Cities covered with secrets, myths and legends have always attracted historians. So, Henry Schliemann, relying only on the "Iliad" of Homer, was able to find Troy. And Arthur Evans in Crete was lucky to find the legendary Knossos. Russian historians have long been interested in the search for the legendary and mysterious Tmutarakan. But unlike Schliemann and Evans, scientists from tsarist Russia faced other tasks - to prove with the help of historical artifacts their involvement in the ancient history of the Northern Black Sea coast.
Hermitage Relic
At present, the famous Tmutarakansky stone, a landmark monument of Russian history, is stored in the Hermitage. On the stone there is a beautiful old Russian inscription. It talks about measuring the distance from Tmutarakan to Korchev (Kerch) in 1068. This inscription itself was found in 1792 and served as evidence of the existence of Tmutarakan. Until that moment, evidence of the Principality of Tmutarakan was only on paper. Legends still circulate about the exact place where the stone was discovered, and it is not known for certain where exactly it was found. According to one theory, the find was found on the territory of Fanagoria, according to other evidence, this happened on the territory of the fortress near the sea. The storage location of the historical artifact has changed several times. Initially, until 1803, it was located in Taman. After that, the stone was transported to the Kerch Museum. And from 1851 to this day, the relic is kept in St. Petersburg in the walls of the Hermitage.
The historical significance of Tmutarakan stone
The discovery of stone was of great historical importance at that time. Catherine II was very scrupulous about studying the history of the Russian state. The empress herself was interested in history and gradually introduced the fashion of antiquity. Unfortunately, the first written sources in Russia dated only to the 11th century. The lack of earlier historical evidence is easy to explain. Most of the old Russian cities were built of wood. Often and everywhere fires broke out, in which earlier written sources died. For this reason, the discovery of the Tmutarakan principality aroused keen interest among contemporaries.
The first mention of Tmutarakan
Tmutarakan as a geographical name is first mentioned in the "Tale of Bygone Years." Manuscript historians became interested in a name that had never sounded before. Many historians of that time spoke about the whereabouts of an unknown hitherto princedom. Vasily Tatishchev suggested that Tmutarakan was in the Ryazan region. Andrei Lyzlov, a 17th-century historian, spoke of lands near Astrakhan. The historian and publicist Mikhail Shcherbatov put forward the version that Tmutarakan was not far from Azov. In those years, the Crimean Khanate was annexed to Russia, so the latest version was very useful. The inscription on the Tmutarakan stone of 1068 put an end to all disputes.
From Hermonass to Tmutarakan
Currently, information about Tmutarakan is still being collected and specified. But something has long been considered historically proven facts. It is known that the city of Tmutarakan was originally founded by the Greeks and had a different name - Hermonass. He was part of the Bosporus kingdom from the VI century BC. e. The houses in the city were built of stone and were very similar - all two-story, consisting of 5 rooms and tiled. In the center was an acropolis. After the conquest by the Turkic Kaganate, the city was renamed Tumentarhan. The city was often raided, and, in the end, it turned into a fortress. Representatives of different nationalities (Alans, Greeks, Khazars, Armenians) and religions (Christians, Jews, Gentiles) lived here. The townspeople were engaged in trade and winemaking.
History of the city
In 956, after the defeat of the Khazar Kaganate, the city came under the power of Russia. And received the name Tmutarakan. At that time it was a fairly large trading city, through which economic and political ties were maintained. With the main city of the principality there are many famous names in the history of Russia. Prince Gleb measured the distance from Tmutarakan to Korchev on the ice, as indicated by the inscription on the Tmutarakan stone. In different years, Tmutarakan was ruled by such Russian princes as Mstislav Vladimirovich, Rostislav Vladimirovich, Oleg Svyatoslavovich, Ratibor. For some time the city was under the control of Byzantium. Since then, the seals of Oleg Svyatoslavovich have been preserved, which confirm this information. And the Tmutarakan stone, discovered in 1972, also serves as a historical artifact.
Modern artifact studies
After 1904, in the Russian chronicles there is not a single mention of the existence of Tmutarakan and the Tmutarakan principality. Currently, the Taman settlement, on the territory of which the Tmutarakan stone was allegedly discovered, is still being studied. Excavations are still being carried out there. The Tmutarakan stone, the photo of which is presented in this article, is still undergoing careful study of a variety of scholars, historians and linguists. The first to read and decode the Old Russian inscription was A. N. Olenin. The authenticity of this inscription was doubted for a long time, but further study nevertheless confirmed its historical significance. In 1940, A. Mason raised the question of the authenticity of the "Words about Igor's Regiment", in which there is also a mention of Tmutarakan. He was supported by several other scientists, however, they did not bring any new facts and evidence in support of their theory and could not scientifically substantiate the view on Tmutarakan stone as a fake. The dubious statements of a group of these historians nevertheless pushed the representatives of the scientific world to the next analysis of the inscription on the stone. A.A. Medyntseva conducted a thorough paleographic analysis, compared it with the found manuscripts of that time. In addition, the stone itself, its degree of destruction, was re-examined. As a result of these studies, scientists once again came to the conclusion that the stone found is genuine historical evidence of the existence of the Tmutarakan principality.
Tmutarakan today
Currently, on the spot where the city of Tmutarakan was supposedly located, and where the Tmutarakan stone was discovered, whose history is still being discussed, is the city of Taman. Residents of the city sacredly keep the history of their small homeland, which goes back centuries. The turning point in the history of Taman and the Taman Peninsula was the 18th century - it was at this time that the Black Sea and Don Cossacks began to move here. At the beginning of the next century, Russia became a participant in the long-standing Caucasian war, and numerous bloody battles took place on the territory of the Taman Peninsula. These places and subsequent wars - the Civil and Great Patriotic War - did not pass by. In November 1918, the Kuban was liberated from the Bolsheviks. And during the Great Patriotic War, the inhabitants of the peninsula heroically fought the enemy for Odessa and Sevastopol.
Monument in Taman
Today, the Taman Peninsula is a rich fertile land, a true paradise for tourists. At one time, the city was visited by such famous poets as Lermontov, Pushkin and Griboedov. On the territory of Taman is an exact copy of the artifact, which is stored in the Hermitage. The inscription on the Tmutarakan stone of 1068 was also transferred to the monument, which is installed in the city.