Acre - Crimea, Crimea - on the map. What is hidden in the mysterious Crimean Atlantis off the coast of Kerch? Sunken city in Crimea
Two and a half thousand years ago, around the 4th century BC, Greek settlers founded cities on the Crimean coast that became the basis of a new state. Archaeologists could not find one of these cities, called Acre, for more than 200 years.
History of Acre
The ancient Greek historian Strabo called acre a “village” and described it as an ice-free port of the Bosporan kingdom. Acre is indeed located next to other ancient cities of the Bosporus.
Residents of the ancient city had the opportunity all year round fish and trade with merchants from different countries. In addition, a special variety of wheat was grown in Acre, which did not grow in the Mediterranean, and it made very good bread. Therefore, Acre was a grain supplier for Athens for a long time.
And although Acre was founded a little later ancient Rome, By defensive tactics and the turnover of trade in the cozy harbor was not inferior to it. The ancient city was of indescribable beauty.
Approximate reconstruction of Acre
The discovery of Acre in the 1980s became a sensation. It was even nicknamed the Crimean Atlantis... All because in the 3rd century AD greek city flooded sea waters. The majestic buildings sank immediately, and greater depth. Where have all its inhabitants gone? Archaeologists are now trying to unravel this and other mysteries.
Discovery of Acre
By the end of the 18th century, the location of almost all the cities of the Bosporan kingdom was established - Panticapaeum, Nymphaeum, Cimmerica and others. But Akra could not be found for a long time. Why? Literally from the ancient Greek “acre” means “high ground”. Like “acropolis”, that is “ upper city" Therefore, Akra was searched for high place, which was logical, since this position is convenient for defense. And they managed to find it on Cape Takil - actually in a lowland.
Archaeologist Alexey Kulikov is the discoverer of Acre. In 1981, when he was a schoolboy, there was a strong storm. It licked the sand from the beach and exposed the stonework of the ancient walls. According to Kulikov’s recollections, the waves ate up pieces before his eyes. sandy beach, and two or three coins flowed through the clay. We had to catch them in time... More often we came across Soviet small things. But one day he managed to find the first coin of Acre - almost 8 grams of gold, with a portrait of Basileus Cotius. Now it is in the gold storage room of the Kerch Museum.
Golden Pantry of the Kerch Historical and Archaeological Museum.
In addition to the coin, 15-year-old pioneer Alexei Kulikov brought a plan of an ancient settlement to the museum.
In 1983, the Leningrad Institute of Archeology and members of the Kerch diving club conducted an expedition - and raised rare artifacts from the bottom of the sea. Forty meters from the shore a powerful high tower made of large rusticated blocks, as well as a well with fragments of ancient Greek amphorae. Then it became clear that this was not just a settlement, but a real ancient city.
Acre Research
In 1990, excavations were stopped and resumed only twenty years later. Since 2011, excavations at the site of Acre have been led by the St. Petersburg Hermitage Museum. Many exhibits were found, but all the treasures of the underwater city remain in Crimea. Experts are trying to prove that this is Acre - yes, this has not yet been proven, since no inscriptions confirming this have been found. According to scientists, there are more than 2,000 sunken objects at the bottom of the sea.
Underwater finds using an underwater pit in 2012: 1 - lead fishing sinker; 2,3 - lead weights; 4 - red clay jug; 5,6 - fragments of red-figure ceramics; 7 - bronze arrowhead; 8 - bronze plate; 9 - copper nail; 10, 11 - Panticapaean copper coins.
Underwater archaeologists were able to establish that at least 1.5 meters of the city walls were preserved under water, and not 20-30 centimeters, as was first thought. The masonry is still in good condition, and strong wooden beams have been discovered at the base of the defensive tower. There were many other discoveries. Organic materials, which are practically not preserved underground, were preserved on the seabed under layers of clay and sand, and this made it possible to see household items used by the ancient Greeks. For example, in 2013, a perfectly preserved wooden comb from the Hellenistic period (IV-III centuries BC) was found.
Another interesting find was in 2015 – a gold earring in the shape of a lion’s head. This is a unique masterpiece of Bosporan jewelry. In the entire history of archeology, 16 such earrings have been found. Some of them are in the Hermitage, some in the Louvre. But they all come from the northern Black Sea region.
In 2016, Russian joined the excavations geographical society. It announced a gathering of volunteers - and people came from all over the country. Amateur archaeologists spent more than a month excavating. Many artifacts were found, including coins.
Coins from excavations are sent to the Feodosian center marine research for examination. Most often, these coins do not look like means of payment at all - they are ordinary dirty mugs covered with green oxides. But modern researchers have not yet come across gold coins. All that was found were finds from the 80s.
Finds of Alexey Kulikov.
If on land, where there is a piece of the fortress walls and structures of Acre, volunteers can also work, then the underwater expedition consists only of professionals. There are no more than 15 people.
To excavate at the bottom, they use hydroejectors - a kind of vacuum cleaners that suck in soil and send it to the surface, where it is further washed. For example, in 2016, a room of the 4th century BC was examined, in the center of which a stove was installed. When washing, it turned out that the floor was filled with nut shells, legumes, cherry and olive pits. That is, in reality you can see what they ate 2.5 thousand years ago in this house, in this room.
As a result of the expeditions, archaeologists examined two walls and one tower and discovered the remains of buildings similar to residential complexes. Researchers have established that Acre, which was part of the Bosporan kingdom, was a city surrounded by a fortress wall with towers. Urban development, as scientists suggest, began on the opposite side of the street, which ran near the defensive wall.
An underwater survey using sonars will make it possible to more thoroughly study the preserved fragments of buildings, determine their coordinates and, combining this data with the results of ground surveys, put them on a map.
Perhaps someday Acre will become an underwater park, and anyone will be able to dive under the water and at the same time into the depths of centuries. In the meantime, Acre keeps her secrets...
Location of Acre. On the horizon is the village of Zavetnoye.
(Crimean Atlantis)
Archaeologists have proposed turning underwater ruins in Crimea into a park of world significance.
Russian scientists who are conducting underwater excavations of the ancient city of Acre in Crimea have proposed turning the ruins into a scientific and tourist complex of world significance. At the same time, they told us what they had already managed to dig up, and what still needed to be done.
Acre is a small ancient Greek port city in Crimea, which existed from the end of the 6th century BC. e. to the 4th century AD e. Located in the very southern point Kerch Strait, at the foot of Cape Taquil.
The ruins of this ancient city are located in the western part Kerch Peninsula in the vicinity of the village of Zavetnoye. Moreover, most of the settlement is under water. Only the western part of the city extends approximately 20 meters onto land. Acre was discovered in 1982. Written sources stop mentioning Acre from the 4th century BC, and the reason is that locality plunged into sea waters.
Local residents who have visited Acre say that the city is rectangular, and they themselves were able to discover masonry and many household items. More precisely, 150 coins from the period of Bosporan rule, seven well-preserved amphorae produced in the 4th century BC, on which the mark of ancient Heraclea is carved, also anchor parts cast from lead, lacquer ceramics, wood parts turned on a lathe, etc. The flooded part of the city is 3.5 hectares. The main part of the ruins of Acre lies at a depth of 4.5 meters, and at a depth of approximately 7.5 meters lies the city harbor.
A thorough examination of Acre revealed a well, the remains of defensive walls, the ruins of two towers and several houses. The city walls are a little more than 1.8 meters high, and only 3-4 rows of masonry remain from the walls of the houses. Various passages and openings, as well as the grid of ancient streets, are still visible. The most solid city building is an impressive tower with a square base of 7x7 meters, while the thickness of the walls is 1.2 meters. At a distance of 600 meters from the embankment, a stone ridge protrudes diagonally towards the shore. Most likely, the inhabitants of Acre tried to resist the onset of water, gradually moving to a higher part of the land, but the water advanced, which the inhabitants could not prevent. Then they left their homes. Map and GPS coordinates Akra settlement in Crimea GPS - N 45 07.997 E 36 25.448
In Simferopol - the transport center of the peninsula - there is international Airport"Simferopol" (SIP). Airplanes from various Russian cities and abroad fly here (you can find the flight schedule on the Ticket Aero website).
Many airlines operate direct flights from Russian cities to Simferopol, for example, Ural Airlines, Transaero, Orenburg Airlines, VIM-Avia, Red Wings. But most flights from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Chelyabinsk, Ufa, Kemerovo and other cities are operated by Aeroflot.
For almost two hundred years, Acre could not be found. It was “placed” on almost all high capes at the entrance to the Kerch Strait. But these places did not correspond to the descriptions of the distances between the Bosporan cities, which the Greek peripluses preserved for us. The ancient city was found quite by accident by a simple schoolboy from Kerch. Lesha Kulikov, on the shore of a sandy embankment separating the salty Yanyshskoye Lake from the Kerch Strait, found many coins of the Bosporus Kingdom of various dates. This became the key to solving the mystery of Acre's location. In 1982, professional excavations were carried out, which revealed to humanity a city hidden under water for many hundreds of years. Underwater archaeologists at a depth of four and a half meters discovered an ancient settlement in the form of a trapezoid with an area of at least 4 hectares. To the east of the city, at a depth of seven meters, there was a harbor. Defensive walls, two towers and a well with seven branded amphorae of Herakpeia Pontica, fragments of black-glazed pottery, fragments of a lead anchor rod, and lathe-processed wooden parts of a small table were found.
Things often happen in life that decide your fate. The discovery of Kerch schoolboy Alexei Kulikov not only revealed the ancient flooded city to the world, but also determined the future life of the young man. He graduated from university and became an archaeologist. And in the mid-1990s, a young scientist explored a small land part of Acre. Excavations on the shore were combined with underwater exploration of the flooded areas of the city. On land, buildings dating back to Roman times were studied - three large households. But for the next fifteen years, the city again found itself unfairly forgotten, telling its stories only to dolphins. Since 2011, research has resumed, with both professional scientists and amateur divers doing it. And literally in three years more was explored in Acre than in the previous thirty years. Underwater research in the Black Sea is a complex matter, especially in the strait, the water is often cloudy and visibility is poor. Sometimes you have to work almost by touch. The expedition works at the site from May to early July. While the water had not yet warmed up and the overgrown algae had not covered the seabed with a terry green carpet.
According to scientists, Akra is the only such well-preserved settlement in the entire Black Sea region. And some other ancient coastal cities were flooded, for example, most of Olbia (modern Nikolaev region). But a lot there has been crushed by storms. But Acre was lucky - its location and the geological processes of land subsidence and sea level rise occurred in such a way that they were able to protect the city from destruction. From the materials collected by scientists over the years of research, a certain picture can be drawn. Acre was a completely typical ancient Greek polis with culture and way of life, as in all other ancient settlements of the Black Sea region. The main occupation of its inhabitants was agriculture. Scientists found a wooden comb in good condition at the bottom. On one side there are large teeth, on the other there are smaller ones. The first were intended for combing hair, and the second - for getting rid of annoying insects - lice, since hygiene in those days was at a primitive level. One of the most amazing finds of Acre can be called defensive tower, which has no analogues in other ancient monuments. The tower was decorated with rusticated blocks not only from the outside, but even from the inside. What is most impressive is that this massive structure, about fifty square meters in area, stood on a wooden platform made of huge oak beams. And what’s surprising is that the wood was preserved so well underwater that if these beams were pulled ashore, they could still be used in construction today.
While clearing the bottom, archaeologists find very a large number of items: coins made of various alloys, arrowheads, lead products, wooden plates, kitchen utensils and parts of amphorae. At the bottom, researchers often came across wooden pyxid boxes and other interesting products of ancient craftsmen. What usually decays into dust on earth during this period of time, here in the underwater city is almost in its original form. The preservation of the structures is also striking: defensive walls up to two meters high, elements of neighborhood development, houses and pavements. It is clear that archaeologists have no problems with artifacts. But they exist in another way. Active urbanization has begun in the Kerch Strait - new large ports are being built that can transform the entire hydrological system of the adjacent water area. The currents will change, and Acre, so carefully preserved by the sea for almost two and a half millennia, may simply be washed away. That is why it is necessary to explore it as soon as possible in order to tell the world the reliable story of the “Crimean Atlantis”.
with its ancient settlements, it is a kind of little Hellas. A little worn out, but still living history, imprinted in every stone of its destroyed walls. And it’s not at all necessary to invent a time machine and fly it to Ancient Greece to feel like a contemporary of Pythagoras or Aristotle. It is enough just to go on an excavation, and you are no longer in the 21st century, but, having passed through an unimaginable thickness of time, somewhere there, in the 5th-4th centuries BC, at the very source of the foundation of ancient Acre. It is not difficult to imagine how Greek aristocrats and ordinary townspeople once walked along these now flooded streets. And now, two and a half thousand years later, curious and brave travelers with a rich imagination will have the opportunity to dive under the water and see ancient Acre with their own eyes. “Crimean Atlantis” is a real miracle, which is hard to believe, but its reality refutes all the absurd talk of skeptics that miracles do not happen. Underwater antique city I’m already ready to tell my stories not only to onlooker fish or dolphins, but also to Crimean tourists.
The ancient Greek city of Acre, which is located on the territory of modern Crimea, went under water about a thousand years ago - at the end of the 10th century AD. Local journalists nicknamed it the Crimean Atlantis, because only a few meters of the ancient settlement overlook the land. The city could not be found for more than a hundred years. The fact is that from ancient Greek the word “acre” is translated as “hill” (and here it is difficult not to remember the Acropolis - “upper city”). In addition, among ancient authors (Pliny, Strobo, Ariana, Pseudo-Arian) Acre is mentioned as completely small settlement, which led to the formation of two stereotypes among historiographers. Firstly, Acre is a small city, and secondly, it is located on a hill. But in reality, everything turned out to be exactly the opposite. Acre, where about a thousand people lived (at that time - the population of a large city), was an important port city in the south of the Bosporan state, which stood at the foot of Cape Takil - in fact, in the lowland. But all this became clear much later - only about thirty years ago - thanks to chance. Read: In 1982, Crimean schoolboy Alyosha Kulikov found ancient coins on the coast, which, as it turned out, were used local residents 2.5 thousand years ago. Later, having already received an archaeological education, Alexey Vladislavovich Kulikov began research ancient city and discovered three households that were about two thousand years old. In the 1990s, excavations were stopped, but were resumed quite recently, in 2010, on the initiative of Hermitage staff. For the past six years, archaeologists have been exploring ancient monument ancient architecture - the city of Acre, most of which is under water. This year, the excavation spaces were “drained” for the first time. “For the sixth year in a row, the expedition and I have been systematically exploring the ancient Greek site of Acre. But this year, for the first time, we carried out not only underwater work, but also work on land. More precisely, in the area under the coast: they made a large excavation with an area of one hundred square meters and studied the exits to the preserved underwater coastline remains of the city. We do not see such preservation of architectural remains that we see here anywhere else in the Northern Black Sea region,” comments Viktor Vakhoneev, deputy director of the Black Sea Center for Underwater Research. Every year during the expedition, the scientists’ collection is replenished with amazing artifacts. One of the most important finds is a defensive wall with towers 150 meters long. Interestingly, it is visible even on satellite images. Read: “Acre was founded on a trapezoidal sub-triangular cape, which extended into the waters of the Kerch Strait for about 250 meters. The cape itself was very low. The Greeks settled here as a result of the colonization of the Bosporus in the early 5th century BC. And in the middle of the 4th century BC they crossed the cape with a defensive wall. This protected the city from barbarian raids,” says Viktor Vakhoneev. - We spent several seasons examining the defensive tower, and what was our surprise when the base of the tower turned out to be made of huge oak beams in the shape of a cage! No analogues are known in terrestrial archaeology. Perhaps this building was needed to combat seismicity or groundwater. One way or another, we examined wooden structures that are two and a half thousand years old!” And in 2013, an ancient wooden comb about two thousand years old was discovered in Acre. It is impossible to find such an object within the framework of land-based archaeological excavations: organic matter simply disintegrates over such a long period of time. As for the expedition of the 2016 season, archaeologists managed to collect many artifacts. Alexander Konevich, the author of the film “Acres,” spoke about one of the most significant: Archaeologists found a real home in the remains of an ancient Greek dwelling. Such an artifact is real luck. And one more proof that Acra really was big city, where the inhabitants were permanently located, and not a temporary fortress with massive fortification structures.” In addition, near the fireplace they found great amount ceramic remains from different times. Watch about these and other results of the expedition to the city, which is about 2.5 thousand years old, on the “Science” TV channel in November.
The Black Sea keeps more than one secret, just as many mysterious things are hidden under its waves. The world saw one of these amazing finds only in 1982. For lovers of history, antiquities and finds, welcome to the ancient Greek port city of Acre (late 6th century BC) or as it was also nicknamed “Crimean Atlantis” (due to its similarity with the mythical city).
Why visit this place
The city is completely hidden under water, and you can only get into it by diving. The flooding occurred due to rising sea levels and the movement of lithospheric plates. Scientists suggest that the flood occurred gradually, as evidenced by the 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 Corocondama at the entrance to the strait.
In the 80s they were held research papers, during which the building remains of the city and an ancient well were discovered. Locals who have visited Acre claim that the city is rectangular in shape. They were also able to discover masonry and a considerable amount of household items - more than 100 coins of the Bosporan kingdom, almost a dozen amphorae (IV century BC), Greek ceramics, lead anchor parts, etc. Unlike Alexandria (Egypt), which disappeared from the face of the Earth due to natural disasters, Acre continues to exist. Archaeologists to this day do not stop studying the site.
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. Perhaps the local residents tried to escape from the onset of water, but, unfortunately, they failed. We had to leave our homes. The water swallowed everything.
Not long ago, the Russian Geographical Society decided to hold a competition among archaeologists to conduct an expedition to study and survey the city of Acre.
The expedition participants will study the underwater and coastal parts of the sunken city. No major dredging was carried out on the territory of Acre, so the city is well preserved.
Feel like a pioneer
Such an ancient find 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 provides pre-dive 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 contraindicated will also not be able to appreciate the beauty of the excursion.
The place is not without tourist entertainment- this is fishing, beach holiday, visiting baths, breweries and other things. The House of Crimean Masters store is famous for its 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 is 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 ( modern name Akko, a city located in Israel) is one of the most ancient cities in the Middle East. The city was first mentioned in the 16th century BC. in chronicles related to the reign of Pharaoh Thutmose the Third in Egypt. In a later period of its history, Acre was ruled by one of King Solomon's viceroys. Around 725 BC. Acre joined Sidon and Tire during the anti-Assyrian revolt.
The city is also mentioned in ancient Greek legends. According to one of the myths, Hercules, during his journey, found a miraculous plant in Acre, with which he treated his wounds.
After the conquest of the city by the troops of Alexander the Great, Acre was renamed Antioch, and after the division of Alexander's kingdom by his generals into parts, Ptolomeis.
Subsequently, the history of Acre was typical of cities in the Middle East. Acre has repeatedly become part of a wide variety of states. The city was ruled by the Egyptian Ptolemies and the kings of the Selkvid dynasty and even the king of Armenia Tigran II. At the end of the war, Acre became part of the Roman Empire, and after its fall it became part of Byzantium.
In 638, Acre was conquered by the Arabs. According to medieval chronicles, the city surrendered to the new conquerors without a fight after the Arabs captured Jerusalem.
Photo Port of Acre
It was with the Arab conquest of Acre that the era of prosperity of the city began. The Arabs made Acre the main seaport Palestine, and the city retained this status until the end of the Crusades.
Having captured Accra, the Arabs began to build powerful fortress walls in the city. In addition, huge ship docks were built in Acre, the second most important after Tire in this region. It was in Acre that those ships were built on which the Arabs subsequently launched attacks on Cyprus, Sicily and mainland Italy.
The Arab geographer al-Muqqadasi, who visited Acre in the 10th century, described the city as a well-fortified fortress with a large harbor and big amount mosques. Let us also add that the Arab Acre was larger in size than the modern old part of the city, which was built up in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Age of the Crusaders
The most famous pages in the history of Acre are connected with the history of the Crusades. In 1104, after a 4-year siege, the city was captured by the crusaders of King Baldwin the First of Jerusalem. The Crusaders also reserved for Accra the right to be called the main port in Palestine.
Through Acre the crusaders received their main reinforcements from Europe. This contributed to the growth of the city and already 30 years after the conquest of the city, the population of Acre was approximately 25,000 people, which was comparable only to Jerusalem.
Photo of Acre fortress
In addition, Acre was the main commercial port Crusaders in the eastern Mediterranean. The main trade between European countries and the Middle East, and Acre at that time in its wealth and prosperity competed with such famous trading cities like Venice or Pisa.
True, the crusaders surrendered the city ingloriously after the Muslims captured Jerusalem. History repeated itself, as in the case of the Byzantines. Acre was a strongly fortified fortress, it was impossible to blockade it from the sea, and its garrison could easily receive reinforcements from Europe. But instead, the crusaders chose to leave the city.
In 1192, thanks to the help of King Richard the Lionheart, the crusaders managed to recapture the city. Acre became the capital of the Kingdom of Jerusalem (Jerusalem at that time was already lost to the Crusaders), and subsequently the city was also the residence of the Master of the Templar Order. Acre became the last fortress owned by the crusaders in the Middle East. After its fall in 1292, the era of the Crusades ended.
During the assault by the Mamluks, the city was almost completely destroyed and lay in ruins for a long time. Only the Ottomans began to restore Acre in the mid-16th century, but it was a completely different city and a completely different story.