Throughout its history, Chersonesos survived Roman and Byzantine rule, but at all times the city remained a cultural and political center, as evidenced by the mention of Chersonesos in the “Geography” of the Greek historian Strabo: were honored guests. " Chersonesos fell into neglect after the raids of nomads of the XIII – XIV centuries and was revived in the XIX century as a monument of archeology.
City `s history
The foundation of the city was laid by immigrants from Heraclea Pontic and Delos Island. Initially, the territory of the city, which did not exceed 4 hectares, was concentrated on a small cape at the entrance to the modern Quarantine Bay. The settlement was surrounded by a defensive wall, behind which was a necropolis. The inhabitants of the city had trade relations with Herakleia Pontic, the islands of the Mediterranean and Attica.
By the second quarter of the IV century BC. e. Tauric Chersonesos was a slave-owning republic with a democratic form of government, in which the national assembly was the main legislative body of power, and only the first settlers and their descendants had civil rights.
In the middle of the IV century BC. e. the early settlement expands into the depths of the Heraclean Peninsula, the area of the city is increased almost 10 times. At the same time the agricultural territory is being mastered - the choir. Archaeological excavations show that the city had a regular system of urban development, in which the streets intersected at right angles, forming blocks with typical residential buildings.
Already since I century AD e. In the city, episodic presence of Roman troops is recorded: during the excavations, statues of legates of Roman provinces were found. At the beginning of the II century AD. e. The Roman presence in Chersonesos expands, a permanent Roman garrison appears here and the city plays the role of an important outpost of the Roman Empire in Tavrik. From the second half of the 3rd – 4th centuries, the Gothic Wars weakened the Roman military presence in the region, including in Chersonesos.
In 322, Chersonese renders military assistance to Constantine the Great on the Danube, for which he confirms the freedom and absence of taxes paid to the city earlier. Later, Chersonesos came under the authority of the Byzantine Empire and Christianity spreads in the city.
In 987, Prince Vladimir undertook a military campaign against Chersonesos, taking him under siege from the sea and land, and the city was forced to surrender. Upon entering the city, the Russian prince asked for the hand of Princess Anne, sister of Emperor Basil II, and received consent, provided he accepted the Christian faith. It was in Khersonos, or Korsun, as the Slavs called the city, that Vladimir was baptized.
Archaeological excavations
The first descriptions of the ruins of Chersonesus were compiled in 1595 by the ambassador of the Polish king M. Bronevsky. In the XVIII century, with the beginning of the construction of the nearby Chersonesos fortress of Sevastopol, the remains of the buildings of the ancient city began to serve as the building material for the new settlement. Through the efforts of public figures, who understood the importance of ancient Chersonesos, in 1805 Alexander I issued a decree “On fencing from the destruction of the antiquities of Taurida”, which significantly reduced the extent of looting.
The first archaeological excavations are carried out in 1827 by Lieutenant K. Kruse, by order of the Black Sea Fleet Admiral A.S. Greig. At the same time, the work is carried out by the count and countess Uvarov and the Odessa Society of History and Antiquities.
In 1852, on the territory of the Kherson settlement, the male monastery of St. Vladimir was opened, the inhabitants of which also engaged in the excavations of the ancient city.
Since 1888, KK has been appointed the head of the excavation of Chersonesos. Kostsyushko-Valyuzhinich, who all his life served the idea of research and preservation of the ancient city. During the excavations, the city blocks of the Hellenistic polis with dwelling houses, defensive walls, the remains of several basilica were discovered and studied, and in 1952 the first ancient theater was opened in the Northern Black Sea region.
Museum of Chersonesos
In 1892, the first museum of Chersonesos was opened, which was called the “Storehouse of local antiquities”. During the First World War, the Kherson collection was evacuated to Kharkov, where it was kept in the library of Kharkov University. In 1920, after the establishment of the Soviet government in Crimea, the museum was reorganized, the exposition was transferred to former monastic buildings, systematized stock collections, created a new museum exposition, and continued excavations of the ancient city.
During the Great Patriotic War, the museum collection was evacuated to the Urals, and the territory of the ancient settlement and choir turned into a fortified area with various military installations, while it was significantly damaged.
In 1978, on the basis of the Kherson Museum, a state reserve was created, today it is a large research and museum institution in the archaeological area of more than 290 hectares. The museum collection has over 214 thousand exhibits. Among them are numismatic monuments, epigraphies, architectural details, sculpture, glazed ceramics, bone products, beads, lamps, mosaics.
On June 23, 2013, at the 37th session of the World Heritage Committee, the “Ancient City of Tauric Chersonesos and its Choir” serial object is included in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List.
