Hermonassa — Southern Mole Harbour on Tuzla Spit South (Taman) — v2
Hermonassa South Mole · Tuzla South Harbour · Hermonassa Strait
Archaic to Late Antique (600 BCE – 400 CE)·Ionian Greek / Bosporan·🇷🇺 Russia, Krasnodar Krai, Tuzla Spit southern tip, Strait of Kerch, Russia
About
About Hermonassa — Southern Mole Harbour on Tuzla Spit South (Taman) — v2
Southern mole harbour of Hermonassa (modern Taman village) on Tuzla Spit southern Strait face, where the Ionian colony's Strait harbour now lies 2–4 m submerged. Distinct from the Tuzla Bay harbour already in database, this southern mole preserves 180 m rubble mole at –3 m, southern quay with limestone bollards at –2 m and 6th c. BCE apsidal house foundations mapped 2019 Russian Academy diving. Founded by Ionians c. 580 BCE (Mytilene or Teos), Hermonassa was Bosporan Asian gateway controlling Strait passage until medieval Slavic Tmutarakan. Southern mole shielded southerlies from Black Sea swell. Cores show 3 m Bilinguis horizon collapse.
Why it mattersSouthern Strait mole proves Hermonassa's Strait-control function; mole armour dates calibrate Strait sea-level and Bosporan toll station chronology.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Whether apsidal houses are Ionian colonial or earlier Maeotian
- 02Attribution of mole enlargement to Spartocid toll intensification?
Theories
- 01Southern mole built to counter post-glacial Strait current shift
- 02Harbour abandonment linked to Tuzla spit breaching 7th c. CE
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 Ionian foundation; southern mole Archaic with Hellenistic enlargement
- Period
- Archaic to Late Antique (600 BCE – 400 CE)
- Culture
- Ionian Greek / Bosporan
- Purpose
- Bosporan harbour and anchorage — grain, fish-salting and cabotage port
- Abandoned
- c. 1000 CE Tmutarakan eclipse and spit erosion
- Rediscovered
- 19th c. antiquarian; modern diving 2010s
- Excavation
- Submerged
c. 580 BCE
Ionians found Hermonassa at Taman Strait narrows
Hellenistic c. 250 BCE
180 m southern mole and bollard quay built
2019
RAS diving maps southern mole at –3 m under Strait silt
On the ground
Structures & features
45.2050° N · 36.7120° E · -2 m · 3 mapped features
Southern Rubble Mole (180 m)
mole180 m southern rubble mole at –3 m with armour blocks
45.2055° N · 36.7125° ESouthern Quay with Bollards (90 m)
quay90 m limestone quay at –2 m with bollard cuttings
45.2045° N · 36.7130° EApsidal House Foundations (6 m)
houseArchaic apsidal house bases 6 m diameter at –1.5 m
45.2050° N · 36.7110° E