Integrated Archaeological and Geophysical Researches in the Port Area of Tauric Chersonese

Abstract

The best results of researching archaeological sites in the coastal zone come from integrated interdisciplinary approach involving modern geophysical methods. The analysis of the archaeological material obtained during excavations of the “diamond-shaped tower” in the water area near the port quarters of Chersonese suggests that the structure was constructed in the ninth and tenth centuries AD. The results of research on this site show that from the ninth and tenth to the period from the late eleventh to the first half of the thirteenth centuries the sea level in Karantinnaia Bay rose by ca 1 meter. The data obtained by continuous seismoacoustic profiling were used to identify continuous changes of the coastline in result of transgression and accumulation of the bottom sediments in the section of the water area near the port district of Chersonese. The analysis of the built-up seismogeological sections and isobath map enabled the research group to identify 3 terraces and associated morphological elements indicating the location of ancient coastlines in different historical periods. A spatial relationship has been established between the archaeological objects found at the sea bottom and the position of the underwater terraces. A reconstruction of the ninth- and tenth-century coastline has been suggested according to the archaeological data. The location of the “diamond-shaped tower” and the construction remains discovered in 2019 on the same terrace suggests that the structures existed approximately at the same time. Electrical prospecting research using bottom electrotomography explored the sediment structure of marine terraces to a depth of 10 m. The research results have determined bottom anomalies corresponding to various stages of development of the coast of Karantinnaia Bay. An extended linear anomaly, located 40–50 m from the modern coast and hidden by a layer of bottom soil up to 3 m thick, most likely corresponds to the early period of the ancient city. The sea in this area is ca 2–3 m deep.