negatives reports
Ancient city of Chersonesos
 - North area
 - South area
 - West area
 - North-East area
 - South-East area
 - Central area
 - Citadel
 - Harbour area
 - Undetermined area
Necropoleis
 - Northern
 - Western
 - Near Karantinnaya bay
 - Undetermined necropolis
Chora
 - Heraclean peninsula
Environs
 - City Environs
 - Remote Environs
Museum
 - Exhibitions
 - Staff
 - Everyday life
Unidentified
Ancient city of Chersonesos
 - North area
 - South area
 - West area
 - North-East area
 - South-East area
 - Central area
 - Citadel
 - Harbour area
 - Undetermined area
Necropoleis
 - Northern
 - Western
 - Near Karantinnaya bay
 - Undetermined necropolis
Chora
 - Heraclean peninsula
Environs
 - City Environs
 - Remote Environs
Museum
 - Exhibitions
 - Staff
 - Everyday life
Unidentified

Ancient city of Chersonesos → North-East area


North-East Area is a large flatland inclining to the north-west and south-west from the Main Street that crosses the whole ancient city. Transverse street 6 limits the area from the west. North and east limit of the area is a precipitous coast (the break of Sarmatian limestone is 7 to 9 m high). The south end of the area is a tract of seaside fortress wall (tower XXII, curtain wall 26) and a natural rocky terrace.

In the area, there is the so-called Kruze Basilica, excavations of which started as early as 1827. Immediately before the Crimean War, count A.S. Uvarov unearthed the remains of a large basilica with outstanding mosaic floors.

The excavations of the Odessa Society for History and Antiquities in 1870s and 1880s discovered more churches (Eastern Basilica, Six-Pillared Church, Underground Church in the Main Street). Later on, archaeologists made several supplementary excavations of the monuments discovered before, and at the same time continued to unearth new sites: residential quarters, churches and port fortification constructions, both in the Pre-Revolution Period (K.K. Kostsyushko-Valyuzhinich and R.Kh. Leper) and in Soviet Period (I.A. Antonova, O.I. Dombrovskiy, S.G. Ryzhov, M.I. Zolotaryov, and others). At present, the team headed by S.V. Ushakov performs excavations near the Kruze Basilica.

  Report of 1975 excavations in the north-east area of Chersonesos
(Year: 1975. Author: M. I. Zolotaryov)

1975 excavations were the continuation of the works started by the Chersonesos Historical and Archaeological Museum in 1974. Similarly to the previous year, the works were generally concentrated in the first quarter of the north-east area of Chersonesos, to the north-west of the Main Street. These were supplementary investigations of the roomes in the south corner of the quarter which adjoins transverse street II and the Main Street. The excavations were made in July and August of 1975 by means of the Chersonesos Museum.

Nine rooms were excavated during the period under report. There are three chronological periods that could be determined for the Middle Ages in the south corner of the quarter: the first period of construction could be dated from the late antique or early mediaeval period, chronological frames of the second period are determined due to our finds of the materials from the ninth and tenth centuries, and, finally, the last period dates from no earlier than the twelfth or thirteenth century.

  Illustrations to the report of 1975 excavations in the north-east area of Chersonesos 
(Year: 1975. Author: M. I. Zolotaryov)
Illustrations to the report of 1975 excavations in the north-east area of Chersonesos
  Lists of finds as compiled in the field from the excavations in the north-east area of Chersonesos. Vol. 1
(Year: 1975. Author: M. I. Zolotaryov)
Lists of finds as compiled in the field from the excavations in the north-east area of Chersonesos. Vol. 1.
  Lists of finds as compiled in the field from the excavations in the north-east area of Chersonesos. Vol. 2
(Year: 1975. Author: M. I. Zolotaryov)
Lists of finds as compiled in the field from the excavations in the north-east area of Chersonesos. Vol. 2.
  1974 report of the excavation in the north-east area of Chersonesos
(Year: 1974. Author: M. I. Zolotaryov)
North-east area of the ancient city is one of the most interesting regions of Chersonesos. The most important contribution to the invistigation of this area was made by R. Kh. Leper who excavated ther in 1908-1914. 
  Illustrations to 1974 report of the excavation in the north-east area of Chersonesos
(Year: 1974. Author: M. I. Zolotaryov)
Album of illustrations
  Lists of finds discovered by excavations in the north-east area of Chersonesos in 1974
(Year: 1974. Author: M. I. Zolotaryov)
Lists of finds discovered by excavations in the north-east area of Chersonesos in 1974.
  Report of 1974 restoration of the East Basilica. Text and illustrations
(Year: 1974. Author: S. G. Ryzhov)

Report of 1974 restoration of the East Basilica. Text and illustrations.

The East Basilica is located in the north-east area of the ancient city, in the end of the Main Street. It was excavated by the Odessa Society for History and Antiquities in 1877 and later investigated by R. Kh. Leper, in 1908.

The restoration was aimed at reconstructing the ground plan of the basilica using remaining parts of it and to show the masonry technique by raising the walls up to 1.3-1.5 m. The works were also organised in the cross church (mausileum?) that adjoins the basilica on the north.

 

  Project of restoration of the square in front of the Eastern Basilica (with drawings and photos attached)
(Year: 1975. Author: M. I. Zolotaryov)

The main street of the ancient city of Chersonesos finishes in the north-east with the sixth century church complex, the so-called East Basilica. Thjere also was a well-preserved pavement of a square. This pavement was constructed in the first centuries AD. It was the time when they constructed an arch in front of the entrance to the square from the Main Street. Next period of construction dates from the early mediaeval period. During this period (late-fifth and early-sixth century) the east Basilica was erected int he square. A nex construction was arranged after the tenth century, that of a residential complex and an altarless church. 

We propose restoration works to reinforce stone masonries in quarters on either sides of the Main Street, to reconstruct stone slabs paving the square, and to reconstruct the East Basilica, which will allow one to include this area into the excursion.