Archaeological Museum-Reserve "Tanais" - the first in Russia. The basis of the exposition was sections of the ancient city.
Tanais - ancient city
This is the northernmost point of ancient civilization. It is located on the Dead Donets River. Historians and geographers are still arguing about which river in those days was called Tanais - Seversky Donets, Don or Dead Donets.
Tanais was founded in the 3rd century BC by Greek merchants. They came from the Bosporus kingdom, located in eastern Crimea. He became the northernmost Greek city. An important strategic role was assigned to him - control of the entire northern Black Sea coast.
Tanais was surrounded on all sides by a variety of tribes - from the Scythians to the Sarmatians. This left an imprint on his culture and lifestyle of citizens. Today we can say with confidence that our own, special culture has formed here.
Through Tanais, trade was conducted between Europe and Asia. It was the border of the ancient world, the main point of exchange of goods between the barbarian tribes and the Greeks.
First excavation
The ancient city of Tanais was first discovered in 1823 by Colonel I. A. Stempkovsky - correspondent of the Paris Academy. The very first excavations were led by P.M. Leontyev, a professor at Moscow University, and later this work was headed by Professor V. G. Tizengauzen. Since 1870 (almost 50 years), the monument has not been protected.
In 1955, the Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union created the Lower Don Archeological Expedition, which, in collaboration with the RSU and the Museum of Local Lore, began excavating the site. Four years later, this territory was declared protected. Soon Tanais became known to the general public. The Museum-Reserve was opened in 1961. Since then, everyone can see the ancient city with their own eyes, observe the excavations, get acquainted with the discovered artifacts.
Archaeological Museum-Reserve "Tanais"
This hospitable southern city has many attractions that are of cultural and historical value. Almost all tourists arriving in Rostov, "Tanais" must visit. It is located 30 kilometers from the Don capital, where the stately Don flows into the Sea of Azov. The unique open-air museum occupies a vast territory - more than three thousand hectares. Here visitors are given the opportunity to see a complex of interesting cultural monuments and the history of different peoples, from the Paleolithic era to the XIX century.
Tanais is a museum reserve located in the western part of the Nedvigovka farm. Here you can see the territory free from buildings, which is surrounded on three sides by a deep moat. Going closer, you will see that in different parts of this territory you can see the remains of defensive towers, houses, walls that create entire streets. This is Tanais, an ancient city that scientists have been studying for many decades. Today the museum is open for tourists.
Exposition
“Tanais” is a museum-reserve, the main part of the exposition of which is located in the open air - these are the quarters of the ancient city found during excavations. A wide street is visible in the center of the settlement, which crossed the city from north to south. From it, as, incidentally, in our modern cities, lanes diverge, which limit the city quarters, combined into several estates.
Interestingly, the stone pavement of all the yards sloped towards a huge tank, into which rain water probably flowed. Thus, the townspeople stored water in case of drought.
From all sides the city was protected by defensive walls, archaeologists managed to almost completely clear the western section with the remains of the towers. Such a construction once again confirms how powerful Tanais was.
Necropolis
A necropolis is located on the western, eastern, and northern sides in the settlement, in which archaeologists of the Lower Don expedition discovered more than a thousand soil burials and barrows. Over a long history, the city was inhabited by a rather motley, from an ethnic point of view, population. This is confirmed by a variety of funeral rites.
Archaeological finds
Everyone who comes to Tanais (Rostov Region) can visit the museum with an area of about 200 square meters. It consists of several rooms. They can be found with numerous materials collected during the archaeological excavations of Tanais. The first exposition, which tells about how the ancient city was discovered, and how excavations have been and are being conducted, is an introductory one and is located in the lobby of the museum.
The first hall is devoted to the trade relations of the ancient city and the main occupations of its inhabitants - cattle breeding and agriculture. Here is the section “The Conquest of Tanais by Polemon,” where visitors will see a life-size reconstruction of military weapons of the ancient period. A small diorama and some details of the weapons will show how the battles of that time went on.
In the second hall, you will learn how the economic, political and cultural life of Tanais flowed in the 1st-3rd centuries AD, when the city was in its prime. The visitors of the museum are especially interested in the exhibitions “Crafts” and “Trade”. Here you can see ceramics, glass, Egyptian faience, bronze - imported goods. Next to them are products of local craftsmen - potters, blacksmiths, weavers, glassblowers.
The third hall of the museum is fully devoted to the ethnic composition of the inhabitants of Tanais. Here are finds that indicate that different ethnic groups lived in this place, with their own traditions and customs. A very interesting thematic exhibition, located in the second hall - “The religion of the Tanaites”. Amulets, cult sets, figures of revered deities, skillfully made of terracotta and bronze are exhibited here.
The fourth hall of the museum is reserved for thematic exhibitions, which are regularly held within the museum. These are exhibitions of famous Don artists. Their works tell about the history of the native land and its development.
Holographic pyramid
Visitors who recently visited the Tanais Museum-Reserve (Rostov Region) were pleasantly surprised. A unique design was installed here - a holographic pyramid. This is a completely new direction in museum business. Such a device is a volume projector for any image. That's why all the pictures in the pyramid become voluminous.
Museum scientists in collaboration with designers invited from the capital prepared an interesting program for museum visitors that demonstrates what women were like in Greco-Sarmatian times. You can see how they dressed, what hairstyles they had, in the smallest details to consider their jewelry. You can see this holographic miracle in the building of the historical costume museum. We will talk about him below.
Museum of historical costume
Here is a huge collection of historical costume. “Tanais” is a museum-reserve where ancient clothes, shoes and hats worn by representatives of the Bosporus, Scythian and Sarmatian cultures are represented. Here you can also see numerous accessories: brooches (fasteners), jewelry, pins, buttons.
It is planned to establish a virtual fitting room in this department of the museum. In it, using modern technologies, each visitor will be able to try on the ancient costumes of the residents of the city of Tanais. The Museum-Reserve will provide an opportunity not only to virtually try on these ancient clothes, but also to get a file of your image.
Buildings and buildings
Another museum complex is now being created on the territory of the reserve, in which buildings and structures of ancient time will be reconstructed. The towers of the fortress walls, the Meot’s hut, the dwelling of the rich Tanaite, the Polovtsian sanctuary will be transferred and installed here, a children's playground in the form of an ancient fortress will appear.
How to get to the museum?
We hope that after reading this article, many of our readers will want to see Tanais, the museum reserve, with their own eyes. How to get to it, we will explain. From the suburban station of Rostov-on-Don, the Rostov-Taganrog train leaves daily, the stop is Tanais. From the Central Market there are buses No. 158 on the route Rostov - Sinyavskaya and No. 158a - on the route Rostov - Schedry.
Tourists reviews
Today, thousands of tourists from our country come to Tanais. Reviews about visiting the museum and the city are delighted and surprised at the same time. Many of the tourists have recently learned about its existence. All of them believe that Russian archaeologists have accomplished a professional feat, giving everyone the opportunity to touch our history. Many note the hospitality, hospitality of Rostovites and the high professionalism of the museum staff.