Secrets of the Kerch excavations: a rich catch of archaeologists. The railway approach to the Crimean bridge will be postponed due to the discovered ancient city Archaeological expedition near Kerch pleases researchers with new finds

1. Video interview of 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

2. View of the mound "Cement Slobidka-1" from the south. A crypt between gazelles and a bulldozer. It can be seen that the Tavrida highway passes right through the mound, the photographer is standing on the future road

4. And here is the actual upper part of the crypt

5. The vaulted crypt was repeatedly robbed and destroyed, besides it was reused

6. The upper part of the crypt was destroyed by the fortifications of the Great Patriotic War, 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, the archaeologists have reached the level of the secondary burial, before the owner of the crypt still digs and digs. Pieces of a South Pontic pseudo-Kos amphora of the second half of the 1st century BC were found here. BC, fragments of red-glazed ceramics, single-horned lamp, red-clay urn, two faience pendants in the form of a scarab and a demon

8. Human bones and fragments of ceramics

9. Away from home microdistrict Nizhny Solnechny

10. View from the mound towards the Crimean bridge

11. Industrial zone of bridge construction

14. View of the dromos (entrance corridor) and 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 stairs of the dromos, a children's burial of the Roman period of the 1st century AD was found. Next to the remains is a crushed vessel, a glass bottle, bronze bells and beads. There was also a pixida (a round jewelry box) and a funeral urn with ashes.

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

20. After the end of the excavations, it was decided to move the crypt to the territory of the Kerch fortress and museumify it. Further on the photo is the crypt in the process of transfer. Several rows of blocks have already been moved. The marking of the crypt is clearly visible for subsequent collection at a new location

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

22. View of the entrance to the crypt and dromos

30. Marking for assembly. Later, when the crypt had already been transported to the fortress but had not yet been assembled, a funny incident happened with the markings. Heavy rains with hail passed in Kerch and the markings began to be smeared, archaeologists had to urgently take measures to protect and restore it

In May–June 2017, the Crimean New Construction Archaeological Expedition of the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences (head of the expedition, Doctor of Historical Sciences S.Yu. Vnukov) excavated the Hospital barrow in the city of Kerch (Fig. 1, 2). The research was carried out within the framework of a project for the preservation of historical heritage monuments falling into the construction zone. The excavations of the barrow were supervised by a researcher of the IA RAS, Ph.D. I.V. Rukavishnikova, the press service of the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences reports. Hospital Kurgan is located in the southeastern part of Kerch in the Solnechny microdistrict, east of the Heroes of Stalingrad highway. It is named after the former military hospital located nearby. Hospital - the largest in the chain of barrows on the central rocky ridge of Yuz-Oba (One Hundred Hills - Tatar) in Kerch. The height of its earth embankment (Fig. 1) was more than 7 m, the diameter was 70 m, the total area of ​​the monument was approx. 13,700 sq. m. The central stratigraphic profile of the mound showed the complex structure of its mound and several periods of its formation. The mound was built in several ways, which are associated with various burial structures of the mound. In addition, in all stratigraphic sections, traces of numerous predatory excavations and trenches of different times, which damaged the mound mound, were recorded. Read: Studies have shown that the earliest are two burials in stone boxes (Fig. 4, right) with slab ceilings, located side by side at the same level along the north-south line. One of the boxes contained a single untouched burial, the other was completely robbed in antiquity, apparently twice. In an intact burial (Fig. 5), a poorly preserved human skeleton was found in a wooden sarcophagus (Fig. 8), decorated with plaster ornamental overlays. The buried was accompanied by numerous items related to sports. These are more than 10 alabasters - special vessels for oil, which was used during training and competitions, a strigel - a crescent-shaped scraper used to clean the body of an athlete from oil, sweat and dirt, as well as for massage after the competition. 150 astragalus dice were also found there. Particularly noteworthy is a painted red-figured wine jug - a pelika (Fig. 9), of the so-called Kerch style. Judging by these finds, in the 2nd half of the 4th c. BC. a young male athlete was buried here. Above these two early burials, the first, relatively small mound was heaped. On it, to the south and north of the burials, 2 stone altars-eschars were installed (Fig. 7). Not far from them, bonfires and pits with the remains of feasts, performed in memory of the dead, were also found. Numerous fragments of painted red-figure vessels of the 4th century BC were found in them. BC. and other ceramics. Among them are fragments of a red-figure crater (a vessel for mixing wine with water) with images of maenads and satyrs. Read: After some time, apparently, at the end of the 4th century. before. AD, a grandiose stone tomb was added to the early mound (Fig. 4), placed on the ancient surface. It was covered with an additional embankment. The tomb is an ancient crypt with a long dromos corridor that led to a rectangular burial chamber measuring 5.20 x 4.80 m with a stepped ceiling. The length of the dromos is about 20 m; it expands towards the entrance. The entrance to the dromos, apparently, went out onto the surface of the new mound and was designed as a stepped portal. It was laid with a torn stone (Fig. 3). The inner walls of the chamber and the dromos corridor were covered with thin smoothed plaster. The later, higher mound of the mound, which covered the crypt, was erected in several steps, as the structure was built. This facilitated the laying of the upper rows of masonry walls and ceilings. Each level of the mound was separated from the overlying layer of stone chips, formed during the laying of the next row of masonry of the tomb. In some places, the bottom of the new embankment was reinforced with a special limestone roller. Numerous fragments of container and table vessels of the 4th–3rd centuries BC were found in the mound. BC. To this crypt, apparently, one more funeral altar-eskhara, discovered in the western field of the late mound, belongs. Later, the crypt was repeatedly robbed, it was also dismantled for stone. As a result, it was very badly damaged. Nevertheless, some architectural details of the rich decoration of the tomb have been preserved: a fragment of a frieze decorated with ovs, a pilaster capital, and an architectural plaster decoration covered with blue paint. Fragments of pottery dating back to the 4th century BC were also found in the filling. BC. and the Middle Ages. In the western part of the mound, two later burials in the side chambers dating back to the turn of the eras were also discovered. For a while, the destructible crypt stood open. One of these periods includes the most interesting schematic drawings (Fig. 6), applied to plaster with ocher and soot, apparently in the 3rd-5th centuries. AD Battle scenes, ships, solar symbols, etc. are depicted. The style of the images is reminiscent of those in the Sabazid crypt in Kerch. The restorers of the State Hermitage and the Kerch Museum-Reserve took part in the work on their conservation. Read: The remains of a temporary dwelling with a hearth, built in the already destroyed dromos, date back to the Middle Ages. The nearby small settlement "Hospital" is connected with the barrow. There is reason to believe that the builders of this mound lived in it. Thus, the Hospital mound is a complex burial complex of different times, the main burials in which were made in the 2nd half of the 4th century BC. BC. The ruined crypt discovered in it, apparently, was not inferior to the best examples of the Hellenistic Bosporan funerary architecture and contained the burial place of a representative of the top of the local society. Also of great interest are later drawings on the walls of the crypt. Excavations of mounds of this size have not been carried out in the Crimea for more than 120 years. For the first time they were implemented in a complex, at the modern scientific level. In addition to archaeologists, anthropologists, paleozoologists, palynologists, restorers and others took part in the work. They received important information about the funeral rite of the representatives of the Bosporan nobility, the burial structures of the Bosporus and the technique of their construction, about the material culture of the Bosporan kingdom in the Hellenistic era, in Roman and medieval times.

The railway approach to the Crimean bridge will be redesigned after the ancient settlement of Manitra was discovered at the construction site in the vicinity of Kerch.

The railway will pass south of the planned route, work on the new project may take about 6 months. This was reported by the information center "Crimean bridge".

“In order to preserve the unique historical monument, the builders of the approach to the Crimean bridge will adjust the route of the railway line at one of the sections in the vicinity of Kerch. The road will bypass and will not affect the buildings of a rich antique estate, discovered during archaeological research preceding the construction of the route.

A complex of 40 rooms and 9 courtyards dating from the end of the 5th - the beginning of the 3rd century BC. e., could belong to the family of a Bosporan aristocrat or a representative of the dynasty of kings of the Bosporus. The transfer of the approach site will allow scientists to conserve this settlement, study it and save it for posterity,” the information center said in a statement.

The press service of the construction emphasized that the transfer of the section of the route will not affect the deadline for the completion of the 18-km approach: it will work, as planned, in December 2019.

As RBC writes, the railway tracks can be moved 700-900 m to the south, where "archaeologists do not expect new finds."

“We know and respect history. We understand in which region we work. Therefore, the issue of preserving cultural heritage has been and remains a priority,” said Leonid Ryzhenkin, Deputy Director for Infrastructure Projects at Stroygazmontazh.

Unique find

The found estate occupies an area of ​​​​more than 5 thousand square meters. m and is characterized by continuous buildings, typical for ancient rural complexes.

Approximately 80% of the found settlement has now been discovered. The upper layers have been discovered almost over the entire area, but the lowest horizon has not yet been excavated everywhere.

“To understand who the first owner of this estate was, you need to open the earliest level. But it is obvious that he was a representative of the aristocratic elite of the Bosporus kingdom,” says the expedition leader, Doctor of Historical Sciences, leading researcher at the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences Sergey Vnukov.

“There are no analogues of a rural estate of such area, complexity and such good preservation not only in the Crimea, but throughout the Black Sea region.

The uniqueness of this settlement is in a very high level of construction. The monument is located on the Kerch Peninsula, in the western part of the Bosporan kingdom. This is a distant outskirts of the Hellenic world, but here we see the experience of ancient urban planning at its best.

The one who built this estate had not just great, but very great material opportunities. Presumably, this is not even a representative of the social property elite, but rather a member of the ruling royal dynasty or, in general, the king of the Bosporus himself, ”Alexander Maslennikov, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Head of the Field Research Department of the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, agrees with his colleague.

In the village of Podmayachnoye in the area of ​​Pigeon Bay, excavations of the ancient settlement of Gleika-2 continue. This expedition was already carried out last year. The expedition is led by Professor, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Head of the Department of the Primitive Traditional Society of the Institute of Archeology of the Crimea of ​​the Russian Academy of Sciences Alexander Evgenievich KISLOY. Gleyki-2 is one of the oldest settlements in the Crimea. During the excavations, many artifacts were found there. So, for example, back in 2016, a burial of a young warrior with a large grater on his shoulder was discovered in the settlement, and last year the archaeologist managed to find elements of three boats of different models. Read: “The uniqueness of this settlement is that we do not know such a different culture in Crimea. There is a set of artifacts that makes up the cultural fund. These are ceramics, products, and we do not know of such a material cultural layer. Nowhere else, in any settlement, do we know such ceramics in Crimea with such a culture, with such a form, ”said Alexander Evgenievich in an interview. This year, the expedition is trying to find even more structures that may have been left over from ancient times.

Archaeological expedition near Kerch delights researchers with new finds

The more buildings, the more finds. In Crimea, in recent years, major infrastructure projects have been implemented - new roads are being built, power plants are being built, airports are being reconstructed. Archaeological excavations, which are carried out before construction begins, radically change the understanding of scientists about the history of the peninsula. found out what the researchers found in 2017.

Legacy of the Golden Horde

Scientists made most of the finds in preparation for the construction of the Tavrida highway. The highway will connect the Crimean bridge, Kerch, Simferopol and Sevastopol - that is, it will become the main transport artery of the peninsula. In the meantime, archaeologists are seizing the moment and studying what the earth has been hiding for centuries. However, in the Bakhchisarai region, it shocked even experienced specialists. Here, in early December, the expedition members found a burial in which there were at least 70 decapitated human skeletons. Previously, they date back to the X-XIII centuries and belong to the times of the Golden Horde, when the peninsula survived the invasion of the Mongol-Tatars.

“During the excavations on the barrow, an unexpected find was made. Two ditches were found, which are literally clogged with bones. The remains of more than 70 people, all without skulls, with traces of cuts. The corpses were randomly dumped. These are victims of mass execution,” explained the head of the Crimean new construction archaeological expedition, a leading researcher at the Department of Classical Archeology of the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Scientists did not find the skulls of the victims. Archaeologists suggest that the heads of the captives were impaled on stakes and put on public display or stacked in pyramids, as was customary among some nationalities. “XII-XIV century - times were harsh, but this is only an assumption,” Vnukov said. It will be possible to more accurately date the burial ground after analyzing two arrowheads found in the ditches.

Frame: Kryminform / YouTube

Another high-profile - and not so terrifying - opening took place in the center of Simferopol in November. On Vorovsky Street, a group of archaeologists are the remains of ancient engineering communications. Scientists are sure that these are traces of the medieval palace complex of Kalga-Sultan - the second person in the Crimean Khanate.

Scientists have found, in particular, coins, fragments of ceramic dishes and glass from the period of the Crimean Khanate. The head of the excavations, a researcher at the Institute of Archeology of the Crimea, Emil Seidaliev, explained that the palace was discovered thanks to historical sources: “The place was identified quite a long time ago and is known to us from various historical sources. For example, the writing of Peter Simon Pallas. Initially, several pits were planned, which can localize the cultural layer.” Scientists said that in one area a ceramic water pipe was preserved, which probably dates back to the period of the existence of the palace and could lead to a fountain or a kitchen.

According to the director of the Institute of Archeology of the Crimea of ​​the Russian Academy of Sciences Vadim Maiko, the difficulty lies in the fact that there is no information about the appearance of the building: “Neither engravings nor other images of this palace have come down to us, although scientists managed to localize its location at the beginning of the 20th century” . The deputy from Crimea promised that this object would be included in the register of cultural heritage monuments.

Ancient Russian bridge

In October, scientists from the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the oldest engineering structure in the Crimea. It turned out to be a small stone bridge, which was found in the Belogorsk region, near the village of Nekrasovo (former Melek). An arched single-span bridge was built across the Ashil stream (the left tributary of the Bulganak River), which flowed in this place, but by the end of the 19th century it had completely dried up. The structures are made of hewn natural stone. The length of the structure is about 30 meters, the width is about 8 meters, the width of the arch is no more than 2 meters. On the sides of the bridge there was a parapet (a fence made of large hewn stone blocks), which later collapsed.

Crypt of Macedon

In the vicinity of Kerch in April of this year, archaeologists found an ancient Greek crypt built during the time of Alexander the Great. “This mound was erected in the second half of the 4th century BC, when the Bosporus kingdom flourished on the Kerch Peninsula, because the Northern Black Sea region was the main granary of the entire Greek world,” explained Irina Rukavishnikova, head of the excavations, researcher at the Department of Scythian-Sarmatian archeology of the Institute of Archeology.

She added that the discovered burial reaches ten meters in length. “Most likely, a noble person was buried here. In ancient times, the crypt was covered with a mound, in which, in turn, six more burials from different eras were let in,” Rukavishnikova said. It is reported that on the steps leading to the entrance to the chamber of the crypt (dromos), a child's burial dating back to the 1st century AD was found. When buried, a crushed figurative vessel, a glass bottle, bronze bells and paste beads, fragments of a bone box - pixides were found. An urn with the ashes of a cremated person was found next to this burial.

Directly in the crypt were found bronze and iron nails, fragments of black-gloss ceremonial dishes. In the layer of the filling of the crypt, related to the stage of reuse-subburial, there are fragments of a South Pontic pseudo-Cossian amphora dating back to the second half of the 1st century BC, fragments of red-lacquer utensils, a single-horned lamp, a red-clay urn, two faience pendants in the form of a scarab and a demon.

Kubrick and the steamer

However, not only monuments of distant antiquity were discovered. In November, on Malakhov Kurgan in Sevastopol, road builders accidentally found the crew quarters of battery number 111 under the command of Lieutenant Commander Alexei Matyukhin, who held the defense of the slopes of the Sevastopol Bay during the Great Patriotic War. Four quarters, two large cellars, as well as three positions of anti-aircraft DShK (mounted heavy machine gun) and two 45-mm guns in pillboxes were found in the vicinity. Rescuers promised to participate in excavations at the fortification in order to ensure safety.

In April, off the coast of Crimea, the steamer Boy Federsen (formerly Kharkiv), which sank during the Great Patriotic War, was supposedly taking valuables from the peninsula occupied by the German army. The ship was found by the Russian underwater research expedition between Sevastopol and Cape Tarkhankut. In August 1943, Boy Federsen was on a convoy from the Crimea, was attacked by Soviet naval aviation, damaged by torpedoes and bombs, and sank.

In just a year, 80 archaeological discoveries were made in the vicinity of the future Tavrida highway alone. Experts say that Crimea is the golden age of archaeological research. “This is due to the large projects that are currently being implemented. Once upon a time, something similar happened during the construction of the North Crimean Canal (in 1961-1971), although now the scale is larger, associated with huge infrastructure projects,” emphasizes Vyacheslav Zarubin, Deputy Chairman of the State Committee of the Crimean Government for the Protection of Cultural Heritage. According to him, the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation issued 124 permits (open sheets) for archaeological excavations on the peninsula. “That's a lot. In the period up to 2014, there were from 20 to 40 open sheets. There are a lot of discoveries, museum funds are actively replenished. The finds are stored in the Crimea, replenishing our Crimean collections, no one takes them anywhere,” the representative of the Crimean government assured. Probably, new high-profile discoveries will take place in the near future, but even now we can say that the Crimea has become the archaeological capital of Russia.