Porthmion — South Harbour at Chushka Spit South (Kerch Strait South Spit)
Porthmion South Harbour · Chushka Spit South Basin · Portmion South
Archaic to Late Antique (580 BCE – 300 CE)·Milesian / Bosporan·🇷🇺 Krasnodar Krai, Taman Peninsula, Chushka Spit south shore south of Porthmion strait fortress, Russia
About
About Porthmion — South Harbour at Chushka Spit South (Kerch Strait South Spit)
South spit harbour of Porthmion on Chushka Spit south shore south of the Strait fortress, where the Bosporan strait guard fort's southern spit anchorage now lies 1–3 m submerged along the Chushka sandy bar south face. Distinct from the Chushka north harbour in wave-6 (north basin at –2 m), this southern basin preserves a 55 m timber-piled silted quay at –1.8 m, 40 m rubble guard mole at –2.5 m and fort curtain bastion base at –1 m surveyed by 2018 Russian Academy side-scan. Founded c. 580 BCE as Bosporan Porthmion strait gate, fortress controlled Strait passage until 3rd c. CE subsidence; south harbour handled southern convoy waiting roadstead. Piles include Taman oak with iron clamps.
Why it mattersSouth spit harbour proves Porthmion dual roadstead (north vs south convoy waiting); piles date Bosporan strait guard logistics.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Whether south mole is guard or natural spit bar
- 02Attribution of bastion to Mithridatic reinforcement?
Theories
- 01North handled northeasters, south handled southerlies — sheltered either wind
- 02Subsidence 300 CE drowned fortress harbour
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. 580 BCE Bosporan fortress; south harbour 5th c. BCE
- Period
- Archaic to Late Antique (580 BCE – 300 CE)
- Culture
- Milesian / Bosporan
- Builders
- Mile sian / Bosporan
- Purpose
- Kerch Strait guard fortress and convoy anchorage
- Abandoned
- c. 300 CE subsidence and Scythian disruption
- Rediscovered
- 1979 antiquarian; south harbour 2018 RAS side-scan
- Excavation
- Submerged
c. 580 BCE
Porthmion fortress founded to guard Strait narrows
c. 470 BCE
55 m quay, 40 m mole and bastion built south spit
2018
Side-scan maps south spit harbour to –2.5 m
On the ground
Structures & features
45.3280° N · 36.6580° E · -2 m · 3 mapped features
Timber-Piled Quay (55 m)
quayOak pile quay 55 m at –1.8 m south spit
45.3285° N · 36.6585° ERubble Guard Mole (40 m)
mole40 m mole at –2.5 m south guard spit
45.3280° N · 36.6580° EBastion Base (12 m diameter)
fortificationBastion base 12 m at –1 m curtain corner
45.3275° N · 36.6582° E