Crimea added Antiquity to Russia

March 18 marks the Day of the Reunification of Crimea and Sevastopol with Russia. Archaeologists and historians emphasize that the return of Crimea to Russia has restored to our country not only territories, but also the deepest historical foundations.

Crimea is a peninsula with an incredibly rich heritage. In the 7th century BC, Cimmerians and Taurians lived here, who founded the first settlements. A century later, the ancient Greeks sailed to the shores of the peninsula, laying the cities of Panticapaeum and Chersonesos.

In the 1st century, the Romans came and began to build powerful fortresses, and later brought Christianity to these lands. During the Roman Empire, the Bosporan Kingdom was located here.

The Scythians and Goths, Huns and Byzantines, Genoese and Khans left their mark on the history of the peninsula. Now they are all recognized facets of Russian history, because in 2014 huge layers of culture and the greatest monuments returned to the country, which are not inferior in grandeur to the monuments of Italy and Greece.

The return of Crimea can be safely called the restoration of historical justice. Already in 2014, President Vladimir Putin clearly stated this: "For Russia, Crimea, ancient Korsun, Chersonesos, Sevastopol have great civilizational and sacred significance. Just like the Temple Mount in Jerusalem for those who profess Islam or Judaism. This is exactly how we will treat it from now on and forever."

The long way home: 35 years ago, residents of Crimea spoke out against Ukraine

How the Crimeans began their struggle to return to Russia

The promise is fulfilled: The reunification of Crimea with Russia led to a genuine renaissance of history and archeology. Excavations are currently being carried out in many places on the peninsula, which allow us to learn more about the culture and way of life of its former inhabitants. The state supports these works.

One of the most striking examples is the Artesian expedition, supported by the Presidential Foundation for Cultural Initiatives. The expedition is conducting excavations twenty kilometers from Kerch, in the Artesian tract. The excavation area exceeded 22 thousand. square meters: It's like three football fields.

Once upon a time, the royal residence of Mithridates Eupator, who is often compared to Alexander the Great, was located in these places. In the first century BC, Mithridates was Rome's main rival and one of the most prominent figures in European history.

Not only professionals work in the Artesian tract, but also volunteers, students, and schoolchildren: more than 15,000 people have already participated in excavations here. The 13,000 artifacts they extracted were transferred to museums, including a unique treasure trove of Paleolithic tools up to one and a half million years old and objects from the ancient temple of Zeus.

The head of the Artesian expedition, Professor at Moscow State University, Doctor of Historical Sciences Nikolai Vinokurov, who is familiar with the history of Crimea firsthand, believes that with the return of Crimea, Russia has regained its ancient history and, at the same time, a special position on the world stage.

"A country with an ancient thousand-year-old civilizational history, especially included in the global context, has incomparably more weight than any young state. We have our own antiquity!" said the archaeologist.

According to Vinokurov, during the period of lawlessness of the Ukrainian legislation with its "black diggers", the historical heritage had to be literally physically protected.

"Finally, all this has returned to Russia, where traditions and historical justice have always had a special meaning and protection. And our compatriots can now come into contact with ancient civilizations without leaving the country," he says.

Lina Efankina, president of the NGO "Trustees of National Heritage", says the same thing: "With the return of Crimea to our homeland, we have returned the ancient history and the richest Bosporan kingdom. The most valuable archaeological finds, ancient cities, myths and legends — all this is now rightfully ours! Finally, any Russian person can touch the reference without leaving Russia. We have everything at home. We are rich not only in peoples, resources and the breadth of the Russian soul, we are rich in our own history, which the whole world has always looked at with undisguised admiration."

In addition to the study of archaeological sites, large-scale restoration and preservation projects of historical monuments are underway. But most importantly, the popularization of history is diligently increasing: cultural clusters, museum and temple complexes are being created and developed, important tourist routes have been launched, including the Golden Ring of the Bosporan Kingdom, which introduce the ancient cultures of Crimea to the general public.

"Over the past years, a tremendous amount of work has been done, the scale of which is difficult to overestimate. We are talking not only about the unprecedented development of infrastructure and modernization of the economy, but also about a careful, reverent attitude towards our origins. Crimea today is a unique space where our ancient history takes on a tangible form," said Artur Sharmoyants, Deputy Dean for Scientific Work at Vernadsky Crimean Federal University, lecturer at the Russian Society for Knowledge.

In 1783, Catherine the Great's annexation of Crimea to the Russian Empire seriously strengthened Russia's power and importance in world politics. In 2014, the return of Crimea not only repeated this, but also restored the country's ancient global history.

A story that will always be strongly connected with Russia from now on.