SEVASTOPOL, September 14. / TASS /. Archaeologists conducting excavations in the southern suburb of ancient Chersonesos Tauride on the territory of modern Sevastopol have discovered a medieval crypt in which a dugout was built during the Great Patriotic War, the head of the expedition, employee of the Institute for the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences Sergei Soloviev told TASS.
It is assumed that the territory where the archaeologists are working now was one of the sections of the Chersonesos necropolis. Earlier it was reported that during the summer, the expedition discovered several Christian crypts carved into the rocky ledge.
“The crypt dates back to about the same period as the others. But when we opened it, we found inside not the remains of people, but fragments of barbed wire, boxes from under Soviet mines, bayonets, fragments of metal dating from the time of the Great Patriotic War. when they were preparing for the defense, when the defense of Sevastopol was going on in 1941-1942, the crypt was found, and a dugout was equipped here. Then, apparently, there were German positions: there are finds from this army, ” the items are planned to be transferred to the 35th Coastal Battery Museum, which specializes in the defense of Sevastopol in 1941-1942.
He clarified that in the previously opened crypts, stove benches near the walls were also cut down, remains were found, and the number of those buried in one structure reached several dozen. In one of the crypts, the remains of fabric (possibly, burial shrouds) were found, in the other – more than ten children's painted glass bracelets. Scientists suggest that each crypt served as a burial vault for one family for several centuries.
“The design [of the crypt in which the dugout was equipped] is somewhat different from the previously opened crypts: if there were beds in one row, then here – in two, one above the other, at three walls – except for the one where the entrance is. Fragments of beds were found, maybe they were installed by soldiers during the defense of 1941-1942, maybe, when they were building military bases, they simply dumped garbage into an open crypt and buried it while leveling the site, “the agency's source said.
According to scientists, the crypt could contain the remains of hundreds of people – after all, it is more spacious than previously discovered structures. However, all of them, apparently, were removed during the construction of the dugout.
About the museum
The territory on which modern Sevastopol is located was inhabited 2.5 thousand years ago. In 424-421 BC. NS. the ancient Greek colony of Tauric Chersonesos was founded there, the city existed until the end of the 14th century. n. NS. It is believed that it was here in the 10th century that Prince Vladimir adopted Christianity, who later baptized Russia. In the 19th century, the Cathedral of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir was built on the supposed place of his baptism.
The State Museum-Reserve “Chersonesos Taurichesky” is a research and museum institution, which includes the settlement of Chersonesos and the chora – land plots in the outskirts of the city, as well as the fortresses of Chembalo in Balaklava and Kalamita in Inkerman. The collection of the museum is 221 thousand artifacts, the archive has more than 200 thousand documents, and the scientific library contains more than 30 thousand books.
