Part ofa series on the
History ofCrimea
Timeline
Greek Crimea 7th–6th century BC Bosporan Kingdom (Roman) 428 BC–527 Byzantine Cherson 830s–1204 Empire of Trebizond 1204–1461 Principality of Theodoro & Genoese Gazaria 1300s–1475 Crimean Khanate 1441–1783 Russian Empire (Annexation) 1783–1917 Russian Civil War 1917–1922 Soviet rule (Transfer) 1922–1991 Independent Ukraine 1991–2014 Russian control (Annexation) 2014–present
Lists
v t e

TheCrimean Peninsula (at the time known asTaurica) was under partial control of theRoman Empire during the period of 47 BC to c. 340 AD. The territory under Roman control mostly coincided with theBosporan Kingdom (although underNero, from 62 to 68 AD; it was briefly attached to the Roman Province ofMoesia Inferior).Rome lost its influence in Taurica in the mid third century AD, when substantial parts of the peninsula fell to theGoths, but at least nominally the kingdom survived until the 340s AD. TheEastern Roman Empire, the eastern part of the Roman Empire that survived the loss of the western part of the empire, later regained Crimea underJustinian I. TheByzantine Empire controlled portions of the peninsula well into theLate Middle Ages.

Rome started to dominate the Crimea peninsula (then calledTaurica) in the 1st century BC. The initial area of their penetration was mainly in eastern Crimea (Bosporus kingdom) and in the westernGreek city ofChersonesos.^[1] The interior was only nominally under Roman rule.^[2]

In ancient times Crimea was known as "Chersonesus Taurica", from the name of the Tauri, who were descendants of theCimmerians. Many Greek colonists settled in Taurica: their most renowned colony was Chersonesos. In 114 BC the Bosporus kingdom accepted the overlordship ofMithridates VI Eupator, king of Pontus, as a protection from tribes ofScythians. For nearly five centuries after the defeat of Mithridates by the RomanPompey, Crimea was under the suzerainty of Rome.

The main Roman settlement wasCharax, acastrum probably built around 60–65, and the main naval Roman base was in Chersonesos.^[3]

When the Romans arrived at Taurica, they set up their camp and built a fortress and a temple ofJupiter Dolichenus on the coast of the harbor ofBalaklava, then calledSymbolon Limen.^[4]

Tiberius Julius Aspurgus (8 BC – 38) founded a line of Bosporan Kings which endured with some interruptions until 341. Originally called Aspurgus, he adopted the Roman names "Tiberius Julius" because he receivedRoman citizenship and enjoyed the patronage of the first twoRoman Emperors,Augustus andTiberius. All of the following kings adopted these two Roman names followed by a third name, mostly ofPontic,Thracian orSarmatian origin. Bosporan kings struck coinage throughout the kingdom period, which included goldstaters bearing portraits of the respectiveRoman Emperors.

In 67, EmperorNero prepared a military expedition to conquer for Rome all the northern shores of theBlack Sea from the Caucasus to what is now Romania-Moldova-Ukraine, but his death stopped the project. For this reason, he probably put Taurica under direct Roman rule and created the Charax castrum.^[5] He extended the Roman province of LowerMoesia toTyras,Olbia and Taurica (the peninsula of Crimea).

Taurica enjoyed a relative golden period under Roman leadership during the 2nd century AD, with huge commerce of wheat, clothing, wine and slaves of theBlack Sea slave trade:

The prosperous merchant-towns (of Taurica), permanently in need of military protection amidst a flux of barbaric peoples, held to Rome as the advanced posts to the main army....(during that century) Roman troops were stationed in the peninsula, perhaps a division of the Pontic fleet, certainly a detachment of the Moesian army, (other garrisons inPanticapaeum and Chersonesos); their presence even in small numbers showed to the barbarians that the dreaded legionary stood behind (the Bosporanum Regnum).^[6]

The region was temporarily conquered by theGoths in 250. The last client king of the Roman Empire in Taurica wasTiberius Julius Rhescuporis VI, who died in 342. Rhescuporis seems to have minted coins as late as 341, indicating that there was some extent of political control over the remnants of the kingdom at this point. The remnants of the Bosporan kingdom were finally swept away with the invasion of theHuns in 375/6.

The largestRoman military settlement inTaurica wasCharax.^[7] It was situated on a four-hectare area at the western ridge of "Ai Todor", close to the modernYalta castle ofSwallow's Nest.

When in 62–66 AD the Roman garrisons were installed in Taurica, Charax became one of their strongholds. The Romans built a fortress and stationed a sub-unit (vexillatio) of the "Ravenna squadron". Charax was a very important strategic point, because it allowed the Romans to establish control over the navigation along the Crimean coast.

Themilitary camp was fully developed underVespasian with the intention of protectingChersonesos and other Bosporean trade emporiums from theScythians.^[8] By the end of the 1st century, the Roman forces were evacuated from the Crimea peninsula.

Several decades later the camp was restored by avexillatio of theLegio I Italica: it hosted a detachment of theLegio XI Claudia at the end of the 2nd century. In this century, new stone walls were added to the fortress and a new Roman road was built, connecting Charax to Chersonesos.^[9]

The camp was abandoned by the Romans at the end of the 3rd century.

These are the Roman client kings of theBosporan Kingdom:

• Pharnaces 64 BC – 47 BC
• Mithridates I 47 BC – 44 BC
• Asander 47 BC, then 44 BC – 17 BC
• Scribonius 17 BC – 16 BC
• Dynamis with Asander 47 BC, then 44 BC – 17 BC, then with Polemon from 16 BC until her death in 14 BC
• Polemon I 16 BC – 8 BC
• Aspurgus 8 BC – 38 AD^[10]
• Rhescuporis I 14 – 42 AD^[10]
• Polemon II 38 – 41 AD^[10]
• Mithridates II 42 – 46 AD^[10]
• Cotys I 46 – 78^[10]
  • Roman Province 63 – 68
• Rhescuporis II 78 – 93^[10]
• Sauromates I 93 – 123^[10]
• Cotys II 123 – 131^[10]
• Rhoemetalces 131 – 153^[10]
• Eupator 154 – 170^[10]
• Sauromates II 172 – 210^[10]
• Rhescuporis III 211 – 228^[10]
• Cotys III 228 – 234^[10]
• Sauromates III 229 – 232^[10]
• Rhescuporis IV 233 – 234^[10]
• Chedosbios 233 – 234 (?)
• Ininthimeus 234 – 239^[10]
• Rhescuporis V 240 – 276^[10]
• Pharsanzes 253 – 254^[10]
• Teiranes 276 – 278^[10]
• Sauromates IV 276^[10]
• Theothorses 279 – 309^[10]
• Rhadamsades 309 – 322^[10]
• Rhescuporis VI 314 – 341^[10]

Ancient episcopal sees of RomanCrimea (Zechia) that are listed in theAnnuario Pontificio astitular sees include:^[11]

• Bosporus, Byzantine? Archbishopric
• Chersonesus in Zechia
• Matrega
• Nicopsis (Tuapse)
• Phulli (Stary Krym), ?Archbishopric
• Soldaia
• Sugdaea
• Tanais

TheByzantine Empire (Eastern Roman Empire) re-established Roman control of the region under EmperorJustinian I (r. 527–565).

In the 6th century, probably at the end of the reign of Justinian I, the status of Roman Crimea changed. Taurica became the Province ofChersonesos, which also included Bosporos and the southern coast of Crimea.

This enlargement of Byzantine Taurica resulted in the elevation of the ranks of its governors. In the second half of the 6th century, the military and civil authorities in the region were entrusted to the military deputy, "doux Chersonos".

Furthermore, the city of Chersonnesos was used by the Romans as a place of banishment:St. Clement of Rome died there in exile in 99 AD, having first preached the Gospel in the region. Another exile, the EmperorJustinian II, spent the yearsc. 695 toc. 703 there - after he returned to power (in 705) he allegedly destroyed the city in revenge.

Most of Roman Crimea fell underKhazar overlordship in the late 7th century.

In the mid-8th century, the Khazars put down the rebelliousCrimean Goths and their city,Doros (modern Mangup), was occupied. A Khazartudun (ruler) was resident at Chersonesos already in 690, despite the fact that this town was nominally subject to theByzantine Empire. The Byzantine emperors controlled the southern shores of the Crimea peninsula (the theme of Cherson) until the 13th century. Control then passed to theEmpire of Trebizond, one of the successor states to the Byzantine Empire after thesack of Constantinople in 1204. Another offshoot, the Crimea-basedPrincipality of Theodoro, endured from the 14th century until 1475, when theOttoman Empire conquered it.^[12]

Many series of Roman coins survive from the 1st century BC to about 300, and also some from the Byzantine period.^[13]

• History of Crimea
• Italians of Crimea
• Strait of Kerch
• List of Kings of Cimmerian Bosporus

Wikisource has the text of the1911Encyclopædia Britannica article "Bosporus Cimmerius".

• Joseph Coleman Carter; Glenn Randall Mack, eds. (2003).Crimean Chersonesos: city, chora, museum, and environs. University of Texas at Austin. Institute of Classical Archaeology.ISBN 978-0-9708879-2-4.
• Fornasier, Jochen; Böttger, Burkhard (2002).Das Bosporanische Reich: der Nordosten des Schwarzen Meeres in der Antike.ISBN 978-3-8053-2895-1.
• Theodor Mommsen; William Purdie Dickson (1996).The provinces of the Roman Empire, from Caesar to Diocletian.ISBN 978-0-7607-0145-4.

• Roman history of modern countries and territories
• Ancient history of Ukraine
• Ancient Crimea
• 1st-century BC establishments in the Roman Republic
• 340 disestablishments
• 340s disestablishments in the Roman Empire
• States and territories established in the 1st century BC
• States and territories disestablished in the 4th century
• Ukraine in the Roman era

• CS1 Italian-language sources (it)
• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Portal-inline template with redlinked portals
• Pages with empty portal template