Chersonesos — Quarantine Bay Western Harbour Submerged (Tauric West)
Chersonesos Quarantine Bay · Tauric Chersonesos West Harbour · Karantinna Harbour
Classical to Medieval (422 BCE – 1400 CE)·Heracleian Doric / Byzantine·🇺🇦 Crimea, Sevastopol, Quarantine Bay (Karantinna Bukhta) western shore of Tauric Chersonesos, Ukraine
About
About Chersonesos — Quarantine Bay Western Harbour Submerged (Tauric West)
Western harbour in Quarantine Bay (Karantinna Bukhta) of Tauric Chersonesos at Sevastopol, where the Heracleian colony's citadel harbour now lies 1–3 m submerged west of the citadel promontory. 8 m and twin rock-cut ship-shed ramps 30 m at –1 m recorded by 2010–2017 underwater museum expedition and multibeam sonar. Founded by Heraclea Pontica c. 422 BCE, Chersonesos was Doric polis and later Roman stronghold; western mole handled grain and wine from chora vineyards until 14th c.
Genoese eclipse. Bay floor seals Classical hearths under Roman repair concrete and 10th c. Byzantine spolia mole.
Why it mattersWest harbour completes bipartite Chersonesos port (east Pesochnaya, west Quarantine); mole phasing dates Heracleian to Byzantine harbour maintenance and chora vineyard economy.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Whether mole core is 4th c. BCE or Roman Byzantine spolia rebuild
- 02Attribution of Bollard cuttings to Genoese galley moorings?
Theories
- 01West handled chora wine, east handled fish-salting
- 02Ship-sheds housed Chersonesan grain guard flotilla
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 422 BCE Heracleian foundation; mole 4th c. BCE, Roman repair 1st c. CE
- Period
- Classical to Medieval (422 BCE – 1400 CE)
- Culture
- Heracleian Doric / Byzantine
- Builders
- Heracleian Greek / Roman / Byzantine
- Purpose
- Citadel grain and wine harbour controlling Tauric chora cabotage
- Abandoned
- c. 1400 CE Genoese competition and Bay siltation
- Rediscovered
- 1827 Kruse plan; west basin sonar 2010 museum
- Excavation
- Submerged
c. 422 BCE
Heraclea Pontica founds Chersonesos on Quarantine Bay
c. 350 BCE
130 m ashlar mole and quay built west of citadel
2010–2017
Museum multibeam + diving map west harbour to –2.5 m
On the ground
Structures & features
44.6110° N · 33.4920° E · -2 m · 3 mapped features
Western Ashlar Mole (130 m)
mole130 m ashlar mole at –2.5 m western citadel
44.6115° N · 33.4920° ELimestone Quay with Bollards (55 m)
quay55 m quay with bollard sockets at –1.8 m
44.6110° N · 33.4925° ETwin Ship-Shed Ramps (30 m each)
shipshedTwin rock-cut ramps 30 m at –1 m
44.6108° N · 33.4918° E