of the Earth due to natural disasters, Acre continues to exist further. Archaeologists to this day do not stop studying the settlement.

Some facts from the history of the sunken city

Thanks to a thorough study of the sunken city, archaeologists discovered a well, the ruins of several towers, and partially destroyed protective walls. At a distance of more than 500 meters from the embankment, a stone ridge was built diagonally to the shore. Maybe, locals tried to escape from the onset of water, but, unfortunately, they did not succeed. I had to leave their homes. The water swallowed everything.

Not so long ago, the Russian Geographical Society decided to hold a competition among archaeologists for an expedition to study and explore the city of Acre.

The members of the expedition will explore the underwater as well as the coastal part of the sunken city. There has been no major dredging in Acre, so the city is well preserved.

Feel like a pioneer

Such an ancient discovery is not limited to excursions, they are conducted by the Atlantis diving club, which is open daily from 9.00 to 19.00. The cost starts from 2000 rubles and above. The instructor conducts preliminary training before diving into the sea. You need to have a wetsuit and special equipment with you. Unfortunately, there are age restrictions (children under 8 years old). Those who have illnesses, for which diving is a contraindication, will also not be able to appreciate the beauty of the excursion.

The place is not devoid of tourist attractions - this is fishing, beach holidays, visiting baths, a brewery and other things. The House of Crimean Masters store is famous for paintings by local artists and souvenirs for every taste.

How to get to the underwater city of Acre

The town is located in the western part of the Kerch Peninsula. Most of its territory was hidden under water between the Yanysh estuary and the Black Sea coast in the east, 10 km south of the city of Kerch near the village. Embankment.

Acre, city

Acre, or Acre - in ancient times a city in Sicily, the ruins of which are located in the mountains near the source of Anapo, above the present Palazolo Acreide (west of Syracuse).

Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron. - St. Petersburg: Brockhaus-Efron. 1890-1907 .

See what "Acre, city" is in other dictionaries:

- (St. Jean d Acre) see Akka ...

- ... Wikipedia

- (Akka, in ancient times Akko), at one time Ptolemaida, a small city in the northwest of Israel, is located on a small promontory on the northern side of Haifa Bay, 16 km northeast of Haifa. The city stands on a narrow coastal plain west of the Lower… Geographic Encyclopedia

At one time, Ptolemais, a small city in northwestern Israel, was located on a small promontory on the northern side of the Gulf of Acre, 16 km northeast of Haifa. The city stands on a narrow coastal plain west of Lower Galilee. Acre is the only... Collier Encyclopedia

Acre: Acre (Crimea) is an ancient Greek port city that was completely submerged in the fourth century BC. Acre cape in Greece. Acre quarter in Jerusalem. Acre is one of the names of the ancient city of Akko. Acre fortress in Syria. ... ... Wikipedia

- (Hebrew עיר דוד‎ Ir David) the oldest inhabited area of ​​Jerusalem on the site of the ancient city of the period of the Jebusites (who called it Jebus), as well as the period of the First and Second Jerusalem temples. Already in the Bronze Age it was walled ... ... Wikipedia

Akra (according to the Chald. Hakra, from the Greek άκρα, high, fortified place) is the special name of one quarter of ancient Jerusalem, the so-called Lower City (Shuk gatakhton), which surrounded the upper city (own Zion) in a semicircle from the north. This is the same one.... Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron

This term has other meanings, see Acre (meanings). Acre Arab city. عقرة‎‎ … Wikipedia

This term has other meanings, see Acre (meanings). The ancient city of Acre Country Ancient Greece ... Wikipedia

This term has other meanings, see Acre (meanings). Akra (aram. Hakra, from other Greek άκρα, “high, fortified place”) is the name of one of the quarters of ancient Jerusalem, the so-called “Lower City” (Shuk ha takhton), ... ... Wikipedia

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The Black Sea is fraught with many secrets, it is unique in its nature and we, perhaps, do not always appreciate it properly. Most domestic divers tend to go to the resorts of Egypt, Turkey, the Maldives, not quite understanding, and not knowing what secrets are hidden under the waves of our sea. One of these secrets, which has recently begun to open its curtain to us, is the ancient city of Acre, nicknamed the "Crimean Atlantis". Let's plunge into the romance of underwater archeology, scientific research and simple recreational diving.

Acre is a kind of "Terra Incognita". At the end of the 18th century, Crimea was annexed to the territory of the Russian Empire. This event marked the beginning of an active scientific survey of these lands. Scientists-encyclopedists began to make their travels to new lands. In parallel, they tried to localize the places of Greek cities known from ancient written sources.

The "Periplus of Pontus Euxinus" names many cities on the banks of the Cimmerian Bosporus (Kerch Strait): Panticapaeum, Mirmekiy, Nymphaeum, Kitey and the village of Acre. Strabo, Greek geographer of the 2nd c. AD, indicated that Acre was located opposite Korokondama at the entrance to the strait. But Pliny the Elder, a Roman scientist, ranks Acre among the Bosporan cities. In addition, Acre was mentioned by Claudius Ptolemy, Stephen of Byzantium and Aelius Gordian.

By the beginning of the 20th century, almost all ancient cities were localized on modern maps, but there were minor problems with Acre - they could not find its remains. The etymology of the name of this city initially confused researchers, since the main and most common meaning suggested that Acre would be on an elevated place, because literally the word "Acre" is translated as a hill or fortification. It is from here that the name "Acropolis" - the upper city - comes from.

Academician P.S. Pallas was the first to give Acre a “registration permit” at the end of the 18th century, placing it on Cape Takil in the southeastern part of the Kerch Peninsula. Paul Dubrux, one of the pioneers of Russian archeology, at the beginning of the 19th century placed Acre a little south of Takil, on the site he had discovered. Until 1918, almost all researchers were convinced that there was Acre, but a sensational discovery was made. Local fishermen found a cult table with an inscription that mentioned the Kitean community. It became clear that another Bosporan city, Kitey, was located here.

For the next 60 years, Acre was located on Taquila itself. When excavations were carried out here in 1975 and an ancient Greek sanctuary was found, it seemed that the city had finally been found. But many researchers had doubts about the fidelity of the localization of Acre. The location of the two neighboring Greek cities, between which Acre was located - Nymphaeum and Kitei - was precisely established. Greek peripluses (ancient sailing directions) informed us of the distances between cities, and the distance from Kitei to Cape Takil was half that to Acre.

After the winter storms of 1981, one Kerch schoolboy began to find ancient coins on the banks of the sandy bay separating the salty Yanysh Lake from the Kerch Strait south of the village of Naberezhnoye, Leninsky District of Crimea. The lucky schoolboy has collected quite a significant collection of antique coins from different periods. This confirmed that here scientists are not dealing with a simple blurry treasure, but with some kind of flooded settlement. The coins were transferred to the Kerch Museum and already in the summer of 1982, an employee of the Kerch Museum V. Kholodkov conducted the first excavations, both on the embankment and on the hill south of the lake, during which powerful cultural strata of the ancient era were discovered. It became clear that archaeologists were faced not with an ordinary settlement, but with a small urban center. There was a sensation in science - an ancient city under water was discovered. Acre was finally found...

Underwater studies begun shortly after the first discoveries by the detachment of the Bosporan expedition of the Leningrad Region of the Leningrad Region of the USSR Academy of Sciences, led by K. Shilik, established that the ancient city, which lay at a depth of up to 4.5 m, had a rectangular shape in plan, with an area of ​​at least 4 hectares. To the east of it, more seaward and to a depth of 7.5 m, there was a harbor. During underwater reconnaissance 1983-1985. defensive walls, two towers and a well were discovered. One of the walls is well preserved over 110 m. On the floor side, a tower measuring 7 x 7 m adjoined the wall. Another defensive wall was examined 150 m to the north. A well lined with stones was found 170 m from the shore at a depth of 3 m. In its filling, seven branded amphoras of Heraclea Pontica of the 4th century BC were found. BC, fragments of black-glazed pottery, a fragment of a lead anchor rod, wood details processed on a lathe.

Archaeological exploration of Acre continued in 1994-1997. the same schoolboy who 15 years ago discovered a collection of coins. He graduated from university and became an archaeologist. Excavations on the coast were combined with underwater reconnaissance of the flooded part of the city. On land, the buildings of the Roman time were studied - three large households. But for the next 15 years, the city of Acre again turned out to be unfairly forgotten.

Only in 2011, underwater archaeologists from the Kiev Department of Underwater Heritage and the St. Petersburg Hermitage again drew attention to this unique archeological monument.

The modern period of development of underwater archaeological research in the Northern Black Sea region was marked by the resumption of large-scale work in Phanagoria, Olbia and Chersonese. Total reconnaissance is being carried out in the waters of the southern coast of Crimea, medieval shipwrecks in the Novosvetskaya Bay are being comprehensively studied, a sensational find has been made near Serpent Island: a merchant ship of the 4th century BC. BC. with a load of amphoras from Peparet. In the light of these events, ancient Acre also could not remain out of sight of archaeologists.

Diving has recently become a very popular and popular sport and recreation. This led to the involvement in the ranks of the expedition not only of researchers, but also members of the military-historical diving club "St. Andrew's Flag". Collaboration between professional archaeologists and professional divers and volunteer divers from different countries allowed to get significant results in just two seasons.

For the first time in Acre, not just visual reconnaissance was carried out, but real underwater excavations with professional diving equipment. For two years of research, a section of the defensive wall of the city and urban development of the 4th century BC was excavated. BC. The preserved height of the fortifications reached 1.6 m.

A peculiar sensation was the opening of the house of the first half of the 4th century. BC. So far, only one of its premises has been studied, with an area of ​​​​25 square meters. m. A broken Heraclean amphora was found on the floor. Wall masonry has been preserved in 3 rows, overall height up to 0.6 m. Such preservation of architectural remains underwater is unique. Neither in Olbia, nor in Chersonese, nor in other places where we carry out our underwater archaeological research, this is not observed - all layers are eroded, the masonry is destroyed. But not in Acre.

We were able to sketch and put on the plans the main elements of urban development, such as: defensive walls (and, apparently, the so-called northern defensive wall dates back to Roman times), stone pavements, and premises of city houses. For excavations of the ancient city, hydroejectors are used for shallow depths, and special plastic tablets are used for underwater drawings and records. Each member of the expedition has the necessary diving skills and basic knowledge in the field of archeology.

It has already become a tradition of the expedition to invite underwater archaeologists from Poland to join it, friends whom I was lucky to meet at the Gdansk Maritime Museum at the UNESCO advanced training courses for underwater archaeologists. A number of Hermitage researchers, professional archaeologists, took special diving courses to participate in our underwater expedition. And this year we were glad to honor divers from Lithuania and Vietnam in our ranks. A Russian diver, underwater photographer, volunteer Ernst Antonov from the Krasnodar Territory has been cooperating with us for a number of years now.

Any real underwater archaeological expedition is very different from simple dives, when if the site is not interesting, it is changed. In 2012, we spent 1.5 months on Acre, some discoveries were accompanied by routine household issues, periodic storms. And in general, digging under water is a very delicate and painstaking business. Therefore, I am very grateful to all our participants for their work, since the expedition is not only the joy of new discoveries, but, first of all, the team of like-minded people. We were lucky both with discoveries and with the team.

Acre existed for almost 1000 years, from the end of the VI century. BC. before the beginning of the 4th c. AD The gradual flooding of the city territory began already with the beginning of a new era, both due to changes in the general level of the World Ocean, and due to local geological processes of land subsidence. From antiquity to the present day, the sea level has risen by 4 m. Two years of research is, of course, a short time to draw conclusions in the study of Acre. But a start has been made: there is enthusiasm, desire too. The city under water has just begun to reveal its secrets to us.

Text: Expedition leader - acting Head of the Department of Ancient Archeology, Department of Underwater Archeology, Research Institute of Nat. Academy of Leading Personnel of the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine Viktor Vakhoneev.

Photo: Master Diver SSI, PADI AOWD/DEEP/WRECK/NITROX, CMAS** and just a good person Ernst Antonov.

Rice. from the book "What is archeology", Amalrik A.S., Mongait A.L., publishing house "Enlightenment", 1966.