Tauric Chersonesos is the name of the city founded by Greek colonists in southwestern Crimea more than 2500 years ago. Its archaeological ruins are presently one of the attractions of the city of Sevastopol.

In ancient Greek the word chersonesos means "peninsula." The city was indeed located on a small peninsula between two bays. "Tauric" Chersonesos further denotes the location of the colony, that is, "in the lands of the Taurians". This a warring tribe that inhabited the neighboring mountains. The city was destined to exist for nearly two thousand years, and its history is intertwined with that of ancient Greece, Rome, and Byzantium.

As in other Greek colonies, life for the Chersonesites depended entirely on the agricultural territory, or chora which lay adjacent to the city. At present, the farm plots and estates of the chora of Chersonesos are the subjects of interdisciplinary study by scholars of various specializations. The surrounding countryside was populated by different tribes, some peaceful, others belligerent. During the Middle Ages, when Chersonesos became the Christian center of the Crimean peninsula, a great number of monasteries, hermitages, and "cave towns" appeared nearby. At the end of the 14th century nomadic raids brought an end to the city and its ruins were buried under earth with time.

In 1827, 50 years after the foundation of Sevastopol, the first excavations at the site of Chersonesos commenced. Soon afterwards, Chersonesos received the epithet of "Russian Troy." With every year new houses and streets, squares and churches of the ancient city appeared from under layers centuries-old.

The excavations produced so many finds that they soon comprised an intriguing collection, and thus appeared the Chersonesos Archaeological Museum. In 2012 the museum celebrated its 120 anniversary.

You can spend all day here viewing the exhibits or taking a tour of the archaeological site of the ancient city. Or you can take a virtual trip using the map indicating the parts of the city that have already been excavated. The excavations are located not only within the ancient city but also on numerous sites outside the walls of Chersonesos. Would you like to take part? Sign up for a guided tour!

A national preserve was established to accommodate and organize the large number of scholarly investigations surrounding the numerous archaeological sites of the ancient city. In 1993 by decree of the President of Ukraine the Preserve was given the status of a national institution of culture.

Presently, the About Chersonesos is not only a leading tourist attraction, it is also an important scholarly and methodological center for archaeologists, historians, and specialists of related fields. The staff of the Preserve consists of an enthusiastic group of scholars devoted to their work. You can get acquainted with them and ask them questions.

Foreign interest in Chersonesos has recently increased considerably. Professor Joseph C. Carter, the Director of the Institute of Classical Archaeology at the University of Texas at Austin, has been working in conjunction with the Preserve to establish an archaeological park and to this end has enlisted the assistance of non-profit and non-governmental organizations abroad. The Preserve has entered the new millennium with the task of realizing this ambitious and exciting project.