TV channel "Nauka" will show the film "Akra. Crimean Atlantis" in Feodosia

On March 10, archaeologists from the Hermitage, researchers from the Center for Underwater Archeology and the editors of the Nauka channel will present in Feodosia the premiere of the film Acra. Crimean Atlantis»

Press release dated 28.02.2017

On Friday, March 10, the premiere of the film “Akra. Crimean Atlantis, prepared by the Nauka channel.

The new film is a chronicle of the archaeological excavations of the ancient city of Acre, founded 2500 years ago. Archaeologists unsuccessfully searched for the city for more than a hundred years, since it is hidden under water at a depth of 4 m. In 1982, after the discovery of a Crimean schoolboy Alexei Kulikov on the Kerch coast of a coin from the city of Acre, there was hope to find a historical monument.

A large-scale study of the "Crimean Atlantis" began in 2011 at the initiative of the Hermitage staff. It turned out that up to a depth of 1.5 m, the entire territory of the city was covered with sand. The ruins of the remains of the settlement were noted almost throughout the entire area of ​​the city. The age of the found stone structures was about 2000 years. At a depth of 4–5 m, fragments of pottery were found, heaps of large stones without traces of processing, turning into natural ridges - the harbor of the ancient city began from here. Archaeologists noted that the ancient city almost did not lose its integrity. Thanks to this fact, Acre ranked first in the region in terms of importance for underwater archeology.

The exploration of Acre has become of paramount importance not only for studying the ancient history and culture of the Black Sea region, but also for improving the methods of underwater archeology.

“In the course of underwater excavations, we found that the walls of the flooded city were preserved at a height of more than one and a half meters. For six years of research, we have created a detailed plan of the settlement, which allows us to trace the spatial development of Acre in different periods of its history, ”says Viktor Vakhoneev, deputy director of the Black Sea Center for Underwater Research, about the results of underwater excavations.

Film "Acre. Crimean Atlantis" clearly shows how archaeologists conduct underwater excavations: what is the technology leading to success, and why should we not rush? What is the difference between underwater excavations and classical archaeological research? What artifacts have already been raised from the bottom of the Black Sea? And how will historians work with them further? The film came out exciting and entertaining.

During the filming, modern video and computer technologies were used. Underwater shooting became a separate test for the creative team of the Nauka channel.

“At the press conference, we will also discuss how to involve scientists-archeoseismologists in the study of Acre. Among them are specialists whose experience will allow us to refute or confirm the hypothesis of a cataclysm that hit Acre. If a catastrophe really occurred in this area and Acre died suddenly, then destruction occurred on the territory of the Crimean and Taman peninsulas. It is important for the community of historians and archaeologists to know about this, ”said the main character of the film, archaeologist Alexei Kulikov, about his expectations from the press conference.

On March 10, a press conference will be held with the main character of the film Alexei Kulikov, director Alexander Konevich, Hermitage experts and other film participants. After the premiere in Feodosia, the film “Akra. Crimean Atlantis" will be seen by subscribers of the "TsT Premiera" service.

Akra - small ancient Greek seaport(according to ancient Greek authors - a small village) in the Crimea, which existed from the end of the 6th century BC. e. to the 4th century AD e. It was located at the southernmost point of the Kerch Strait, at the foot of Cape Takil (according to Strabo - an ice-free port Bosporan kingdom). Due to the lowering of the coast, part of the settlement - layers of the 4th century BC. e., including a 30 meter segment defensive wall, is under water. Acre is called the "Crimean Atlantis".

Research

In addition to Strabo, Acre was mentioned by Ptolemy, Stephen of Byzantium, in the periplus of Pseudo-Arrian and Aelius Herodian. The first survey in 1976 was carried out by the researchers of the ancient settlement Kitey E.A. Molev and N.V. Moleva. Anthropomorphic steles and an amphora brand were found on the seaside terrace. In the early 1980s on sand spit between Lake Yanysh and the sea A.V. Kulikov found more than a hundred antique coins and other antique objects near the scientific base of AzCherNIRO. These findings have inspired further research. In the summer of 1982, V.N. Kholodkov (Kerch Museum) conducted the first excavations, both on the bay-bar and on the hill to the south of the lake, during which cultural strata of the ancient era were discovered without clearly defined stratigraphy. A.N. Shamrai discovered the remains of an ancient wall under water and a well. In 1983-1985. K. K. Shilik (LOIA of the USSR Academy of Sciences) began underwater research in this area and found that ancient city lies at a depth of up to 4 m, and to the east of it, more seaward and up to a depth of 7 m, there was a harbor. In the course of underwater reconnaissance, defensive walls, two towers and a well were discovered, in the filling of which seven amphoras of Heraclea Pontica of the 4th century BC were found. BC e., fragments of black-glazed dishes, a fragment of a lead anchor rod, wooden details made on a lathe.

Geography

The city occupied the northeastern tip of the cape formed by the mouth of the ancient nameless river and the Cimmerian Bosporus (Kerch Strait). Its territory probably had the shape of a trapezoid with an area of ​​about 3.5 hectares, currently almost completely hidden by the waters of the Black Sea, with the exception of a small western section on a sandy bridge, which turned the mouth of the river into modern Yanysh Lake off the coast of the Kerch Strait. Due to the transgression of the Black Sea, which began around the middle of the 1st millennium AD. e., the ancient city was at a depth of up to 4 m. Features of the wave regime in this part of the coast Kerch Peninsula led to the fact that the cultural layers of the ancient city were basically not eroded and its buildings were not completely destroyed, but only partially covered with sea sand.

The Black Sea keeps in itself more than one secret, how much mysterious is hidden under its waves. One of these amazing finds the world saw only in 1982. Lovers of history, antiquities and finds, welcome to the ancient Greek port city of Acre (end of the 6th century BC) or as it was also called "Crimean Atlantis" (because of its similarity to the mythical city).

Why visit this place

The city is completely hidden under water, and you can get into it only by diving. Flooding occurred due to the rise in the level of the world's oceans and the movement of lithospheric plates. Scientists suggest that the flood occurred gradually, this is evidenced by a 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 Korokondama at the entrance to the strait.

In the 80s there were research work during which the building remains of the city and an ancient well were discovered. Locals who managed to visit Acre claim that the city has the shape of a rectangle. They were also able to find masonry and a considerable number of household items - more than 100 coins of the Bosporus kingdom, almost a dozen amphoras (4th century BC), Greek ceramics, lead anchor details, and so on. Unlike Alexandria (Egypt), which disappeared from the face of the Earth due to natural disasters, Acre continues to exist further. Archaeologists to this day do not stop studying the settlement.

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. Maybe, locals tried to escape from the onset of water, but, unfortunately, they did not succeed. I had to leave their homes. The water swallowed everything.

Not so long ago, the Russian Geographical Society decided to hold a competition among archaeologists for an expedition to study and explore the city of Acre.

The members of the expedition will explore the underwater as well as the coastal part of the sunken city. There has been no major dredging in Acre, so the city is well preserved.

Feel like a pioneer

Such an ancient discovery 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 conducts preliminary 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 a contraindication, will also not be able to appreciate the beauty of the excursion.

The place is not devoid of tourist attractions - this is fishing, beach holiday, visiting baths, breweries and other things. The House of Crimean Masters store is famous for 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 was 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 - "Crimean Atlantis"

The Black Sea still keeps many secrets, this sea is unique in nature, but, perhaps, people do not always appreciate it properly. Many do not even suspect what secrets are hidden under the water of the Black Sea. One of these secrets, which has recently begun to open its veil, is the ancient city of Acre, today it is called the "Crimean Atlantis."

Antique settlement of the 5th century. BC e. - IV century. n. e., located on the seaside foot of the cape, part of the settlement was flooded by the sea. Acre belongs to the "small" cities of the Bosporus state.

“Behind the Nymphaeum, even further south, on Cape Takil, there was a very small village of Akra. It attracted attention in antiquity because the shore turned west from it, and thus Acre was the southernmost point of the strait from the side of Crimea. On the contrary, i.e. on Taman Peninsula, such the most south point the strait was considered the village of Korokondama, located on the present Cape Tuzla. According to Strabo, when the strait was frozen, the ice reached these two points in the south - to Acre and Korokondama. There are almost no traces of the village of Acre today. On a high promontory, where an abandoned old lighthouse now stands alone, only in some places are visible traces of a cultural layer with fragments of ancient ceramics. In the same area, ancient graves are found that confirm the existence in this place ancient settlements.

Acre is a mystery that has yet to be solved. And it all started at the end of the XVIII century when the Crimea was annexed to the territory of the Russian Empire. This event marked the beginning of active scientific exploration of these lands. Scientists began to make their travels to new unexplored lands. In parallel, they tried to find the places of Greek cities known from ancient written sources.

In the Periplus of Pontus Euxinus, many cities are named on the banks of the Cimmerian Bosporus (Kerch Strait): Panticapaeum, Mirmekiy, Nymphaeum, Kitey and the village of Acre. Strabo, Greek geographer of the 2nd c. n. e., indicated that Acre was located opposite Korokondama at the entrance to the strait. And Pliny the Elder, a Roman scientist, refers Acre to the Bosporan cities. Acre was also mentioned by Claudius Ptolemy, Stephen of Byzantium and Aelius Gordian.

Thanks to the research boom, by the beginning of the 20th century, modern maps almost all ancient cities, but with Acre nothing was clear at all - its ancient ruins could not be found. Initially, researchers were confused by the etymology of the name of the city, because the main and most common meaning of this name suggested that Acre should be located on an elevated place. Literally, the word "Acre" is translated as a hill or fortification. By the way, this is where the name "Acropolis" comes from. upper city.

The first to locate Acre on Cape Takil in the southeastern part of the Kerch Peninsula was Academician Pallas. He suggested this at the end of the 18th century. Paul Dubrux, one of the first scientists in Russian archeology, at the beginning of the 19th century, placed Acre just south of Takil, on the site he discovered. Until 1918, almost all researchers believed that Acre was located here, but suddenly a sensational discovery was made. Local fishermen accidentally found a cult table with an inscription mentioning the Kitean community. It immediately became clear to scientists that another Bosporan city, Kitey, was located here.

For the next sixty years, Acre was located on Taquila itself. In 1975, excavations were carried out during which an ancient Greek sanctuary was found, and now it seemed that the city had finally been found. But many scientists still had big doubts about the fidelity of the localization of Acre. The location of the two neighboring Greek cities, between which Acre was located - Nymphaeum and Kitei - had already been established accurately. Greek peripluses (ancient sailing directions) showed the distances between cities, and the distance from Kitei to Cape Takil was half that to Acre.

And if not for the winter storms in 1981, nothing would have cleared up. But suddenly, one lucky Kerch schoolboy began to find ancient coins on the banks of the sandy embankment that separates the salty Yanysh Lake from the Kerch Strait to the south of the village of Naberezhnoye, Leninsky District of Crimea. The student collected a fairly large collection of antique coins, moreover, from different periods. This find confirmed that scientists are not dealing with a blurry treasure, but with a flooded settlement. The coins were immediately transferred to the Kerch Museum and in the summer of 1982 the first excavations were carried out, on the embankment and on the hill south of the lake. It was then that large cultural strata of the ancient era were discovered. Finally, archaeologists encountered not an ordinary settlement, but a small urban center. It was a real sensation - an ancient city was discovered under water. Acre was finally found.

Underwater expeditions that began shortly after the first explorations established that the ancient city, which lay at a depth of up to 4.5 m, had a rectangular shape with an area of ​​at least 4 hectares. To the east of it, more seaward and to a depth of 7.5 m, there was a harbor. Underwater research gave amazing results - defensive walls, two towers and a well were discovered. One of the walls was well preserved for as much as 110 m. From the floor side, a tower measuring 7x7 m adjoined the wall. Another defensive wall was examined 150 microns to the north. At 170 meters of the shore, at a depth of 3 m, there was a well lined with stones. And in it were seven branded amphoras of Heraclea Pontus of the 4th century BC. BC e., fragments of black-glazed pottery, a fragment of a lead anchor rod, wooden parts processed on a lathe.

An interesting fact is that in 1994-1997. Acre's archaeological research was continued by the same schoolboy who discovered the coin collection many years ago. Excavations on the coast were combined with underwater exploration of the flooded part of the city. On land, buildings of the Roman time were found - three large households. But due to lack of funding, the excavations were suspended.

And for the next 15 years, the city of Acre again turned out to be unfairly forgotten.

And only in 2011, underwater archaeologists from the Kyiv Department of Underwater Heritage and the St. Petersburg Hermitage again drew attention to unique monument archeology.

The modern period of development of underwater archaeological research in the Northern Black Sea region was marked by the resumption of large-scale work.

For the first time in Acre, not just visual reconnaissance was carried out, but really underwater excavations with the latest professional equipment. During two years of research, another section of the defensive wall of the city and urban development of the 4th century BC was found. BC e. The preserved height of the fortifications reached 1.6 m.

The opening of the house in the first half of the 4th century was a sensation. BC e. A broken Heraclean amphora was found on the floor. Wall masonry has been preserved in 3 rows, with a total height of up to 0.6 m. And such a good preservation of architectural remains under water is very unique. For example, in many other places on the Black Sea, such good preservation is not observed - all layers are eroded, the masonry is destroyed. But not in Acre.

It became clear that total area The monument occupied a large area from 4 to 6 hectares, while it was located at the ancient coastal level and is now almost completely flooded by the sea. Part of the layers of ancient times has been preserved on the modern coast. Under water were cultural strata dating back to the 4th century BC. BC e., and the layers - III-II centuries. BC e.

So, it turns out that Acre existed for almost 1000 years, from the end of the 6th century. BC e. before the beginning of the 4th c. n. e. Gradual flooding of the city territory began already with the beginning of a new era, due to changes in the level of the World Ocean and due to local geological processes of land subsidence. From the time of antiquity to the present day, the sea level has risen by 4 m. The studies carried out, of course, are very few to draw any conclusions in the study of Acre. But a start has been made and the city under water has already begun to reveal its secrets.