Crimea Research Articles

О названиях поздневизантийского и поствизантийского Херсона

Byzantine Cherson, the Empire’s main outpost in the northern Black Sea area, was located in the south-western tip of the Crimean Peninsula. This article addresses new names of this city and, later, its ruins, which appeared from the fourteenth to eighteenth century. According to the written sources, the final decline and depopulation of this city dates to the middle or the third quarter of the fifteenth century. However, before that the Turks who lived in the vicinity called the city Sary-Kermen, or “Yellow fort.” From them, this place-name came first to Arabic writers and then to Western European travellers and cartographers. Later on, new names of the city appeared. In the seventeenth century, the sources documented the place-name Tope-Tarkan, or “Prince’s hill,” and in the eighteenth century, Church, or corrupted Χερσών. Obviously, these toponyms were in use simultaneously. In this period, Christian writers continued to call the city Cherson, but often forget the exact place where it stood. This situation reflected the changes in ethnic and language environment in the Taurica resulted by the thirteenth-century Mongol invasion and fifteenth-century Ottoman conquest, as well as the fact that the local residents forget the history of Cherson after a time its last residents left the city. Legends developed around the abandoned place, and the old ruins on the opposite (eastern) side of present-day Karantinnaia bay were probably called the city of Salunia.

Датировка скальных виноградодавилен Юго-Западной Таврики в современной историографии

In the south-western area of Taurica, there are more than 230 stationary rock-cut wine-presses. From the moment when F. Dubois de Montpereux discovered them in the early 1830s, they became the subject of particular research. These production facilities for the primary processing of grapes testify to the agricultural specialization of the local population in the early Middle Ages. In the 1970s, the Soviet scholarship developed the “Khazar” interpretation of the origins and dating of the said wine-making complexes (from the eighth and ninth or ninth and tenth centuries). The evidence base for this attribution is presented by E. V. Veimarn’s publications. Hypothetically, the flourishing of local winemaking was associated with the conquest of the Crimean Peninsula by the Khazars, in result of which safe trade routes towards the Khazar khanate developed to make the latter the main outlet for the Crimean wine, which was exported in locally produced Black Sea amphorae. In the future, the said interpretation gained support from V. N. Danilenko, A. I. Aibabin, A. G. Gertsen, and other researchers. The modern historiography, such as the articles of A. G. Gertsen, V. E. Naumenko, and other scholars, hypothesized a narrower dating of the Crimean wineries from the second half of the ninth to the first half of the tenth century (“Byzantine” version). The publication of the materials from the backfill of winery no. 10 at Mangup and carved-in-bedrock pits in the vicinity of the Eski-Kermen wine-presses, which were covered during the construction of new quarter I, clearly defined the chronology when typologically closed wine-presses ceased to exist as the second half of the tenth century. The researchers have explained the beginning of their construction as the purposeful policy of the Byzantine empire for the development of this region following the establishment of the theme of Klimata in 841. This is indicated by the similarity of the Crimean rock-cut wine-presses and similar complexes discovered in Byzantine Anatolia. Local viticulture and winemaking corresponded to common Byzantine traditions. There is no direct connection between the dates when the production of the Black Sea amphorae started in the Crimea and the functioning of the rock-cut wineries. Presumably, the manufacture of grooved amphorae (A. L. Iakobson’s variant 2 or class 36 of the Chersonese classification of 1995) was related to the production of wine in the South-Western Taurica. From the finds of the said amphorae both on the sites of the Saltovo-Maiaki culture and on the territory of the coastal Byzantine cities and towns there are reasons to reconstruct a more extensive trading network in Crimean wine than it was considered before.

Торговая крепость «Великого советника»: караван-сараи средневекового Карасу

This article generalizes and systematises the experience of studying mediaeval caravanserais in Karasubazar, with the ruined site of one structure located on the territory of the modern city of Belogorsk (Republic of the Crimea). Various groups of historical sources have been used, with considerable attention to the journals of numerous travellers who visited the Crimean Peninsula (P. S. Pallas, P. I. Sumarokov, F. Dubois de Montpereux, A. N. Demidov, etc.). The earliest travelogue was written by Evliya Celebi. This Ottoman traveller observed the largest khan in the town (hereinafter referred to as the Upper Tash-khan, or Sefer Gazi-aga’s caravanserai) shortly after its significant reconstruction and strengthening, which was probably made with the view of the need to strengthen the defences of the town and its residents in the view of regular devastating raids of the Cossacks in the 1620–1630s. The widely used graphic sources, particularly the works by C. Bossoli made in the early 1840s, indicate that the buildings in question were abandoned and lost their former function. The analysis has been made of the works of K. F. Bogaevskii, whose sketches of Crimean antiquities made under the order from the KrymOKhRIS (Section / Sub-department / Committee for the Protection of the Monuments of Art, Antiquity, and People’s daily Life in the Crimea) reflected the preservation of the monuments in the mid-1920s with photographic accuracy. Pencil sketches by U. A. Bodaninskii have been used as well. A set of photographs from the collections of the Bakhchisarai Historical and Cultural Archaeological Museum Preserve, A. V. Shchusev State Scientific Research Museum of Architecture (Moscow), and Central Museum of Taurida (Simferopol) allowed the ones to reconstruct the appearance of the site in the 1920–1930s. The participation of academic institutions in the study of cultural heritage sites of Karasubazar in the first half of the twentieth century has been analysed, and the activities of the Central State Restoration Workshops which sent the architect B. N. Zasypkin to the Crimea have been considered. The main stages of the creation and functioning of the trading khans in the town under study have been characterized, and the architectural analysis has been done.

The Crimean War and Its Impact on International Relations Until 1856 AD

The Crimean Peninsula is the peninsula where one of the most significant world wars began, which had a direct and profound impact on the main party in this war, the Ottoman Empire, and on the European countries that caused this war, especially Russia, the country with great ambitions and interests in this region. Therefore, the Crimean War is a major turning point in the history of the Ottoman Empire and the history of its peoples, in which they found the appropriate opportunity to be liberated from the Ottoman control in order to achieve their independence, like Greece, Serbia, and Montenegro.

Collective Memory, Moral Economy and Land Disputes after the Repatriation of Crimean Tatars

This article is devoted to the meaning of identity and belonging in the processes of defending land rights. The 20th century was marked by unprecedentedly large processes of rejection and redistribution of land ownership in the countries of the socialist camp. Forced confiscation of property and collectivization fundamentally changed the landscape of land ownership. And in some border territories of the Soviet Union, which includes the Crimean peninsula, the events of ethnic deportations of the population had a decisive influence on the redistribution of land ownership as well. Separated from their ethnic lands, the Crimean Tatars formed an identity that had a clear connection to the lost territory and homeland. The process of political resistance, which continued during the Soviet period, and mass spontaneous repatriation took place under the main slogan - the restoration of justice and the return of Crimean Tatars to their ethnic homeland. After the return of a large part of the Crimean Tatars to their ethnic lands, the process of restoring land rights began. This process had an organized nature and great political resonance in Crimea and led to a significant reorganization of the cultural landscape of the peninsula.

Crimean-Congo Hemorragic Fever Outbreak in Pakistan: Emerging Threat.

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) was first recognized in 1944 in the Crimean Peninsula, CCHF virus is the leading cause of hemorrhagic fever in the world. It is a tick borne viral disease of genus Nairovirus, family Bunyaviridae. Ixodid tick is the main reservoir of the virus spreading across globally in more than 40 countries. Average incubation period is 5-7 days of the virus. The onset of symptoms are acute and includes fever, myalgia, photophobia, dizziness, headache, abdominal pain, hepatomegaly and severe bleeding.

Crimea Responsibility to Protect and Self-Determination under Article 2 of the UN Charter

The annexation of the Crimean Peninsula has sparked the debate on state sovereignty in the context of international law. This research aims to establish the legal consequences of Russia’s annexation and the global communities' measures. The study also discusses Kosovo's independence and whether it can be used to solve the crisis in Crimea. International law has outlined some of the rules that are meant to govern the relationship between states. Russia is a signatory to the Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances alongside other countries such as the United States, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom. The memorandum had all the signatories strive to uphold the territorial integrity of Ukraine, including Crimea. The Russian constitution stipulates that any acquisition of new federal subjects must be made with the consent of the affected state. The annexation of the Crimean Peninsula appears clearly to contravene these provisions.

About the spatial and chronological relationship between the Mousterian and Micoquian industries of East Europe

The geography of the Middle Paleolithic of East Europe (referring to the European part of the former USSR) shows two main peculiarities. The first is a very uneven (patchy) spatial distribution of sites which form dense local accumulations separated by vast empty spaces. The second is the nearly ubiquitous cooccurrence of the Mousterian and Micoquian industries. Both are present in all major accumulations from Transcarpathia in the west to the Volga-Don interfluve in the east, including also the Prut-Dniester region, the Donets-Azov basin, the Crimean Peninsula and the Northwestern Caucasus. The distribution areas of the two industries in East Europe not merely overlap but coincide (except the Northeastern Caucasus where only Mousterian assemblages are known by now). This pattern does not agree well with the opinion that these industries should be regarded as two independent cultural traditions, unless one assumes they were time-transgressive. In contradiction to some of the available absolute dates, the relative chronology of the Mousterian and Micoquian assemblages seems to corroborate such an assumption. The analyses of the published stratigraphies of the sites where both industries occur in one stratigraphic column shows that, as a rule, the Micoquian tends to overlay the Mousterian. Such a situation was observed at Kůlna (Czechia), Biśnik, Nietoperzowa, Ciemna, Zwierzyniec (Poland), Korolevo 1, Jezupol 1 (Ukraine), Ripiceni Izvor (Romania). The inverse sequence was found in Crimea, at Kabazi 2, Karabi Tamchin and, probably, Shaitan-Koba. Therefore, there are grounds to think that at least in some parts of east Central and west Eastern Europe the two technocomplexes succeeded one another.

DESCRIPTION OF A COLLECTION OF SALVIA SCLAREA L. IN TERMS OF ITS BIOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES

The study object is the accumulation of essential oil in the inflorescences of clarysage, the content of its main components and the sclareol yield. The study purpose is to analyze a collection of clarysage (112 specimens) in terms of the basic biochemical properties (the essential oil content in raw material, its chemical composition and the sclareol yield) and to identify the specimens showing good prospects for inclusion in the breeding process. The study was carried out in 2018–2020 at the experimental plot of the Research Institute of Agriculture of Crimea located in the piedmont region of Crimea (KrymskayaRoza village, Belogorsk district). The climate is moderate continental. The average year-round temperature is +10 °С. The average year-round air humidity is 70%, the hydrothermic factor is 0.91. The accounting and analyses were performed in accordance with the techniques developed. The study revealed higher degree of genetic determination of the essential oil buildup in plants as compared to the weather effect. As noted, increased precipitation and extremely high temperatures during the plant flowering and seed formation time affect negatively the sclareol buildup. The variability of the properties analyzed (Cv=7.8–23.4%) bears evidence to a feasibility of selecting promising parent material for breeding. Based on the outcomes of the collection analysis there have been isolated 12 specimens leaving behind the varieties cultivated in terms of the basic biochemical properties including five specimens with a high mass fraction of essential oil – 0.90–1.06% on the dry basis (as compared to 0.6–0.88% in the varieties cultivated) and seven specimens with a high sclareol content in raw material – 2.00–2.35% (as compared to 1.58–1.71% in the varieties cultivated).

SEISMICITY of the CRIMEAN-BLACK SEA REGION in 2018–2019

The review of the Crimean-Black Sea region seismicity is made on the basis of seismic monitoring data from a regional network of 9 digital stations. The catalog includes information on 185 events with energy classes Kп=3.8–11.0. Maps of earthquake energy representativeness and epicenters of earthquakes are presented. A detailed description of the seismic situation in various districts of the region is given. The years 2018 and 2019 are characterized by moderate seismic activity in the region, which below than the long-term average one. The greatest activation of seismic processes was observed in 2018 in the Kerch-Anapa and Azov-Kuban districts. In the Kerch-Anapa district, three tangible earthquakes occurred. Their maximum observed intensity of I=4–5 is noted in seven settlements on the coast of the Caucasus. The released seismic energy in the Azov-Kuban district in 2018 significantly exceeded the 10-year (2010–2019) average value. The earthquake of the maximum class Kп=11.0, MW=4.2 was realized on October 15, 2018. Its source was in the central part of the Sea of Azov, at a depth h=6 km. On February 20, 2018 at 07 h00m a seismic event occurred on the eastern coast of the Sea of Azov. People felt it in the city of Primorsko-Akhtarsk with intensity of I=3–4. On the territory of the Crimean peninsula, two shocks were felt with the intensity of I=2 and I=3 in Sudak-Feodosiya and Yalta areas respectively. Solutions of focal mechanisms were obtained for the 7 strongest earthquakes from different districts of the region.

Constitutional and legal principles of the organization and functioning of the system of entities ensuring the national security and defense of Ukraine

The aggressive policy of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, resulting in the annexation of the Crimea peninsula, further aggression in eastern Ukraine in certain areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, and widescale invasion into Ukraine after 24.02.2022, has left no questions about the relevance of the field of national security and defense in Ukraine. In turn, Ukraine, as a legal democratic state, can implement measures for national security and defense only in accordance with legal procedures, which, in turn, highlights the research on the legal support of the activities of subjects of national security and defense in Ukraine. The aim of this research is to determine an exhaustive list of subjects that may be considered part of Ukraine's national security and defense. The research is based on the Constitution of Ukraine, Laws of Ukraine (including Constitutional Laws understood as laws whose existence is already foreseen by the content of the Constitution of Ukraine), and subordinate normative legal acts. This research primarily utilizes comparative-analytical and functional research methods. An exhaustive list of subjects of national security and defense in Ukraine is not specified in any legislative act, and the only normatively regulated list, similar to the subject of the research, is established only in the Law of Ukraine "On National Security of Ukraine" as a "security and defense sector," the definition of which is given in the form of a list of subjects whose functional activities are aimed at protecting Ukraine's national interests from threats. The national security interests include state sovereignty, territorial integrity, democratic constitutional order, economic and information security, human life and health, honor and dignity, inviolability and safety, rights and freedoms, restoration of territorial integrity within the internationally recognized state border of Ukraine, social development, primarily the development of human capital, protection of the rights, freedoms, and legitimate interests of Ukrainian citizens; European and Euro-Atlantic integration. Thus, the significant number of the aforementioned national security interests does not allow considering the list of subjects in the security and defense sector as exhaustive, and consequently, there is a need for a more detailed study of this issue.

Entangled Memories: representations of Crimea in literature, poetry and art

The United Nations' cultural agency, UNESCO, has recently added the Historic Centre of Odesa (Ukraine) to its World Heritage List. Odesa is part of the Crimean Peninsula and it is a legendary port that has left its mark on the cinema, literature and the arts. Crimea has always attracted a large number of cultural figures including Alexandr Pushkin, Maxim Gorky, Anna Akhmatova, Ivan Bunin, Marina Tsvetaeva, Isaac Babel, Boris Pasternak, etc. Like the Russian-born Anton Chekhov, Ukrainian authors who have written about the peninsula were, historically, not native Crimeans. Crimea is not only the focus of geopolitical conflict, but also the source of artistic and literary inspiration. In this article, I analyze some perspectives on Crimea, starting with Ivan K. Aivazovsky’s paintings (1817-1900), and some selected texts from those of the above-mentioned authors. For a current view on Crimea, I shall also consider some aspects of Ilya Kaminsky’s contemporary poetry.

Правовые реалии золотоордынского Крыма глазами иностранных современников

The article is an analysis of specific status of the Crimea as a part of the Golden Horde and as it was reflected in the contemporary sources: notes of travelers, diplomats, merchants, missionaries, etc., correspondence of rulers, historical chronicles and hagiographic works based the information of eye-witnesses. Despite of the fact that the Crimean Peninsula was an integral part of the Golden Horde, its specific position, including the structure of population, international trade relations and the interest of the foreign states, caused the series of specific features in the legal regulations of different groups of inhabitants. The system of authorities in Crimea, taking into account the position of some cities (such as Sudak or Caffa), is observed as well as religious policy of khans towards different confessions, specific taxes and duties. The author finds out that although the Crimean Peninsula was completely in the field of the Golden Horde political and legal regulations, khans needed to take into consideration its strategic position, national and confessional structure of the population and these peculiarities were reflected in the Crimean legal realities.

Geographic variations of song and rain calls of the Chaffinch across the ranges of three subspecies

Abstract We analyze the variability of the Chaffinch’s (Fringilla coelebs) song and rain calls in 20 populations localized along a transect of about 3,000 km, crossing the territory of European Russia between the White Sea, Crimean Peninsula and the Caucasus Mountains. Three subspecies of Chaffinch inhabit this area: European (F. c. coelebs), Caucasian (F. c. caucasicus), and Crimean (F. c. solomkoi). The results of cluster analysis based on song show that the populations of Crimea and southeastern Dagestan stand out the most. All other populations fall clearly into two clusters corresponding to the European and Caucasian subspecies. In most of the European subspecies vast range in Russia, the “buzzing” dialect of the rain call is widespread. Only in the extreme northwest of Russia, it is replaced by a whistling dialect. In most of the Caucasus and in the Ciscaucasia, Chaffinches also emit exclusively whistling sounds, but of a completely different structure. In the Western Caucasus, Chaffinches perform also a whistling call having a unique two-syllable structure. The Crimean peninsula is inhabited by whistling Chaffinches as well, although the frequency modulation of its call is different from that of Caucasian subspecies. We discuss the spatial distribution of song types and of rain calls dialects within the ranges of subspecies and in the contact zones between them.

Features of the anatomical structure of <i>Juniperus foetidissima</i> Willd. needles in the conditions of the Crimean Peninsula

Currently, the natural flora of Crimea includes 5 species of junipers, the smallest of which is J. foetidissima. The anatomical structure of needles is an important diagnostic feature that allows one to assess the intraspecific variability of rare species and the stability of their tree stands. In the conditions of the Crimean Mountains, extensive intercellular spaces are clearly visualized on a cross section of J. foetidissima needles. Such a feature of the anatomical structure of the needles of the species under study has not been described previously. The proportion of intercellular spaces varies from 5,36% to 20,89%, on average, their area is 0,018 ± 0,002 mm². Intercellular spaces are located in the central part of the needles between the vascular bundle and the resin canal, and sometimes on both sides of it. The mesophyll is very loose here. Along the periphery, the dense mesophyll consists of 3–5 rows of elongated oval cells. In addition, there is one fairly large resin channel. Its area can occupy up to 15% of the total cross-sectional area of the needles. The correlation dependences of the parameters of the anatomical structure of the needles of J. foetidissima are similar to those of J. deltoides, which, in turn, has a needle-shaped needle type. The drought resistance coefficient of the studied species made it possible to classify them as mesophytes.

Local Crystallographic Texture of a Nummulite (Foraminifera) Test from the Eocene Deposits of the Crimea Peninsula.

Unicellular protozoa form calcium carbonate tests. It is important to understand the features and mechanisms of its formation. This may shed light on the processes of shell formation in metazoans. One of the most important characteristics of the Protozoa carbonate test is the degree of crystal ordering that can be described by crystallographic texture. The crystallographic texture data of calcite in the foraminifera Nummulites distans (Deshayes) test from the Eocene deposits (Cenozoic, Paleogene) of the Crimea Peninsula are obtained using X-ray diffraction. A very strict orientation of the crystals is revealed. The calcite texture sharpness is several times greater than in the shells of the bivalve mollusk Placuna placenta (Linnaeus), measured by the same method. It also exceeds the crystallographic texture and sharpness of the same mineral in the shells of the bivalves of Mytilus galloprovincialis (Lamarck), studied by neutron diffraction. It is concluded that a high level of control during test formation is already characteristic of protozoa. Studying the processes involved in the formation of a very sharp crystallographic texture can become an important direction for creating nature-like materials with desired properties.

EVALUATION OF VITICULTURE AND WINEMAKING REGIONS OF CRIMEA IN ACCORDANCE WITH CLIMATIC FACTORS, AND THEIR INFLUENCE ON THE QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS OF GRAPES

A grape plant is capable to adapt, grow and produce crops in different environmental conditions. At the same time, agro-climatic conditions of grape growing area have a significant effect on the product quality. Environmental climatic conditions of Crimea contribute to cultivating grapes from very early to late ripening varieties. Diverse range of abiotic conditions allows choosing an optimal terroir for the formation of necessary grape conditions depending on the application target. Significant spatial climate variability within the region makes it possible to evaluate the impact of environmental factors on biosynthetic and accumulative properties of grapes.
 The purpose is to study changes in the profile of carbohydrate-acid complex of wine grape varieties under the influence of agro-ecological growing conditions.
 Materials and methods. Study objects were white and red grape varieties growing in various viticulture and winemaking regions of Crimea. A research for grape plant response to the variability of environmental factors basing on a long-term comparative study of chemical composition of its fruits, determining the varietal biochemical identity and technological properties in a particular region, was carried out.
 Results and conclusion. As a research result, the cumulative effect of agro-ecological factors on the accumulation of components of carbohydrate-acid grape complex was established, and in particular years it was possible to identify the dependence between their quantitative content and individual environmental factors. Accumulation of the mass concentration of sugars in grape berry directly correlated with the Huglin index value (r = 0.7). With regard to the mass concentration of titratable acids, an inverse correlation was revealed with the Winkler index value (r = -0.59). A comparative analysis of the results shows that one grape variety grown under different climatic conditions may show different ability to synthesize the components of carbohydrate-acid complexes, determining its suitability for various output production. There is a direct correlation of the mass concentration of sugars on the average air temperature for the last month before harvest (r=0.70) within the variety.

EU Solidarity in the Face of External Security Threats: The example of the Crimea Platform Initiative

CEEOL: https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=1197958 The Crimea Platform is a diplomatic initiative of Ukraine, designed as an international coordination mechanism to reverse the 2014 annexation of the Crimean Peninsula by the Russian Federation. The initiative attracted the attention of EU member states, due to the very nature of the annexation – a result of Russia’s aggressive and assertive foreign policy. However, attitudes to the issue of the annexation and the perception of its impact on the security of the EU vary greatly from one Crimea Platform participant to another, which leads to numerous discussions on the level of the security threat to the EU and the support to be provided to its eastern neighbours. For this article, I have used process tracing to track the formation of the attitudes to the annexation of EU members participating in the Crimea Platform, which is an essential step in conducting a comprehensive analysis of European solidarity in the face of external security threats

Deoccupation and reintegration of Crimea: the influence of human rights protection non-governmental organizations

The article discusses the problems associated with the continuous military occupation of Crimea, which leads to serious changes, including to the decline of human rights. The state has long faced the task of liberating the occupied Crimea and returning it to Ukraine. It is argued that the de-occupation and reintegration of Crimea contains a number of problems that need to be dealt with, including problems of a legal nature. Non-governmental human rights organizations (hereinafter referred to as human rights NGOs) come to the aid of the state in this matter. Unfortunately, scientists do not pay much attention to the influence of human rights NGOs on the process of deoccupation and reintegration of Crimea. However, taking into account the public demand for the restoration of the territorial integrity of Ukraine and the actions of the power structures aimed at the liberation of Crimea from the Russian invaders, it is necessary to consider the contribution of human rights NGOs to the liberation of the Crimean peninsula.
 It was concluded that human rights non-governmental organizations exert a decisive influence on the level of the state of Ukraine in matters of human rights protection, de-occupation and further reintegration of the temporarily occupied Crimea. They carry out international advocacy, document war crimes and crimes against humanity, monitor human rights in Crimea and support and protect victims of repression. However, the normative regulation of the influence of human rights NGOs has not been resolved at the moment, in connection with which we propose to supplement Art. 5 of the Law of Ukraine “On Ensuring the Rights and Freedoms of Citizens and the Legal Regime in the Temporarily Occupied Territory of Ukraine” by the following clause: temporarily occupied territories to persons. Organizations have the right to document crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in temporarily occupied territories and cooperate with state authorities on the basis of partnership.”

Garum or Grain? Crimea and the Provisioning of Constantinople (7th to 9th centuries)

Historians have relied for too long on written sources (the letters that Pope Martin I wrote from Cherson, as well as De Administrando Imperio) to assess the economic situation in the Crimea, especially in Cherson, during the so-called Dark Ages (7th to 9th centuries). Many still believe that that city could not have survived without shipments of grain from the outside, particularly from the lands along the southern coast of the Black Sea. Seals of Byzantine officials found in Cherson tell a different story, as they indicate commercial exchanges between the Crimea and Constantinople. If the peninsula participated in trade, something must have been offered in exchange for the goods coming from the Capital. The archaeological evidence strongly suggests that during the 8th and 9th centuries, the hinterland of Cherson, as well as the Kerch Peninsula (eastern Crimea) witnessed rapid economic development, largely based on the cultivation of crops. Silos found on several settlement sites, both open and fortified, suggest a surplus, which was most likely commercialized. If so, the closest markets were across the Black Sea, to the south, primarily in Constantinople. Other commodities, such as wine transported in amphorae, traveled in the opposite direction, across the Sea of Azov and into the interior of Khazaria. In exchange, the peninsula received shipments of grain, which were then re-exported to Constantinople. Far from relying on shipments of grain from the Capital, Cherson and the rest of the Crimean Peninsula in fact supplied Constantinople with food. Numerous vats for the production of fish sauce have been found in Cherson, and many were in operation before 900. A good deal of the garum served at tables in Constantinople between the 7th and the 9th century must have come from Cherson. The archaeological evidence therefore calls for a re-assessment of the economic situation in the Crimean Peninsula during the “Dark Ages”.