Everything about Chersonesos totally explained
Chersonesos (; ;
Old East Slavic: Корсунь,
Korsun; ; also transliterated as
Chersonese,
Chersonesos,
Cherson) was an
ancient Greek colony founded approximately 2500 years ago in the southwestern part of
Crimea, known then as
Taurica. The colony was established in the
6th century BC by settlers from
Heraclea Pontica.
The ancient city is located on the shore of the
Black Sea at the outskirts of
Sevastopol on the
Crimean peninsula of
Ukraine, where it's referred to as
Khersones. It has been nicknamed the "Ukrainian
Pompeii" and "Russian
Troy". The name "Chersonesos" in Greek means simply "peninsula", and aptly describes the site on which the colony was established. It shouldn't be confused with the Tauric Chersonese, the name often applied to the whole of the southern Crimea along with "
Taurica".
During much of the classical period the town was a
democracy ruled by a group of elected
archons and a council called the Damiorgi. As time went on the government grew more oligarchic, with power concentrated in the hands of the archons. A form of oath sworn by all the citizens in the
3rd century BC has survived to the present day.
History
In the late
2nd century BC Chersonesos became a dependency of the
Bosporan Kingdom. It was subject to
Rome from the middle of the
1st century BC until the
370s AD, when it was captured by the
Huns.
It became a
Byzantine possession during the
Early Middle Ages and withstood a siege by the
Göktürks in 581. Byzantine rule was slight: there was a small imperial garrison more for the town's protection than for its control. It was useful to Byzantium in two ways: as an observation point to watch the barbarian tribes, and its isolation made it a popular place of exile for those who angered the Roman and later Byzantine governments. Among its more famous "inmates" were Popes
Clement I and
Martin I, and the deposed
Byzantine Emperor Justinian II. According to
Theophanes and others, Chersonesos was the residence of a
Khazar tudun in the late
600s.
In 838
Emperor Theophilus sent the nobleman
Petronas Kamateros, who had recently overseen the construction of the Khazar fortress of
Sarkel, to take direct control over the city and its environs. It remained in Byzantine hands until the
980s, when it reportedly fell to
Kiev.
Vladimir the Great agreed to evacuate the fortress only if
Basil II's sister
Anna Porphyrogeneta would be given him in marriage. The demand caused a scandal in Constantinople, as imperial princesses had never been married to non-Greeks before. As a pre-condition for the marriage settlement, Vladimir was baptized here in
988, thus paving the way to the
Baptism of Kievan Rus'. Thereafter Korsun' was evacuated.
Since this campaign isn't recorded in Greek sources, historians have suggested that this account actually refers to the events of the
Rus'-Byzantine War (1043) and to a different
Vladimir. In fact, most valuables looted by the Slavs in Korsun' made their way to
Novgorod (perhaps by way of Ioakim Korsunianin, the first Novgorodian bishop, as his surname indicates ties to Korsun), where they were preserved in the
Cathedral of Holy Wisdom until the 20th century. One of the most interesting items from this "Korsun Treasure" is the copper
Korsun Gate, supposedly captured by the Novgorodians in Korsun' and now part of the St. Sophia Cathedral.
After the
Fourth Crusade Chersonesos became dependent on the
Empire of Trebizond, and then fell under
Genoese control in the early
1300s. In
1299 the town was sacked by the armies of
Nogai Khan. A century later it was destroyed by
Edigu and was permanently abandoned. In the late
19th century, St Vladimir's Cathedral (completed
1892) was built on a small hill overlooking the site; designed in Byzantine style, it was intended to commemorate the site of Vladimir's baptism.
Archaeological site
Chersonesos' ancient ruins are presently located in one of Sevastopol's suburbs. They were excavated by the Russian government, starting from
1827. They are today a popular tourist attraction, protected by the state as an archaeological park.
The buildings mix influences of Greek,
Roman and
Byzantine culture. The defensive wall is hundreds of meters long. Buildings include Roman
amphitheatre and a Greek temple.
The largest portion of the site is "Chora", several square kilometres of ancient but now barren farmland, with remains of
wine presses and defensive
towers. According to archaeologists, the evidence suggests that the locals were paid to do the farm work instead of being
enslaved.
The excavated tombstones hint at burial practices that were different from the Greek ones. Each stone marks the tomb of an individual, instead of the whole family and the decorations include only objects like sashes and weapons, instead of burial statues. Over half of the tombs archaeologists have found have bones of children. Burned remnants suggest that the city was plundered and destroyed.
In 2007 Chersonesos tied for fifth in the
Seven Wonders of Ukraine poll.
Current studies
The Institute of Classical Archaeology of the
University of Texas at Austin and the local Archaeological Park has investigated the site since
1992. The Ukrainian government has included the site on its tentative
World Heritage List. The site, however, is in danger of further urban encroachment and coastal
erosion.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Chersonesos'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://chersonesos.totallyexplained.com">Chersonesos Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
