Acre (the modern name of Acre, the city is located in Israel) is one of the most ancient cities in the Middle East. The city was first mentioned in the 16th century BC. in chronicles related to the reign of Pharaoh Thutmose the Third in Egypt. In a later period of its history, Acre was ruled by one of King Solomon's viceroys. Around 725 BC. Acre joined Sidon and Tire during the anti-Assyrian revolt.
The city is also mentioned in ancient Greek legends. According to one of the myths, Hercules, during his journey, found a miraculous plant in Acre, with which he treated his wounds.
After the conquest of the city by the troops of Alexander the Great, Acre was renamed Antioch, and after the division of Alexander's kingdom by his generals into parts, Ptolomeis.
Subsequently, the history of Acre was typical of cities in the Middle East. Acre has repeatedly become part of a wide variety of states. The city was ruled by the Egyptian Ptolemies and the kings of the Selkvid dynasty and even the king of Armenia Tigran II. At the end of the war, Acre became part of the Roman Empire, and after its fall it became part of Byzantium.
In 638, Acre was conquered by the Arabs. According to medieval chronicles, the city surrendered to the new conquerors without a fight after the Arabs captured Jerusalem.
Photo Port of Acre
It was with the Arab conquest of Acre that the era of prosperity of the city began. The Arabs made Acre the main seaport of Palestine, and the city retained this status until the end of the Crusades.
Having captured Accra, the Arabs began to build powerful fortress walls in the city. In addition, huge ship docks were built in Acre, the second most important after Tire in this region. It was in Acre that those ships were built on which the Arabs subsequently launched attacks on Cyprus, Sicily and mainland Italy.
The Arab geographer al-Muqqadasi, who visited Acre in the 10th century, described the city as a well-fortified fortress with a large harbor and a large number of mosques. Let us also add that the Arab Acre was larger in size than the modern old part of the city, which was built up in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Age of the Crusaders
The most famous pages in the history of Acre are connected with the history of the Crusades. In 1104, after a 4-year siege, the city was captured by the crusaders of King Baldwin the First of Jerusalem. The Crusaders also reserved for Accra the right to be called the main port in Palestine.
Through Acre the crusaders received their main reinforcements from Europe. This contributed to the growth of the city and already 30 years after the conquest of the city, the population of Acre was approximately 25,000 people, which was comparable only to Jerusalem.
Photo of Acre fortress
In addition, Acre was the main trading port of the Crusaders in the eastern Mediterranean. The main trade between European countries and the Middle East took place through Acre, and Acre in those days rivaled such famous trading cities as Venice or Pisa in its wealth and prosperity.
True, the crusaders surrendered the city ingloriously after the Muslims captured Jerusalem. History repeated itself, as in the case of the Byzantines. Acre was a strongly fortified fortress, it was impossible to blockade it from the sea, and its garrison could easily receive reinforcements from Europe. But instead, the crusaders chose to leave the city.
In 1192, thanks to the help of King Richard the Lionheart, the crusaders managed to recapture the city. Acre became the capital of the Kingdom of Jerusalem (Jerusalem at that time was already lost to the Crusaders), and subsequently the city was also the residence of the Master of the Templar Order. Acre became the last fortress owned by the crusaders in the Middle East. After its fall in 1292, the era of the Crusades ended.
During the assault by the Mamluks, the city was almost completely destroyed and lay in ruins for a long time. Only the Ottomans began to restore Acre in the mid-16th century, but it was a completely different city and a completely different story.
Photo of old city walls
The ancient city of Acre in Kerch is, in a way, the local Atlantis. It provides a large number of mysteries that the best archaeologists in the world are trying to solve. They are trying to find out about the peculiarities of life of the townspeople and where the entire population went after the city sank under water. This is truly an amazing place that is worth seeing while in Crimea.
Ancient city of Acre in Kerch
This city was first mentioned in ancient Greek records in the 6th century BC. Moreover, the Greeks themselves built it on the shores of the Crimean Peninsula. Interestingly, archaeologists could not find Acre for 200 years until they stumbled upon it in the 1980s. It was then that active excavations began. But the more experts found answers to the questions posed, the more new questions arose.
In the 3rd century AD the city was completely flooded. Now historians are trying to understand where exactly all the people who lived in the city went. Underwater archaeologists find unique household items that are in almost perfect condition.
The city was famous for its high quality wheat and large quantities of fish. The most skilled traders of antiquity also lived here. However, exactly how the flooding of the settlement occurred and what became of the residents is not known for certain.
Brief history of the city
This city appeared as an independent settlement founded by the ancient Greeks. It is a little younger than ancient Rome. It was a transit trading city, which was used exclusively for unloading goods from different countries and their further transportation to other trading centers. There were always a lot of ships here, since it was one of the few ice-free ports.
Acre is located just 30 kilometers from modern Kerch. The largest number of buildings was near Cape Taki. It is interesting that until the 4th century this city was independent, but then became part of the Bosphorus Kingdom. It was founded by several other satellites of Ancient Greece for protection against the Scythian tribes.
The city flourished due to its craft and trade. An elite variety of wheat grew here, which could not be grown in the Mediterranean climate. That is why bread made from it was considered especially expensive. The city also sold large quantities of salted and dried fish.
Acre was first discovered in 1981. It was archaeologist Alexey Kulikov. At that moment he was 15 years old and he was interested in history. One fine day, when there were strong waves on the sea, he was trying to find ancient coins. He found one, and was also able to accidentally discover the remains of an ancient wall that were under the sand. The wave swept away this sand, exposing part of the structure.
It is interesting that all the treasures of Acre are kept in the Kerch Museum, despite the fact that the main excavations are carried out by Hermitage specialists. The city is of great interest to historians. In particular, the reason for its flooding is unclear and it is unknown where all the people went.
Flooding theories
There are two main theories:
In 1983, another large-scale expedition to Acre took place. In the course of it, it was possible to prove that this is a city, and not a village. Quite a lot of coins from various regions of the world, goods and other important exhibits specific to the city were found here. It was also possible to identify the defensive wall and tower. The area of the settlement was approximately 3.5 hectares.
Interestingly, there is a theory that the Crimean peninsula itself is part of the once submerged Atlantis. This is evidenced by the flat terrain and similar climatic features. But professional historians do not pay much attention to this theory.
About the finds
Scientists manage to find a large number of exhibits. Some of them are on land, but most of them are flooded. Therefore, we have to involve underwater archaeologists. Due to the nature of technology development, it is impossible to lift some finds from the bottom now. This will pose a great danger to their safety. Therefore, they are buried back in order to wait for an increase in the level of technical equipment.
Here's what experts most often find:
- ancient coins;
- unique amphorae and jugs;
- household items of the residents of Acre;
- remains of buildings;
- various jewelry decorations.
All this is kept in the local museum. However, before being placed in the museum, all finds are analyzed for historical value in Feodosia. It is worth noting that before objects are lifted from the seabed, they must be processed. Otherwise, some of them (especially wooden ones) may crumble after moving to another environment.
Today, scientific and technological progress has made great strides, which allows us to more carefully and deeply study the values in the Acre region. However, experts still have to wait for better times to study the remains of antiquity in more detail. Perhaps they will discover new secrets.
How to get to Acre
Unfortunately, most of the city is under water, so many of the exhibits can only be seen with scuba gear. It is important to understand that unauthorized excavations are prosecuted by law. Therefore, you can find a few antiquities, look at them and leave them in place. They can also be donated to a local museum.
This attraction is located just 30 kilometers from Kerch. It is necessary to use a private vehicle to reach the ancient city. With the help of a navigator you will definitely not get lost.
The discovered ancient city of Acre has already been called the “Crimean Atlantis”. But, unlike Atlantis, ancient Acre is in an untouched state and scientists have a lot of discoveries to make.
Not far from Kerch, at the foot of Cape Takil, at the southernmost point of the Kerch Strait, a group of underwater archaeologists from an international expedition is exploring the ancient city of Acre, which several thousand years ago was swallowed up by the waters of the Kerch Strait.
The ancient city of Acre is a small ancient Greek port city in Crimea, which existed as part of the city from the end of the 6th century BC. e. to the 4th century AD e. located An acre on 3.5 hectares in the eastern part of the Crimean Peninsula and was surrounded by a six-meter wall.
This protection saved the city from enemy raids and storms. Due to geological changes in the Black Sea coastline and the formation of the Kerch Strait, part of the ancient settlement and a 30-meter section of the defensive wall of the ancient city of Acre were under the water advancing on the city.
The ancient name of the city of Acre was preserved in the name of the land measure - Acre(English) acre; fr. acre, lat. ager and acra, celt. acre- field ) - a land measure used in a number of countries with the English system of measures. 1 acre equal to 0.4 hectares; 1 acre = 1/640 sq. miles. 1 acre. = 4046.86 m² ≈ 0.004 km²
In the depths of the sea, researchers have a view of the defensive walls of the ancient city of Acre. All archaeological layers of the ancient city were preserved under water in an untouched, undisturbed state.
Over the past two years, a large number of architectural structures have been found in excellent preservation. The head of the archaeological expedition, Viktor Vakhoneev, considers the ancient city of Acre to be a real treasure trove for underwater archaeologists, who call the ancient Greek city of Acre “Crimean Atlantis.”
Underwater archaeologists explore residential areas of the ancient city. The layout of the streets of ancient Acre and ancient residential buildings, houses in which people once lived, are well preserved. Furniture, utensils, a woman's comb were found; such items are not preserved on land at all, but in the sea they survived and were found in their original form. In the study area, defensive walls of the city were discovered; 3-4 rows of stone masonry more than 1 m 60 cm high were preserved under water. Archaeologists mapped most of the stone masonry.
Leading researcher of the State Hermitage Sergei Soloviev, participating in the underwater expedition, notes that a large number of fragments of antique ceramic dishes, clay amphorae for transporting wine, oil, fish, grain and other products were found on the territory of the city of Acre.
Residents of the city of Acre were engaged in trade, fishing and shipping. Researchers at Acre determined that it was not a very large trading city of the Bosporan kingdom, occupying an area of 4 hectares. The presence of defensive walls around the city suggests that Acre was ready for defense and knew how to protect itself from the attacks of nomads.
The Black Sea Center for Underwater Research is now preparing underwater excursion routes around the ancient city of Acre for tourists, lovers of underwater adventures, and divers. Creation of the underwater archaeological park “Crimean Atlantis” in ancient Acre
occurs with the support of the public and the Council of Ministers of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.
The head of the underwater archeology department of the Black Sea Center for Underwater Research, Viktor Vakhoneev, is confident that underwater excursions around the ancient Greek city of Acre will be very popular among tourists. This object is most suitable for underwater excursions, as it is located at shallow sea depths, no more than 4 meters. An archaeological expedition is currently working in underwater Acre off the coast of Kerch.
In parallel with the work of archaeologists, tourist divers are offered an excursion route called "Participant in an underwater archaeological excursion." Tourists who love underwater adventures are offered an unforgettable underwater walk through ancient Acre and watch the work of underwater archaeologists.
There are still a lot of fish and crabs in these places. Those who know how to catch crayfish can easily cope with catching sea crabs. For lovers of spearfishing, the amazing underwater world of the Black Sea opens up.
Viktor Vakhoneev believes that it will be interesting for tourists to dive themselves and, together with archaeologists, participate in research work under water.
The head of the underwater archeology department of the Black Sea Center for Underwater Research says that this year ancient Acre was registered as a historical monument and is protected by the state. The Ministry of Resorts and Tourism of Crimea is interested in creating the first underwater archaeological park in Ukraine on the basis of the archaeological expedition.
Premiere screening of the Nauka TV channel film “Acres. Crimean Atlantis” about archaeological excavations of the ancient city of Acre, founded two and a half thousand years ago. How underwater excavations differ from excavations on land, what artifacts archaeologists managed to find during the excavations of Acre, why the ancient city went under water, and what difficulties arose during the filming of the film - the site talked about all this with the head of the underwater archeology department of the Black Sea Underwater Center research” by Viktor Vakhoneev and the film’s director Alexander Konevich.
“Nature is constantly reclaiming more and more shores”
Alexander, why did you choose this particular plot for the filming of your film? What attracted you to the history of the ancient sunken city?
This is the largest, unknown and unexplored story that exists right now. The mystery of the disappearance of the city was not solved for a long time, and even now it holds more mysteries than solutions. The attention of the Russian Geographical Society also played an important role. They made an expedition there with volunteers to cover significant and interesting events. In addition, this city is the least studied compared to the others. Perhaps now the most complex work can be carried out there. In the 1980s, when the city was found, it was impossible to do anything that can already be done today. At the same time, not everything can be done now that can be done in 15-20 years, when new technologies for underwater archeology appear.
How was filming underwater, did you encounter any difficulties?
Difficulties always arose due to the weather. The city is located at a shallow depth and, accordingly, any rough sea creates problems: muddy water, poor visibility. At a depth of 2-2.5 meters, any disturbance matters. In addition, we went twice. During this time, the picture on the shore changed dramatically. It turns out that nature is constantly “conquering” more and more of the coast, and, accordingly, the city is retreating more and more.
Scientific fixation
To conduct underwater filming, we had our own cameraman, but we took a lot of underwater filming from underwater archaeologists, who record everything using special equipment. Their footage helped a lot.
- Which finds impressed you the most?
Among the unique finds is an earring that was found literally on the last day and is a couple of thousand years old. There are a lot of coins and ceramics, which confirms that people lived in Acre for a long time. There are fragments of ceramics that have certain identification marks on them, by which right on the shore you can determine what century, for example, an oil vessel found was.
Gold earring from the 4th century BC
Black Sea Center for Underwater Research
Underwater archeology and secrets of the Black Sea
Victor, why are archaeological excavations under water so attractive to scientists, since research on land is much easier to conduct?
Underwater archeology is a fairly young and dynamically developing area of historical science. The development of technical means over the past decades has made it possible to increase the depth and area of research. Nevertheless, this area is still underdeveloped; in Russia, underwater archaeologists can be counted on one hand, while there are several hundred, if not thousands, of land-based archaeologists. There are many reasons for this, both subjective and objective. Until now, underwater archeology is not taught as a separate discipline in universities. We tried to fix this and in 2017 we organized this course of lectures at the Crimean Federal University. The Black Sea Center for Underwater Research is the only state specialized institution in the field of underwater archeology. Of course, there are individual specialists in scientific institutes and museums, but this is definitely not enough considering the number of objects of underwater cultural heritage resting on the bottom and subject to study.
- How did the underwater archaeological expedition to Acre begin?
Acre was localized in the early 1980s thanks to the work of Kerch archaeologist Vyacheslav Kholodkov and Leningrad submariner Konstantin Shilik. They carried out the first exploration work in the place where, shortly before, a Kerch schoolboy had found more than a hundred antique coins. Then, in the 1980s, after the first expeditions, the area of the flooded settlement and its structure were established, defensive walls and towers were identified, and a cistern filled with amphorae was excavated.
Aerial view of Acre (the dark spot is the city boundaries)
Black Sea Center for Underwater Research
In 2011, employees of our Center and the State Hermitage joined forces and organized the first modern expedition, which focused not just on exploration, but on serious underwater excavations. This year our underwater expedition on Acre celebrated its sixth anniversary.
- Is it known when and why the ancient city went under water?
This happened in the middle of the 1st millennium AD. e. during the so-called Nymphaean transgression. The city was originally founded on a low cape jutting deep into the sea. Since antiquity, the sea level in this area has risen by an average of four meters, so that almost the entire city, founded in the lowlands, was flooded. But even during the life of the Greeks, flooding occurred here. They explain construction technologies. We studied the city's defensive tower, the foundation of which was made of wooden beams, which protected the structure from being washed away by groundwater. Our expedition did not record evidence of a sharp catastrophic rise in water. The excellent preservation of the building remains is explained by the fact that the defensive wall of the city served as a kind of barrier that protected the remains of the city from being washed away by storms.
- What do the expedition members do?
For the last six years we have been drawing up a plan for the site, conducting excavations of a number of objects: defensive walls and towers, city blocks and households. Since 2016, with the support of the Russian Geographical Society and IHMC RAS, work began in the coastal zone of Acre (about 10% of the city faces the shore). When reaching sea level, water from the excavation site is pumped out with pumps, and excavations are carried out using ground methods.
- At what depth do you have to work?
The settlement is located at a depth of zero to four meters. Now the expedition is working at a depth of two to three meters. The harbor of the ancient city was located at a depth of up to seven meters. Ancient anchors can still be found there.
Underwater excavation
Black Sea Center for Underwater Research
- Where and how are finds examined?
The word “expertise” is not entirely correct. Finds from Acre are stored in the funds of the East Crimean Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve, in its golden storeroom, and in the Museum of Underwater Archeology of the Black Sea Center for Underwater Research. There they undergo restoration and participate in exhibitions.
It’s much better if we talk about organic matter, and metal products are also generally preserved.
Are there any special difficulties in ensuring the safety of finds taken from water, rather than excavated on land?
Eat. Conservation and restoration of finds from water is a special area. It is necessary to desalt the item and constantly monitor its condition. Preserving wood is a completely separate problem.
How many mysteries do you think the Black Sea still holds and what are the most important discoveries regarding our past that remain to be made?
According to our calculations, there are thousands of sunken objects in the Crimean waters alone, of course, most of which are shipwrecks. Predicting discoveries is difficult. Every year, underwater archaeologists make new discoveries in one way or another. Thus, recently our colleagues from the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences studied the ship of Mithridates VI Eupator in Phanagoria, and from the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences they studied the remains of a medieval merchant ship into which the president embarked. A little earlier, we excavated two medieval ships of the 10th and 13th centuries at depths of more than 100 m. In 2016, we studied the legendary steamship Vesta, a hero of the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878. So there are a lot of discoveries.
Was there Atlantis? The answer is clear - yes! Any tourist who has visited Crimea can confirm this. The ancient city of Acre, which once stood on the shores of the Kerch Strait, sank under water at the beginning of our era. Streets, houses and the fortress wall disappeared into the waves of the strait. Why not this mythical island-state?
Where is the city of Akra in Crimea?
“During his lifetime” - so to speak - it was located at the southernmost point. The famous ancient geographer Strabo argued that the polis is an ice-free port belonging to. The closest modern settlement to the location of the city is the village of Naberezhnoe. The village of Zavetnoye and is also found nearby. And all this is 30 km south of Kerch.
History of the ancient port policy
According to ancient authors, Acre existed since the 6th century. BC, and a century later it acquired its own fortifications on the land side for protection from the attacks of nomads. The port is described as a small settlement, but its importance for Greek navigation leaves no doubt. It stood on a cape, creating excellent conditions for ships. At the beginning of our era, around the 4th century, a simultaneous subsidence of part of the coast and changes in the water balance of the Black Sea occurred. So Acre ended up under the water column, turning into the Black Sea Atlantis.
The second stage in the history of the ancient city is the return to the people. In the search for Acre, toponymy played a cruel joke on archaeologists. The word “acre” is translated from Greek as “hill”, “hill” (compare “Acropolis”). Well, who will look for a hill under water? No map could help - they simply did not have the corresponding cape, which had sunk centuries ago.
The sunken city was found by fate. First, researchers, examining the coast in this place, discovered a certain amount of material from Greek and Roman times. And in 1982, Lesha Kulikov, a schoolboy from, found a coin of the Bosporan kingdom on the shore. This became the starting point. In the 90s last century graduate of Moscow University A.V. Kulikov led an expedition to study Acre. At first, excavations were carried out on land, only then they moved under the sea surface.
Crimean Atlantis required large funds for its study, so from the very beginning Ukraine turned to Russia for help - the expedition was international. There were years when no work was carried out at all - there was no funding. “Black archaeologists” at this time shamelessly robbed the monument - just give them free rein! But now normal, honest scientists have returned to Crimea. The ancient city of Acre is among the priorities for archaeological research. There are plans to subsequently transform the monument into a special underwater museum. There are also concerns - the observed changes in currents threaten the safety of the city.
Homeland of the Trojan hero
Some authors seriously believe Acre to be the birthplace of Achilles himself. There are references to this name in ancient Greek literature. However, it was very common among the Greeks - for the simple reason that they preferred to build on hills, so the story is in the realm of legends. But it has been convincingly proven that Achilles was revered in Crimea.
Crimean Atlantis: excursion with scuba diving
Today, the priority direction of Crimean underwater archeology is Acre. Crimean Atlantis is a real treasure for archaeologists; sea water has preserved such objects that they could never have lain in the ground for millennia. 
In particular, in the last season, wooden foundations of the structures of the fortress towers and a ridge were discovered here - completely unique finds; such an ancient tree cannot be found on the surface of the earth.
Acre can be explored by divers during the expedition; usually the field season in Crimea coincides with the tourist season - from May to October. Experts are not against it, but categorically forbid them to touch anything on the monument. The stone fortress wall of the city is clearly visible, quite well preserved, houses and streets are visible. In one of the buildings, a completely intact hearth was recently discovered - the unifying center of the ancient Greek family.
The underwater museum is in its infancy - this is too new for Crimea. And there is still a lot of manipulation to be done, the settlement is large - according to scientists, at least 1000 people permanently lived there (according to the concepts of that time, a decent town). The interests of science come first - even temporary drainage of the Acre territory by constructing a dam is planned. However, both the leadership of the peninsula and experts consider the archaeological center to be a promising project.
Taking photos underwater is difficult, but professional scientists are excellent at it. They regularly publish “portraits” of ancient, ancient Acre. Last November in Feodosia, which sheltered on its perimeter, the premiere took place
