Ancient coins found in Crimea. Legends about treasures of Crimea

Ancient rocks, quarries and ruins of Crimea have kept their secrets and treasures hidden in them for thousands of years.

From time to time, another wave of treasure hunting hobbies sweeps across the land of Taurida. Not only young dreamers, but also fully grown-up and even gray-haired residents of Crimea suddenly get excited about the idea of ​​finding a treasure - and for days on end, with an absent look, carefully listening to the rustling in their headphones, they wander with metal detectors and other handicraft equipment through the steppes and forests, through caves and rocks Some people are lucky - there really are a lot of undiscovered graves here. Some of them, in addition to historical ones, also represent material values.

Crimea had to go through many wars, invasions, and changes in power. When troubled times set in, residents, leaving the peninsula in the hope of salvation, often hid valuables and money in hiding places - in basements, in the walls of houses, in the ground... And today, here and there, people come across decayed bundles of gold coins and other "cache".

If those leaving their homes did not have time to reliably hide the wealth or did not hope to return for it, it was thrown into a river or well. For example, this is what church ministers did during the persecution of the church - a lot of expensive church utensils were found in the Crimean rivers.

Until now, the Crimean land jealously guards tons of treasures about which there are legends.

Gireyev's treasure: in Bakhchisarai or Feodosia?

Bakhchisaray is a small city. Even smaller is the territory of the Khan's Palace, where, according to legend, the countless treasures of the last of the dynasty are hidden Gireev- Khan Shagina. Fearing death at the hands of the Turks, Shagin Giray hastened to leave the peninsula, having previously hidden his treasury and jewelry.

However, this is just a legend. Historians doubt its veracity. In fact, why hide property in Bakhchisarai if the khan at that time was planning to move to Kafa (Feodosia) and set up his capital there? At that time, gold and silver coins were already being minted in the Cafe, the port was being completed and strengthened, and factories were operating - a gunpowder factory and a foundry. It is more logical to assume that Giray hid the treasures there. There is no more accurate information yet, although from time to time descendants of “eyewitnesses” appear and indicate new locations of the supposed location of the treasure.

Golden horse of Mithridates: in Kerch, Armyansk or inside Ayu-Dag?

According to legend, when the king's favorite stallion died Mithridates, the saddened king ordered the master to create a golden copy of the horse in full height. The precious statue, according to the stories, is securely hidden in the thickness of Mount Mithridates, which is located in the center of Kerch. However, historians are skeptical about these rumors, especially since the location of the treasure is often “transferred”: either to Mount Kastel, then to Armyansk, or to Ayu-Dag. Experts also doubt the very existence of the golden statue, since there is no documentary evidence of this fact.

Treasure of the robber Alim in Kiziltash

Crimean " Robin Hood", robber Alim, robbed the rich and helped the poor in the first half of the 19th century. There are many legends on the peninsula about the noble robber and the treasures that he hid in hard-to-reach caves. The name Kiziltash is repeated more often than others - this is a tract between Sudak and Koktebel, in which, as is known, Alim hid from the authorities - he had two permanent shelters, the Razboinichya and Holy caves. It is quite possible that somewhere in this tract the wealth obtained by Alim is really waiting in the wings.

30 barrels of gold at the bottom of Balaklava Bay

And this is no longer beautiful legend, A historical fact: An English ship called the Black Prince, which was carrying 30 barrels of gold, actually sank in Balaklava Bay during the Crimean War, in 1854. The gold was intended to pay salaries to soldiers and officers of the English army. But a terrible storm suddenly arose in the bay, and the ship sank, breaking on the rocks.

The treasure hunters, having learned about this, immediately set to work. But to this day the legendary ship and its cargo have never been found. Modern divers never give up trying to find treasures, but either the depth of Balaklava Bay is too great, or they don’t have enough patience, or the notorious gold simply isn’t there. True, the interest of treasure hunters is fueled by the gold English coins that are found there from time to time. Sometimes they say that gold was found after all - and secretly taken to Moscow.

NKVD gold in Leninsky district

As the legend goes, during the Great Patriotic War, forced to retreat and leaving Crimea to the fascists, NKVD employees hid the regimental treasury on the territory of the Leninsky district. Until recently, “witnesses” were still alive, residents of the village of Kamenka, telling how on a dark November night in 1941 a truck drove up to the Ak-Monai quarries, from which soldiers unloaded heavy boxes and left them in the depths of the quarries. Rumors leaked out from somewhere that the boxes, in addition to ammunition, also contained dossiers on saboteurs and spies, as well as money and jewelry.

Maybe it's just a beautiful legend. But why then, in the 50s, representatives of the capital’s Ministry of Internal Affairs suddenly descended on Kamenka and persistently asked local residents if they had found anything in the abandoned labyrinths of the quarries? Of course, this visit only fueled the interest of treasure hunters. But - alas - nothing is yet known about the discovery of NKVD jewelry.

Treasures of the motor ship "Lenin" off the coast of Sevastopol

The motor ship sank near Cape Sarych in 1941. Lenin", transporting refugees from besieged Odessa. This was the last chance for salvation, and instead of the planned 500 passengers, according to unconfirmed reports, ten times more people accumulated there. Among the passengers were many far from poor representatives of the local elite, who were exporting gold and jewelry. But the workers of the Odessa NKVD and the regional party committee, artists and writers still had a lot of goods... The hold of the ship was chock-full, presumably, of bronze or copper ingots. But no one managed to escape - the ship hit a mine and quickly sank.

They say that in the 90s, a certain Israeli citizen showed up in Sevastopol and tried to hire divers to dive and search for “Lenin.” The visitor explained that his dad was traveling on the ship with a suitcase, the contents of which, if found, would be enough for the city, the divers, and the heirs. We dived and searched. And they continue to search. Some die... The depth in the bay is 96 meters, and divers sometimes use chemical mixtures instead of oxygen. But there is no official information about the finds yet.

Of course, these treasures - real or fictitious - do not exhaust the undiscovered treasures of Crimea. These are just the most famous legends. The “black diggers” who quietly dig the Crimean soil in winter and summer can tell us more. They can. If they want.

Treasure hunting in Crimea

Treasure hunting in Crimea as a type of tourism.

Legal regulation of the search for treasures and historical artifacts in general in different countries ah the world is significantly different. Let’s just say briefly that both legal archeology (as part of archaeological expeditions) and “black” illegal archeology deals with protected registered objects. In reality, only archaeological reserves have security, and let’s say the burial mounds are only marked with security signs and are usually broken. In any case, historical and cultural monuments and archaeological sites, including all mounds, cemeteries, graves, places of mass executions and battles, are excluded from the scope of amateur treasure hunting.

In addition to archaeological tourism sites and military search expeditions, which require special permission and qualified participants, Crimea has the widest opportunities for amateur treasure hunting. First of all, in this review, we will talk about such finds as coins, rings, metal buttons, bullets, and military insignia, but the history of Crimea knows many examples of the discovery of real treasures.

Due to its special position at the crossroads of many world empires, the population of Crimea has already been accustomed to sudden invasions of enemies since ancient times. The traditions of constructing treasures have developed over thousands of years in sanctuaries and dwellings, in hard-to-reach mountain caches and fortress walls. A significant part of the ancient and even pre-revolutionary settlements (especially small farms and estates in mountain valleys) have been abandoned by residents, and little remains of the houses, or rather, they are almost invisible, as well as the inns (caravanserais, khanes) of the Khan's Crimea. Abandoned villages can only be determined by a number of signs on the ground and by maps of the 19th century.

A treasure found by chance, for example during the demolition of an old building (and the “old city” of Simferopol still retains buildings from the 15th to 17th centuries) is supposed to be handed over to the state. The value of the treasure is determined by experts, and the finder is paid a monetary reward in the amount of 25 percent of the estimated value, naturally in national monetary units, and not in coins from the treasure.

However, the purpose of this review is amateur treasure hunting on tourist routes, let's be honest: here we will give more advice not on how to make money, but on how to spend money in order to find some little thing that has only the value of souvenirs.

Currently, a wide variety of travel methods are available for treasure hunters to travel in Crimea. We recommend that before buying a jeep or a riding horse, you experience the real features of different styles of movement in the rental and training mode. Most tourist centers in the mountainous Crimea provide their clients with training routes for mountain hiking (with rock climbing skills and visiting unequipped caves), horseback riding and donkey riding (by the way, a donkey is in many ways more convenient both to better see treasures and to load more of them), mountain biking (MTV), on off-road cars, buggies and ATVs.

The main equipment of a treasure hunter is a metal detector and a universal entrenching tool for setting up a camp in the mountains and traveling on off-road vehicles. For non-motorized movement, you need to select a tool that is lighter and more compact, but for a jeep you can afford large, heavy and strong shovels, picks, hoes, splints, and saws.

It is probably best to order metal detectors via the Internet; models of metal detectors and manufacturers are discussed on online forums for treasure hunters and archaeologists (by the way, we invite experts to cooperate!). The same fully applies to GPS satellite navigation devices.

Features of planning routes for searching for treasures in Crimea

Mountain biking (MTB), in our opinion, is the most natural way of transportation both for searching for ancient villages and abandoned inns, and for monitoring mudflow deposits and alluvial cones in gullies. Even along the concrete embankments of the South Coast or the sandy beaches of the West Coast, a bicycle allows you to move with the necessary equipment at a speed convenient for inspection.

Let us remind you once again that in amateur treasure hunting, the process is more important than the result. The daily mileage can be planned at 30 – 80 km. The routes are only radical, but in the summer it makes sense to spend the night on the beaches of the West Coast to walk along the fresh deposits of sand with rings-earrings-chains at sunrise. Summer storms in the west of Crimea are usually in the afternoon and easily remove jewelry from relaxed vacationers.

ATVs are an expensive, stylish and amazing way to get around. Features of soft tires and “smart” suspension allow you to drive through a mountain forest, yayla, steppe or beach faster than in a jeep. At the same time, the passenger can look around in all directions, and the driver can drive up to anywhere he wants. You can very quickly deliver a team to search sites 20 - 50 km away from the base. and very slowly and carefully comb the places to look for treasures. Although carriage ATVs allow you to take a lot of equipment with you, the routes are only radial. ATVs require daily maintenance, and their lovers need a comfortable rest. Important when planning routes. That ATVs are not allowed to drive on asphalt.

Off-road jeeps can be recommended for amateur expeditions with linear routes. In a car caravan outside road workers, all cars should have approximately equal driving capabilities, it is better, of course, cars of the same or similar brands in order to have a common stock of spare parts and accessories. We recommend combining a spacious multi-seater jeep with three doors on the expedition (a winch is required). It is very useful, for example, to take 2-3 mountain bikes with you when traveling outside the camp for groceries.

A caravan of jeeps, even if overnight stays are planned only at tourist centers or the private sector, must be equipped for comfortable self-contained tent camps. In Crimea, at least three vast areas can be recommended for amateur treasure hunting routes in jeeps:

B) The Kerch Peninsula, especially the Kalaral steppe (Baghirovsky air training ground), the surroundings of Kyz - the Aum lighthouse and Cape Takyl are also interesting. Let us remind you once again that we are talking about tourism and recreation; adventures and beautiful places are guaranteed, for example, “pocket beaches” on the coast of the Azov and Black Seas. And the treasures themselves are not at all necessary.

There are a huge number of abandoned villages on the Kerch Peninsula: 13 settlements of colonists from Italian Genoa (1475-1918), settlements of the Kerch Nogai.

B) Sivash region (Dzhankoy, Sovetsky, Nizhnegorsky districts). In addition to the frequent raids of the Don Cossacks and Kalmyks, who destroyed villages in the 18th century, during the period of collectivization in the 1930s, the consolidation of Ukrainian collective farms took place here, many villages and farmsteads were plowed.

In the Steppe Crimea the main building material for houses and sheds - kalyb, adobe, mud brick made of clay, manure and straw. So tractors could turn villages into fields. We will write separately about the visual signs of disappeared villages.

The routes on horseback and donkeys are romantic and cinematic. Mounted monitoring can be recommended for inspecting the alluvial cone in the ravines and valleys of the Crimean foothills (Sevastopol, Bakhchisarai, Simferopol, Belogorsky, Kirov regions) and the land of Koktebel, as well as the hills and ravines of Kapsel, Meganom, Solnechnaya Dolina, Sudak, Alushta.

The method of traveling on foot in search of treasures is the main one and especially makes sense on mountain and coastal pack trails. Areas that require special attention on such routes are springs, and especially chashme (fountains), as well as wells, especially ancient ones, marked on old maps.

Actually the main search work for all vehicles happens on foot. In most cases, exploring beaches is possible in ordinary cars on an asphalt highway and even using inexpensive regular buses. The entire western coast is well provided with public transport from the Severnaya station to the Chernomorskoye village, and in the summer it is very good.

I bring to your attention a selection of interesting legends about the treasures of Crimea, which have not yet been added to museum exhibitions and private collections; they simply have not yet been found, although there are many different sources confirming that some legends are far from fiction...

Treasures of Byzantium— there is a legend that during the siege of Mangup by the Turks in 1475, when the defenders of the Principality of Theodoro already realized that they could not resist the onslaught of the enemy, Prince Alexander ordered to hide the treasury and all the valuables of the inhabitants in the cave city.

According to legend, there were a lot of treasures, since it was here that they were brought from all over Byzantium after the fall of Constantinople. The Ottoman vizier Ahmed Pasha allegedly knew about the treasure, but after the capture of the capital, Theodoro was never able to find it. The archaeological expedition, which has been working on Mangup for many years, was unable to discover anything.

Treasures of the Bakhchisarai Museum— off the western coast of the peninsula, in the Kachi region, a ship rests on the seabed, which in 1941 was supposed to evacuate the treasures of the Bakhchisarai Palace (carpets, historical clothing, household items, coin collections and much more).

Even the museum’s act on preparations for the evacuation of valuable exhibits has been preserved. However, as soon as the ship put to sea, it was sunk by German bombers. They say that the ship could not have gone far and should be looked for at shallow depths near the shore. But these treasures were not found.

Regimental treasury (Ak-Monai quarries)- according to legend, the regimental treasury is hidden in the Leninsky district, which NKVD employees left behind during the retreat of Soviet troops from Crimea. Until now, the cache has not been found by treasure hunters.

It allegedly stores ammunition, money, jewelry and secret files on spies and saboteurs. Local residents say that on a November night in 1941, a truck drove up to the entrance to the quarries and stopped at the railroad tracks, the soldiers unloaded some boxes from it, took it to the catacombs and left.

These rumors are confirmed by the fact that in the mid-50s, in the village of Kamenskoye, located not far from the Ak-Monai quarries, a certain inspection of the Ministry of Internal Affairs from Moscow appeared, which made inquiries about what local residents found in the quarries. But the cache has still not been found.

Treasures of the Temple of the Virgin (Fiolent)- in the 50s of the last century, in the area of ​​​​Cape Fiolent, not far from Sevastopol, a Crimean rock climber late in the evening accidentally discovered a cave into which a vertical well led. Having descended to the very bottom, he saw fragments of ceramics and many human remains.

Since the lantern was weak, he did not dare to go deeper into the cave and returned to the same place the next morning. However, he failed to find a narrow hole into the cave.

It is quite possible that the skeletons belonged to people whom the Taurians sacrificed to the goddess Virgo. It was on Fiolent, according to experts, that the main sanctuary of the ancient inhabitants of Crimea was located. It follows from this that the treasures of the Tauri may well be stored in the cave, since it was the temples at that time that served not only as sanctuaries, but also as original banks, but with perpetual deposits.

Golden Horse (Grand Canyon)— there is another legend that a golden horse is hidden in one of the mountain gorges of Crimea - a huge ingot of pure gold, supposedly the size of a real horse.

According to legend, the horse statue was installed in a pyramidal sanctuary, inside of which a fire burned all the time. Apparently, the legend is about the golden horse of Mithridates VI Eupator, which, after the death of the Bosporan king, somehow ended up in the hands of the Scythians and “migrated” from Kerch to the Crimean Mountains.

There are rumors that when they decided to deliver the statue to the Scythian capital, the caravan was attacked. To prevent the enemy from getting it, the priests threw it into a gorge. According to legend, this was the largest gorge on the peninsula. Apparently, we are talking about the Grand Canyon.

Golden Chariot (Kerch)- as the legend says, the golden chariot, unlike the horse, remained in the depths of the Kerch Mount Mithridates, named after the Bosporan king, who owned the priceless item.

After a Scythian burial was discovered in the Kul-Oba mound, belief in the real existence of the golden chariot strengthened. Gold plaques, the famous hryvnia made of an alloy of gold and silver, a gold hoop, an electric vessel and much more were found in the burial.

Before his death, Mithridates allegedly hid a golden copy of his steed and a golden chariot in a mountain. Later, another legend appeared about the golden horse of the Scythians, who apparently found the treasure of Mithridates, but the chariot disappeared.

Gold Mamaia (Chatyr-Dag)- after the defeat in the Battle of Kulikovo, Khan Mamai was overthrown from the throne of the Golden Horde and fled to the south, presumably to Crimea. He took with him almost all the gold from the treasury of the Golden Horde in order to subsequently prepare a coup.

Starting from the 10th century, the French, English, Italians searched for Mamai’s grave on the peninsula... The attempts were never successful, but, according to Russian researchers, the treasure that Mamai took with him should be looked for on Chatyr-Dag, in the little-explored caves of the mountain.

Museum exhibits of Europe (Tarkhankut)- in December 1847, the Russian 12-gun schooner Vestnik crashed on the rocks near Cape Tarkhankut, returning from a Mediterranean voyage.

Previously, the ship visited one of the Greek ports and supposedly there were museum exhibits on board, which were supposed to be transferred to the Kerch Historical and Archaeological Museum. Since the ship crashed against the rocks, it sank somewhere near the shore. However, the Russian schooner has not yet been found.

Treasures of the Golden Mound (Kerch)— the ruins of the ancient mound Altyn-Oba can be seen from the highway at the entrance to Kerch. In the 1820s, General Rosenberg, having learned about the treasures hidden in the mound, placed a fair amount of gunpowder at the top and blew it up.

He never found gold, he only disfigured the mound, breaking the cyclopean lining. In 1832, Demyan Kareisha began archaeological excavations of the mound. However, he found nothing except 2 empty stone crypts.

However, there is no smoke without fire; surely the name of the mound Zolotoy may indicate that it still holds treasures from the times of the Bosporan kingdom.

Find a treasure and live comfortably even on the 20% that is due from donating the find to the state. This thought visits everyone at least once, especially the Crimeans living on the Treasure Peninsula. We tried to find out what treasures excite the fantasies of seekers.

Big bummer

“In the summer I dived in Balaklava,” says Simferopol resident Denis. - And next year I’ll be there - maybe I’ll get lucky and at least find a couple of coins.

For a successful entrepreneur, Balaklava scuba diving is a matter of principle. His father also went to these places at one time: maybe he would be lucky and the “Prince’s” gold would be found. According to rumors, there were about 30 barrels of gold coins - wages for British troops besieging Sevastopol in the Crimean War.

The British frigate Prince (better known as the Black Prince) was lost in November 1854 during a storm off Balaklava. According to official data, he was bringing warm clothes and medicine to the British. But a few years after the war, rumors of riches appeared. The first divers appeared in Balaklava Bay. Not only amateurs from Russian Empire, but also the French, Germans, Americans, Norwegians, Italians, Japanese. They found some debris, a small amount of coins, remains of shoes, iron boxes, but there was no mass of gold. I was looking for gold and Soviet Union. The reason was the discovery of several coins by one of the divers in 1922. Thanks to them, by the way, the Special Purpose Underwater Expedition (EPRON) appeared in the country. Engineers Vladimir Yazykov and Evgeny Danilenko, who developed a unique diving bell for this purpose, in 1923 enlisted the support of the country's chief security officer, Felix Dzerzhinsky, in creating a group to search for gold on the Prince. Gold, of course, was not found, although they raised a fragment of the Prince’s mast, from which they made a chess table and presented it to the new chief security officer, Vyacheslav Menzhinsky. But they gained considerable experience in underwater work. EPRON became a famous service that saved many people and raised many ships from the bottom of the sea. Representatives from different countries spent more than 150 years and huge sums of money searching for the Prince’s treasure, but the owners of the cargo, the British, showed no activity at all. They knew that the Prince’s gold was not in Balaklava Bay.

“The Prince’s gold is a beautiful legend,” says Sergei Voronov, head of the Black Sea Center for Underwater Research. “Three years ago, in Balaklava Bay, our underwater archaeologists managed to find cannonballs, a ship’s propeller, guns (one is kept in the museum in Artek. - Ed.), a plate from the captain’s service, based on the emblem of the company that owned the ship on it, they were able to identify that this is the same “Prince”.

The site of the ship's sinking has been found, but what about the gold? As an underwater archaeologist invited to the British Embassy was then told, it was unloaded on the way to Crimea. In Constantinople (Istanbul), where the British troops were stationed. All these years in England they knew about this, and the country’s national bank keeps a confirmation receipt from the assistant chief quartermaster John Smith. And yet, many treasure hunters with scuba gear strive every year to Balaklava Bay: what if they get lucky!

Another supposedly “ship with gold” that perished off the coast of Crimea is the motor ship “Lenin,” on which more than 4 thousand people were evacuated from Odessa in 1941. It is believed that they carried a lot of valuables with them. An underwater mass grave - a maritime memorial - reliably keeps secrets: several divers who decided to profit from the past died.

Randomness is the key to success

“It is impossible to dig up burial places in search of treasures,” historian Igor Pavlenko is sure. - This is blasphemy. And no matter how mystical it sounds, the souls of the dead will not forgive desecration. Treasures obtained in this way do not bring good: there are many examples of how “diggers” and their families died and suffered. And then, in most cases, the treasure is found not by those who deliberately wander around with a map and a shovel, but by those who don’t even think about it. Chance is the main companion of finding treasures. This is exactly how real scientists and archaeologists are lucky, who, without thinking about profit, bring back from the past populated areas and eras. Or for those who, while working on construction sites, in vegetable gardens, or traveling, suddenly find an old “stash”. So, in 1886, in the village of Neizac (Belogorsky district), they were repairing a mill dam and accidentally discovered a vessel with silver coins XIV century. And in 1959, in the area of ​​the Sudak Valley, archaeologists working on excavations found gold coins III century. In 2004, during the demolition of an old house in Feodosia, a large sum of money from 1917 was found, and in 2007, a resident of Old Crimea was repairing a stove and found a gold pendant.

And yet, those obsessed with the idea of ​​treasure have their own “search points.” Kerchanin Alexey hopes to find two at once. In the quarries in the Leninsky district, where before the occupation of Crimea by the Nazis, security officers allegedly equipped a hiding place.

“One local resident has been studying this topic for many years,” says the man. “And he seemed to have found the place, but he soon died without revealing the secret.” What is there is unknown, maybe valuables, or maybe documents. But interesting. Although it is dangerous - collapses often occur. By the way, they say that the fascists also set up storage facilities for valuables during the Great Patriotic War - supposedly they hid the gold of the Crimean Scythians in a bunker near Sevastopol. Even Reichsführer SS Himmler himself came.

Another place where Alexey has already wandered with a metal detector in search of treasure is Bear Mountain. Here I wanted to find the horse of the Pontic king Mithridates VI Eupator. According to legend, the king ordered a figure of his favorite horse to be cast from gold, and before his death he hid it in a mountain. True, that mountain is the current Mithridates in Kerch. But it has been studied since pre-revolutionary times, there were interesting finds, but the horse was not found.

“Maybe they weren’t looking in the right place,” the treasure hunter suggests. — After all, there are many mountains in Crimea. Although there is an opinion that even before the revolution a golden horse was found by a Kerch water carrier, which was then discovered profitable enterprise and did a lot of charity work. But there is no confirmation, which means there remains a chance.

Gold of the Khans and ready

They hope to find the treasures of the last Crimean khan, Shagin Giray, on the peninsula. Allegedly in February 1783, before abdicating power and moving to Taman (from there to Voronezh), he ordered the property to be hidden in Bakhchisarai, according to other sources - in Cafe (Feodosia). Although this is doubtful, because the khan was planning to leave the peninsula forever; he lived in the Russian Empire until 1787, then moved to the Ottoman Empire. Why leave treasures if you understand that you will not be able to return?

— I know that even during the Soviet Union they tried to find the treasure of the Crimean Khan in Krasnodar region, says Crimean Sergei Makarov. — In Taman and even in Krymsk, arguing that this town was named after the Crimean Khan. But this is completely nonsense. Krymsk, the former village of Krymskaya, appeared almost a century after the death of Shagin Giray and was named in honor of the soldiers of the Crimean 73rd Infantry Regiment that fought during the Russian-Turkish wars. I met treasure hunters of the Khan's treasures when I was searching with friends in the Krasnodar region. We were looking for a “golden suitcase” with gold and silver objects from the Kerch Museum that disappeared in 1942.

Promising places...

Traveling to Crimea on vacation search engines, differ from ordinary tourists in that they wonder where they can actually dig, and how to find promising places to search at the same time, without accidentally wandering into an archaeological site?

One of the very attractive areas is the sea coast from the border of the Opuk Nature Reserve to Cape Takyl.

These places are quite deserted, sparsely populated and, importantly, not particularly interesting for ordinary tourists. There are no picturesque mountains or lush vegetation here.

This is 100% Cimmeria!

Low, sun-scorched hills, and the endless distance of the sea! During the Soviet era, several military units were located on this section of the coast, and therefore passage along the seashore was problematic in many places. Now there are no military people there (at least not yet), and the path along the edge of the sea is clear everywhere. The only active military unit in this area is the missile range on Cape Opuk itself.

This section of the coast is interesting, primarily because along its length, in ancient times, there were several small cities, mostly Greek.

But long-term, systematic archaeological research and excavations have never been carried out on this section of the Crimean coast. Simply put, the coast has been very little explored, although there is undoubtedly something to look for there...

In addition, in light of current legislation, search engines seem to be not prohibited from digging on beaches. And here is precisely the case when the search will mainly be carried out near the sea itself, i.e. on the beach.

The fact is that in ancient times, the edge of the sea was much further than it is now. That is why very often in these places the remains of ancient settlements are found under water.

There is a feeling that they seem to have caught the edge of the land. This way, you can cop on the seashore without breaking the law, and at the same time dig the old fashioned way!

These places will surely appeal to those who don’t really like prying eyes. There is simply almost never anyone here. Rare “savage” vacationers with tents are not a hindrance to the cop. And you can rarely find local diggers on this coast, because... they prefer to dig in “their” places, that is, places that are well known to them. In general, the finds here are very interesting: coins, arrowheads, spearheads, parts of bladed weapons...

Despite the desolation and even some natural wildness of this area, there is something attractive about it. Maybe you feel the passage of time? After all, there were towns, life was in full swing, but now...

By the way, some people consider these places to be places of power!
But what there really is a lot of here is silence, peace, air and sea!