Massive multi-ton blocks lying at the base of ancient buildings of the so-called winemaking complex in Bermana gully, differ from the classic limestone blocks that the ancient Greeks used to build their cities in Crimea.

Considering that the remains of Neolithic settlements are known on the territory of this protected area, and several stone mounds with objects of the Kemi-Oba culture were found near the complex, there is an assumption that the Greeks built their fortifications on the site of already existing ruins of some ancient Cyclopean buildings...

Ready foundation

“The complexes represent the architectural remains of buildings, wineries, powerful defensive walls, underground cave structures from the Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods. Based on the results of excavations, it can be argued that life here has not stopped since the 4th century. BC e. to the 14th century n. e,” this is how the structures in the Berman gully are described on the official website of the Chersonesos Nature Reserve.

This multifunctional complex, according to the findings of archaeologists, included a defensive tower of the 4th century. BC e, several utility rooms and courtyards with wells and cisterns for storing water, wineries with preserved winepresses and stone presses, recesses in the rock for pithos, as well as basements for storing wine. Archaeological materials found during excavations of this fortified complex date back to the 4th century. BC e. - XIV century AD Archaeologists have not yet found earlier objects.

Research has shown that the site was used in Hellenistic times, was built upon in the Roman period, and in the Middle Ages the remains of early walls were used as the basis for a later building.

This, of course, can explain the variety of stone materials used in the construction of buildings: why drag building materials here if there is already a ready-made base? Even now, in our time, many people prefer to build houses on the site of old, established foundations. But if we talk about the beginning of construction, then, in our opinion, its origins should be sought in a time more distant from us than Hellenism.

Fragment of the defensive wall of Chersonesos

Three-ton "cubes"

In order to compare the complex of buildings in the Berman ravine with the classical architecture of Hellenism and the Roman era, it is enough to drive along the Crimean coast and examine the remains of such ancient settlements as Kalos-Limen, Belyaus, Chersonesos, as well as the cities of Panticapaeum on the Kerch Peninsula, belonging to the same era and made as a carbon copy - in accordance with the architectural standards that existed at that time.

But the fortifications in the Berman beam, namely the foundations of the buildings, consisting of dense limestone blocks, clearly stand out from the overall picture in terms of shape and method of processing, and look completely alien in this series.

Ancient structures in the Berman gully

But the main thing that doesn’t bother me is the size of the building blocks. We specifically measured the parameters of building materials in the defensive wall of the ancient Greek polis - Chersonese Tauride - and were extremely surprised by the results obtained.

The largest blocks, lying in the lower levels of the defensive wall, dating back to the original ancient masonry, are about 1 meter 60 centimeters long, about 80 centimeters high, and about 30 centimeters thick. Meanwhile, the “cubes” of the estate in the Berman beam have dimensions: 2 meters 20 centimeters in length, height - 1 meter 30 centimeters and thickness - 1 meter 20 centimeters. That is, it is approximately three times more.

Even if we can safely assume that the complex on the southeastern outskirts of the Heraclean Peninsula had some military-strategic significance, it can hardly be put on a par with such a city as Chersonesus. Especially with a tall defensive wall, on which they would hardly skimp. After all, the heavier the blocks, the more reliable...

Ancient structures in the Berman gully

Kemi-Obins or Tauris?

Interestingly, the reserve’s staff confirm that in the ravine itself they found traces of the presence of representatives of the most ancient cultures known to us. For example, on a hill, three hundred meters from the estate, there is a stone mound excavated in the 80s of the last century. Moreover, it is known that he is not the only one here.

Alexey Arzhanov, employee of the State Historical and Archaeological Museum-Reserve “Tavrichesky Chersonese”:

“The mound in the Berman ravine belongs to several cultures: Kemi-Oba, Kizil-Koba and Srubnaya. A whole molded pot, fragments of other ceramics, and 27 skeletons dating from the 3rd millennium BC to the 3rd century BC were found in it. That is, for almost three thousand years people were buried and buried in it.”

Ancient structures in the Berman gully

And according to the story of Crimean local historians, the remains of Neolithic and Bronze Age settlements are known on the territory of this protected area. These monuments preceded the structures of the Chersonesos.

It is interesting that the technology overlaps with the technology of building cave cities. Rooms were made in solid rock, and huge, multi-ton boulders were placed on top. The blocks themselves are roughly processed limestone blocks, like the slabs of Crimean dolmens.

So it is possible that the same Greeks built their estate on the site of the Taurus settlement. By the way, the theory about the rough processing of stone with brands, in our opinion, is not substantiated in any way, because even perfectly processed limestone blocks will become rough from centuries of erosion...

Maxim RUSINOV

Excavations of a fortified settlement of ancient land plot No. 347 in the Berman gully in 2014.

Ancient structures located in the Berman ravine have attracted the attention of researchers from the very beginning of the development of the outskirts of Sevastopol. Back in 1793, academician Peter Simon Pallas, in his “Observations”, describing the ruins of ancient buildings in this part of the Heraclean Peninsula, concluded: “Since this valley is located in the most beautiful and fertile part of all Chersonese, it is not surprising that it was protected by many fortifications..."

In 1928-29 the then director of the Chersonesos Museum K.E. Grinevich, with excavations at the Berman farm, laid the foundation for the Heracles expedition. In his report, Konstantin Eduardovich wrote: “the reason that forced us to take the excavation of the Bermanovsky complex as a starting point was the topography of the site and the fairly frequent accumulation of these ancient monuments in the space of the relatively small Berman beam and two neighboring beams.” Unfortunately, after two seasons the excavations were interrupted and resumed only in the 80s of the 20th century. From that moment until the present time, research into the complex of fortified buildings in the Berman ravine has been carried out under the leadership of the leading researcher at the NZHT, Candidate of Historical Sciences Galina Mikhailovna Nikolaenko.

Participants

In 2013, the section of the archaeological park “Chora of Chersonesos” in the Berman gully was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List along with the ancient settlement of Chersonesos and other sections of the choir. By this time, the monument included several open architectural complexes: “Main”, “North-Western – 1”, “North-Western – 2”, “Underground – 1”. These complexes represented the architectural remains of buildings, wineries, powerful defensive walls, and underground cave structures from the Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods. Based on the results of excavations, it can be argued that life here has not stopped since the 4th century. BC. to the 14th century AD

In 2014, the Heracles expedition of the NZHT led by G.M. Nikolaenko continued further research of the monument. The main tasks facing the expedition are determining the boundaries of the monument, clearing previously excavated structures and preparing them for museumification, and determining the nature of the settlement in different time periods. As part of these tasks, research continued in 2014 at the main and underground complexes.

At the “Main” complex, clearing of the pre-rock layers in the courtyard of the Roman-era building complex (structure “B”) continued, which showed that this site was already used in Hellenistic times, was built up in the Roman period, and in the Middle Ages the remains of the early walls were used as the basis for a later building.

Excavations continued on the southeastern side of the underground complex in order to determine its boundary in this direction and identify a possible architectural connection with the main complex. The remains of the walls of medieval buildings were discovered, and the basement of an earlier room carved into the rock was partially discovered, apparently connected with both the cave structures of the underground complex and with the rock winery discovered in previous seasons. The final characterization and dating of the basement, as well as the entire underground complex, is the task of further excavations.

Among the finds this year, one can note Hellenistic amphora stamps, fragments of red lacquer vessels, including one with a scratched ornament, fragments of lamps of the 3rd-2nd centuries. BC, the bottom of medieval irrigation vessels with graffiti, an unusually ornamented spindle whorl.

Nakhodki

An integral part of excavations in the Berman ravine are geophysical work, which makes it possible to explore archaeological objects without opening them, literally “seeing through the ground.” With the help of modern means of electrical and magnetic reconnaissance, it is possible, even before excavations, to obtain data on the presence of certain archaeological objects hidden underground. Accordingly, on the basis of these explorations, build a further excavation plan or explore areas where immediate excavations are not yet possible. Geophysical research in 2014 revealed a number of walls of structures in the unexcavated space between the North-West - 1 and Underground - 1 complexes. Improving the techniques and methods of geophysical non-destructive research is one of the most important tasks of archeology.

G.M. Nikolaenko, A.Yu. Arzhanov

One of several stationary fortified points on the border of the Chersonesos agricultural district (chora). The settlement existed since the 4th century. BC e. to the XIII-XIV centuries.

It arose in the second half of the 4th century. BC. as a guard post on the road that in ancient times connected Chersonesos with the area of ​​Cape Fiolent. The lands of the Balaklava Valley did not originally belong to Chersonesos. The warlike Taurians lived there, and the townspeople’s plots had to be protected from them.

In the 3rd century. BC, at the beginning of military conflicts with the Scythians, the building was strengthened. Its dimensions are now 10x10 m, at the level of the first floor to a height of up to two meters it is reinforced with an additional anti-ram stone “belt”-cladding, which gave the structure a pyramidal shape.

Later, when the military threat had somewhat weakened, a powerful fence of a new courtyard, fortress type, was erected around the tower from large stone blocks. Loopholes were made in its wall for archers. Along the inner perimeter of the fence, utility rooms were built that served as storage areas for provisions and equipment.

At the same time, a separate tower, made of huge stone blocks, was erected in front of the northern wall of the fence. It was connected to the rest of the settlement by walls and a stone platform. At a short distance from the fortification there were two more towers, also connected by walls to each other and to the fortress. Thus, in the 3rd century. BC. Here a large and well-fortified settlement arises.

To the south of the earliest tower, a huge winery was excavated, carved into the mainland rock. In several rooms there were wine presses, a pit with a stone weight for the press, and a storage room for pithos.

In Roman times (1st - 3rd centuries AD), the fortress is believed to have become the location of one of the units of Roman troops stationed in Chersonesos to protect the city and its choir from attacks by the Scythians and Sarmatians. Researchers believe that the purpose of the fortification was, first of all, to protect water sources in the upper reaches of the ravine, from which drinking water flowed to Chersonesos through a ceramic water pipe. One of the sections of water supply pipes was discovered on the northern slope of the ravine.

Rich crypts date back to the first centuries AD. Two of them were excavated directly under the fortress. Unfortunately, they were plundered in ancient times.

During the Byzantine period (VIII - XIII centuries) the fortress was rebuilt several times. Its fortifications were dismantled into stone or became part of new, unfortified residential or commercial buildings. The medieval rubble masonry contrasts sharply with the cyclopean walls of the original period of construction, made of blocks weighing nearly a ton each.

The first studies of the monument were undertaken in 1928-1929. During the Great Patriotic War, the remains of the settlement were severely destroyed and subsequently found themselves buried under heaps of rubbish and heaps of stones. Further study of the monument was continued only in the 1980s. Many different finds have been made. These are mainly fragments of amphorae and red-glazed pottery. Of particular interest is a fragment of a red-glazed jug, on which an expressive drawing is scratched, depicting the figures of men with a spear, shield and cup in their hands, as well as various animals: a horse, a doe, a dog chasing a hare, butting goats, fighting roosters and a chicken standing nearby. The jug probably depicts scenes of some kind of city festival. The management of the Chersonesos Nature Reserve is making attempts to include this unique monument in the UNESCO register, but at the moment it is not even designated with a protection sign.

It was named after G.K. Berman, the owner of the farm located here in the late 19th - early 20th centuries. There is a little-known interesting object in the Berman gully, part Choirs of Chersonesos. Megalithic blocks, tower foundations, grape presses, cellars.

Translated from the ancient Greek “chora” means land, region, district. The Chora of Chersonesos, a uniquely preserved system of ancient agricultural technology, is the most promising object of study. Chersonesos inscribed in 2013 on the UNESCO World Heritage List, the decisive significance of the inscription was the presence of several preserved sections of Chora. And it is called “The Ancient City of Chersonesos Tauride and its Choir.” The preserved farmland complexes of Chersonesos make the monument unique.

According to archaeologists, this complex is “the second largest ancient Greek settlement on the Heraclean Peninsula.” Its origin dates back to the 4th century. BC. A settlement with a large wine-making complex. According to assumptions, it is comparable to industrial production, such as an ancient Greek winery. It is also assumed that a whole garrison was kept here to protect this very wine production. Presumably, the decline of the settlement is associated with the arrival of the Genoese in Crimea and the severance of trade ties of the Greek polis.

In 1928-1929. K. E. Grinevich conducted excavations here, so one of the names of this object is the Grinevich estate. Grinevich dug up a large complex of manor buildings, surrounded by a strong fence made of large stone blocks (1.2 x 0.8 x 0.65 m in size) and equipped with loopholes. This complex included two towers. One of them, almost square in plan, measuring 10x11 m, was folded from large squares and subsequently reinforced with lining on all sides. In addition, numerous rooms were discovered, apparently primarily for household purposes, as well as tanks. The purpose of the estate is evidenced by the finds of a large block of wine press 2, as well as pithoi and arable pits used for storing bread.

A little further from the complex, about two hundred meters away, there is the foundation of a tower with a floor paved with stone. Apparently, the tower was of a defensive nature. Archaeological finds here date back to an entire era from the 4th century BC to the 14th century AD. Several fragments of pottery, amphorae for wine and more... Presumably the Greeks, having arrived in this area, found here the ruins of some more ancient structure, made of megalithic blocks weighing up to ten tons.

There are two presses for squeezing wine on the territory of the complex. As well as small hollowed-out communicating containers, according to our assumption, they were used for squeezing oil from grape seeds.