Kalos Limen (; ; ) is an

ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...

colony A colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule, which rules the territory and its indigenous peoples separated from the foreign rulers, the colonizer, and their ''metropole'' (or "mother country"). This separated rule was often orga ...

on the east coast of the

Crimean Peninsula Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrai ...

that existed from 4th to 1st centuries BC.

History

The settlement is mentioned in the as being located 700 stadions from Kerkinitis (modern-day

Yevpatoria Yevpatoria (; ; ; ) is a city in western Crimea, north of Kalamita Bay. Yevpatoria serves as the administrative center of Yevpatoria Municipality, one of the districts (''raions'') into which Crimea is divided. It had a population of His ...

). Based on the descriptions from the

periplus A periplus (), or periplous, is a manuscript document that lists the ports and coastal landmarks, in order and with approximate intervening distances, that the captain of a vessel could expect to find along a shore. In that sense, the periplus wa ...

, it was concluded that Kalos Limen was located on the coast of

Tarkhankut Peninsula The Tarkhankut Peninsula (; ; ) is the peninsula which constitutes the western extremity of Crimea into the Black Sea. Its northern shore is a southern coast of the Karkinit Bay. Its westernmost point is ; to the south of it is Cape Tarkhankut. ...

. Kalos Limen was established by Ionian settlers in 4th century BC. The city was 4 ha in size and was surrounded by walls. Kalos Limen was divided into sections, and a tower was located in the center of each. By the end of 4th century BC, the city belonged to

Chersonesus Chersonesus, contracted in medieval Greek to Cherson (), was an Greeks in pre-Roman Crimea, ancient Greek Greek colonization, colony founded approximately 2,500 years ago in the southwestern part of the Crimean Peninsula. Settlers from He ...

. Fortifications of the city were strengthened in 3rd century BC due to

Scythian The Scythians ( or ) or Scyths (, but note Scytho- () in composition) and sometimes also referred to as the Pontic Scythians, were an ancient Eastern Iranian equestrian nomadic people who had migrated during the 9th to 8th centuries BC fr ...

and

Sarmatian The Sarmatians (; ; Latin: ) were a large confederation of Ancient Iranian peoples, ancient Iranian Eurasian nomads, equestrian nomadic peoples who dominated the Pontic–Caspian steppe, Pontic steppe from about the 5th century BCE to the 4t ...

raids. In 2nd century BC, Kalos Limen was captured by Scythians, but it was soon recaptured by Greeks, to be recaptured by Scythians again. In 1st century BC, the city was abandoned completely due to a Sarmatian invasion. On 22 April 1997, the State Historic-Archaeological Preserve "Kalos-Limen" was created.

Gallery

File:Калос Лимен - вид на нижнюю часть крепостной стены.jpg, Fortification walls File:Калос-Лімен. Світлина №8.jpg File:Давньогрецьке і скіфське городище «Калос-Лімен»-8.jpg File:Калос-Лімен. Світлина №10.jpg File:Калос-Лімен, 2021, 11.jpg

References

{{Ancient Greece topics Archaeological sites in Ukraine Greek colonies in Crimea Ruins in Ukraine Former populated places in Crimea Buildings and structures in Crimea Tourist attractions in Crimea Populated places established in the 4th century BC Historic reserves in Ukraine

History

Gallery

See also

References