Крепость Кутлак – одна из красивейших sights of Crimea. The ancient building is a famous place in Tavrida, an ancient monument of the 1st century BC. er In Crimea, the fortress received the second name - Bosporsky. It is located in the bay near the Veselov Bay.
History of the fortress
Fortress Kutlak (Crimea) was originally calledAthenion. The ancient fortification was built by order of Asandre, the governor of Pharnace II, the Pontic king. He ruled in the Cimmerian Bosporus. Asander overthrew Farnak, but did not manage to transfer power to his descendants.
The fortress served as an outpost in the west of the state.Kutlak was the last refuge of Asandra. In the 14th century, Armenians, who came from the city of Ani, erected a fort inside the fortress walls. Crimean Tatars called Kutlak a pit, according to the terrain.
Location
Kutlak is located near the sea, on the western capeKaraul-Oba mountains. The fortification is located between the Veselov Bay and the Blue Bay. The land where the remaining ruins are located belongs to the urban district of Sudak. The remains of the fortress lie four kilometers from the modern village of Veseloe.
The functioning of the fortress in ancient times
In ancient times, inside the fortifications waslocated military garrison. He consisted of hundreds of soldiers. The city walls defended the state from the sea from the barbaric pirates and the invasion of the Taurus. There is an assumption that near the fortress was a port, which was also under the protection of Kutlak.
Her soldiers were most likely from Feodosia andThrace. They were not trained in literacy and did not know how to write, but they made excellent clay products and worked brilliantly with metal. Because of the confrontation between Theodosia and the Bosporan State, the inhabitants of the fortress left the defensive fortification. This is the end of his 60-year existence. The fortress was abandoned.
Description
Fortification Kutlak, located on the plateau of the mountainThe array Karaul-Oba, had a 5-coal shape. The territory before the construction of the fortress was not leveled, so it was built in record time. Kutlak was surrounded by a two-hundred meter wall from 4 to 6 meters high. The thickness of the stone fence was different. Above the cliff wall was only 0.6 meters, on the east and north side - 3 m.
Крепость Кутлак имела 5 башен, каждая в два этажа.A bastion and a donjon were also built in the fortifications. They were on the northwest side. The largest tower was square, with dimensions of 10.7 x 8.5 m. On the first tier there were utility rooms. There were no doors there, and it was possible to get only by the stairs through the second floor.
A separate bridge led to it.In the event of a threat, he simply destroyed, and the tower became a significant obstacle to the enemy. Kutlak is very different from similar ancient monuments. In the fortification, there were initially large gates through which carts could pass. But then this entrance was immured.
People got into the fortress of Kutlak through the east andsouthwest tower. A modest alternative to the central gate was a small narrow gate. From one departed the trail to the sea itself. In the valley near the fortress was a source of fresh water. The second small narrow gate was on the opposite side of the defensive structure.
Inside the fortifications were barracks and fourhouses. Separately, there was a workshop for processing iron. The roofs of the buildings were covered with slate tiles and held together with clay. Walls were built from the same material with the addition of local sandstone.
On the territory of the defensive fortress wasa dug well supplying people with drinking water during siege time. In the peaceful inhabitants took fresh water from a source located outside the fortifications.
The remains of the fortress in modern times
Crimean defense fortification Kutlak was discovered by archaeologist Baranov.In 1982, the first finds and subsequent expeditions were able to help in setting the size of the Bosporian kingdom. Before the discovery of the fortress, it was believed that the state was located in a smaller area.
Looking at the remaining ruins, it seems that fromThe ancient monument of architecture is nothing left. But according to experts, archaeologists, the fortress of Kutlak was preserved very well to determine what was the strengthening, its functions and importance for the Bosporus.
For example, it became known that in residential areaswere once established foci and braziers. The tower, which was located in the southwest corner, served simultaneously as a lighthouse. The ancient fortification is distinguished by a clear layout, due to which it has received the name "Pentagon". The main tower was preserved until the second tier, the top of the building collapsed over time.
Of the weapons were found an iron ax and very large tips for arrows. Most likely, they were intended for the ballista. Around lay variegated stone cores for slings and stone-throwers.
So far, excavations and research have been carried out in the ancient fortifications. The fortress was included in the list of historical monuments of antiquities and its museumification began. But in recent years, work has stopped.
