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Νύμφαιον Nymphaeum Нимфей | |
 Remains of excavated walls in Nýmphaion | |
.jpg)  Nýmphaion Shown within Crimea | |
| Location | Heroivske,Autonomous Republic of Crimea,Russia/Ukraine |
|---|---|
| Region | Taurica |
| Coordinates | 45°14′12″N36°25′3″E / 45.23667°N 36.41750°E /45.23667; 36.41750 |
| Type | Settlement |
| History | |
| Builder | Settlers fromSamos |
| Founded | 580–560 BC |
| Official name | Археологічний комплекс "Стародавнє місто Німфей" (Archaeological complex of the Ancient city of Nymphaion) |
| Type | Archaeology |
| Reference no. | 010022-Н |
.svg)
Nýmphaion (Greek:Νύμφαιον,Latin:Nymphaeum), also known asNymphaion on thePontus (Ancient Greek:Νύμφαιον τὸ ἐν τῷ Πόντῳ),[1] was a significant centre of theBosporan Kingdom, situated on theCrimean shore of theCimmerian Bosporus. Today it is located near the resort town Heroivske. It lies at a distance of about 14 kilometers south ofKerch, which was the site of ancientPanticapaeum.
The ruins of Nymphaion stand on a rocky cape approximately 200 meters west of the shoreline. Centuries ofcoastal erosion caused the shoreline to recede. The ancient shoreline would have been some 300 meters further east.[2]
Today the ruins are bordered by the Čurubaš Lake to the north and the Tobečik Lake to the south. In ancient times both of these lakes were ravines with sea gulfs at their mouths in the east. These ravines were situated 7 kilometers apart. They enclosed a territory of more than 40 square kilometers further west, where a rocky ridge of steep hills bordered the area on the west.[2]
These natural borders made the territory of Nymphaion more easily defendable. In addition, it is well suited to agriculture thanks to its fertilechernozem soil. It also receives 100 millimeters more rainfall than surrounding land.[2]
The city was founded by Greek colonists fromSamos between 580 and 560 BC. There is no archaeological evidence for the presence ofScythians in the area before the city's founding.[2] The town issued its own coins and generally prospered in the period ofclassical antiquity, when its citizens controlledcereal trade, which was vital for the well-being of mainland Greece.Athens chose it as its principal military base in the region ca. 444 BC and Gylon, the grandfather ofDemosthenes, suffered banishment from Athens on charges that he had betrayed Nymphaeum during thePeloponnesian War. It was annexed to theBosporan Kingdom by the end of the century.
During theMithridatic Wars, the town allied with theRoman Republic and withstood a siege by the army ofPharnaces II of Pontus. It was atPhanagoria that the insurrection broke out againstMithridates VI of Pontus, shortly before his death; and his sons, who held the citadel, were obliged to surrender to the insurgents. An inscription found during excavations testifies that queenDynamis honoredAugustus as "the emperor, Caesar, son of god, the god Augustus, the overseer of every land and sea". The loyalty to Rome allowed Phanagoria to maintain a dominant position in the region until the 4th century, when it was sacked and destroyed by the invadingHuns.
The site occupied a small hill by the sea. Theacropolis contained the temples ofAphrodite (with several rooms) and of theCabeiri. The lower terrace by the sea centred on the sanctuary ofDemeter, first erected in the 6th century BC and several times rebuilt. Other ruins indicate that the town's architecture was unusually refined, perhaps the most sophisticated in the Bosporan Kingdom. One structure has no parallels in the Hellenistic world: it goes back to the 3rd century BC and is built of rosemarl. The site also yielded a number ofterracotta figurines, winemaking facilities (the oldest along the northern shore of theBlack Sea) and several horse burials, associated with theSarmatians.
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