ИССЛЕДОВАНИЯ КРЫМСКОГО ПОЛУОСТРОВА РОССИЙСКИМИ УЧЕНЫМИ (КОНЕЦ XVIII В.)

Abstract

The rich historical past of the Crimean peninsula, its natural wealth and resources, its beauty at all times attracted the attention of traveling researchers. In the period from the last quarter of the 15th century up to the end of the 18th century, Western and Eastern researchers, visiting the Crimean peninsula for various purposes, studied its geography, biology, and history. Russian scientists-travelers did not have the opportunity to make research trips across the Crimea until the end of the 18th century due to the fact that for three centuries (from 1475 till 1774) the Crimean peninsula was part of the Ottoman Empire, being one of its most important provinces, both in trade, economic, and military-strategic terms. With the annexation of Crimea by Russia in 1783, started the development of newly acquired territories. The beginning of the study of the lands of the Crimean peninsula by Russian scientists is primarily associated with political and economic changes and transformations in the region. For the development and growth of the economy of the Crimean region, information was needed about the structure of the region, its socio-economic and ethnographic features, as well as about its natural resources. Therefore, by order of the Empress of Russia Catherine II and the instructions of the country’s government, the St. Petersburg Imperial Academy of Sciences and Arts sends its scientists to the Crimea. Among Russian pioneers of the Crimean peninsula research in the late 18th century there were Vasily Zuev (1754–1794), Carl Ludwig Habliz (1752–1821), Theodor Chyorny (1745–1790), and Peter Simon Pallas (1741–1811). The expeditions of these outstanding scholars and travellers commenced the Crimean exploration by Russian scientists in various fields of science, thus, the end of the 18th century should be considered the beginning of Russian Crimean studies.