The Black Sea in ancient times. Legends of the Black Sea, the mystery of the name. Origin of the Black Sea

The area of the Black Sea is 422,000 km² (according to other sources - 436,400 km²). The outlines of the Black Sea resemble an oval with the largest axis about 1150 km. The greatest length of the sea from north to south is 580 km. The greatest depth is 2210 m, the average is 1240 m.

The sea washes the shores of Russia, Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey and Georgia. The unrecognized state of Abkhazia is located on the northeastern coast of the Black Sea.

A characteristic feature of the Black Sea is the complete (except for a number of anaerobic bacteria) absence of life at depths above 150-200 m due to the saturation of deep water layers with hydrogen sulfide. The Black Sea is an important transportation area, as well as one of the largest resort regions in Eurasia.

In addition, the Black Sea retains an important strategic and military significance. The main military bases of the Russian Black Sea Fleet are located in Sevastopol and Novorossiysk.

The ancient Greek name for the sea is Pont Aksinsky (Greek Πόντος Ἄξενος, "Inhospitable Sea"). In Strabo's "Geography" it is assumed that the sea received such a name because of the difficulties with navigation, as well as the wild hostile tribes inhabiting its shores. Later, after the successful development of the coast by the Greek colonists, the sea became known as Pontus Euxine (Greek Πόντος Εὔξενος, "Hospitable Sea"). However, Strabo (1.2.10) mentions that in antiquity the Black Sea was also called simply “the sea” (pontos).

In Ancient Russia of the X-XVI centuries, the name "Russian Sea" was found in the annals, in some sources the sea is called "Scythian". The modern name "Black Sea" has found its corresponding reflection in most languages: Greek. Μαύρη θάλασσα, Bolg. Black Sea, cargo. შავი ზღვა, rum. Marea Neagră, English. Black Sea Tour Karadeniz, Ukrainian Chorne more and others. The earliest sources mentioning this name date back to the 13th century, but there are certain signs that it was used earlier. There are a number of hypotheses regarding the reasons for the emergence of such a name:

Another reason, according to some researchers, may be the fact that during storms the water in the sea gets very dark. However, storms in the Black Sea are not very frequent, and the water darkens during storms in all the seas of the earth. Another hypothesis of the origin of the name is based on the fact that metal objects (for example, anchors), lowered into the sea water deeper than 150 m for a long time, were covered with a black coating due to the action of hydrogen sulfide.

Another hypothesis is connected with the “color” designation of the cardinal points adopted in a number of Asian countries, where “black” denoted the north, respectively, the Black Sea - the northern sea.

One of the most common hypotheses is the assumption that the name is associated with memories of the breakthrough of the Bosphorus 7500-5000 years ago, which resulted in a catastrophic rise in sea level by almost 100 meters, which in turn led to the flooding of a vast shelf zone and the formation of the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov .

There is a Turkish legend according to which a heroic sword rests in the waters of the Black Sea, which was thrown there at the request of the dying wizard Ali. Because of this, the sea is worried, trying to throw out deadly weapons from its depths, and is painted black.

The shores of the Black Sea are scarcely indented and mainly in its northern part. The only large peninsula is the Crimean. The largest bays: Yagorlytsky, Tendrovsky, Dzharylgachsky, Karkinitsky, Kalamitsky and Feodosia in Ukraine, Varna and Burgassky in Bulgaria, Sinopsky and Samsunsky - at the southern coast of the sea, in Turkey. In the north and northwest, estuaries overflow at the confluence of the rivers. The total length of the coastline is 3400 km.

A number of sections of the sea coast have their own names: the southern coast of Crimea in Ukraine, the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus in Russia, the Rumeli coast and the Anatolian coast in Turkey. In the west and northwest, the coasts are low-lying, steep in places; in the Crimea - mostly low-lying, with the exception of the southern mountainous coasts. On the eastern and southern shores, the spurs of the Caucasus and Pontic mountains come close to the sea.

There are few islands in the Black Sea. The largest are Berezan and Serpentine (both with an area of less than 1 km²).

The following major rivers flow into the Black Sea: the Danube, the Dnieper, the Dniester, as well as the smaller Mzymta, Bzyb, Rioni, Kodor (Kodori), Inguri (in the east of the sea), Chorokh, Kyzyl-Irmak, Ashli-Irmak, Sakarya (in the south ), Southern Bug (in the north). The Black Sea fills an isolated depression located between Southeast Europe and the peninsula of Asia Minor. This depression was formed in the Miocene era, in the process of active mountain building, which divided the ancient Tethys Ocean into several separate reservoirs (from which, in addition to the Black Sea, the Azov, Aral and Caspian Seas were subsequently formed).

One of the hypotheses of the origin of the Black Sea (in particular, the conclusions of the participants of the international oceanographic expedition on the scientific vessel "Akvanavt" in 1993) says that 7500 years ago it was the deepest freshwater lake on earth, the level was more than a hundred meters lower than today . At the end of the Ice Age, the level of the World Ocean rose and the Bosphorus Isthmus was broken through. A total of 100 thousand km² (the most fertile land already cultivated by people) were flooded. The flooding of these vast lands may have become the prototype of the myth of the Flood. The emergence of the Black Sea, according to this hypothesis, was supposedly accompanied by the mass death of the entire freshwater living world of the lake, the decomposition product of which - hydrogen sulfide - reaches high concentrations at the bottom of the sea.

The Black Sea depression consists of two parts - western and eastern, separated by an uplift, which is a natural continuation of the Crimean peninsula. The northwestern part of the sea is characterized by a relatively wide shelf strip (up to 190 km). The southern coast (belonging to Turkey) and the eastern (Georgia) are steeper, the shelf strip does not exceed 20 km and is indented by a number of canyons and depressions. Depths off the coast of Crimea and the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus increase extremely rapidly, reaching levels of over 500 m already a few kilometers from the coastline. The sea reaches its maximum depth (2210 m) in the central part, south of Yalta.

In the composition of the rocks that form the bottom of the sea, in the coastal zone coarse clastic deposits prevail: pebbles, gravel, sand. With distance from the coast, they are replaced by fine-grained sands and silts. In the northwestern part of the Black Sea, shell rock is widespread; for the slope and bed of the sea basin, pelitic oozes are common.

Among the main minerals, deposits of which are located at the bottom of the sea: oil and natural gas on the northwestern shelf; coastal placers of titanomagnetite sands (Taman Peninsula, coast of the Caucasus). The Black Sea is the world's largest meromictic (with unmixed water levels) body of water. The upper layer of water (mixolimnion), which lies to a depth of 150 m, is cooler, less dense and less salty, saturated with oxygen, is separated from the lower, warmer, salty and dense layer (monimolimnion) saturated with hydrogen sulfide by a chemocline (the boundary layer between aerobic and anaerobic zones). There is no single generally accepted explanation for the origin of hydrogen sulfide in the Black Sea. There is an opinion that hydrogen sulfide in the Black Sea is formed mainly as a result of the vital activity of sulfate-reducing bacteria, pronounced water stratification and weak vertical exchange. There is also a theory that hydrogen sulfide was formed as a result of the decomposition of freshwater animals that died during the penetration of salty Mediterranean waters during the formation of the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles.

Some studies of recent years allow us to speak of the Black Sea as a giant reservoir of not only hydrogen sulfide, but also methane, which is most likely also released during the activity of microorganisms, as well as from the bottom of the sea.

The water balance of the Black Sea consists of the following components:

atmospheric precipitation (230 km³ per year);
continental runoff (310 km³ per year);
water inflow from the Sea of Azov (30 km³ per year);
evaporation of water from the sea surface (-360 km³ per year);
water outflow through the Bosphorus (-210 km³ per year).

The amount of precipitation, income from the Sea of Azov and river runoff exceeds the amount of evaporation from the surface, as a result of which the level of the Black Sea exceeds the level of the Marmara. Due to this, an upper current is formed, directed from the Black Sea through the Bosporus Strait. The lower current, observed in the lower water layers, is less pronounced and is directed through the Bosporus in the opposite direction. The interaction of these currents additionally supports the vertical stratification of the sea, and is also used by fish for migration between the seas.

It should be noted that due to the difficult exchange of water with the Atlantic Ocean in the Black Sea, there are practically no ebbs and flows. The circulation of water in the sea covers only the surface layer of water. This layer of water has a salinity of about 18 ppm (in the Mediterranean - 37 ppm) and is saturated with oxygen and other elements necessary for the activity of living organisms. These layers in the Black Sea are subject to circular circulation in an anticyclonic direction along the entire perimeter of the reservoir. At the same time, in the western and eastern parts of the sea there are water circulations in a cyclonic direction. The temperature of the surface layers of water, depending on the season, ranges from 8 to 30 °C.

The lower layer, due to saturation with hydrogen sulfide, does not contain living organisms, with the exception of a number of anaerobic sulfur bacteria (the product of which is hydrogen sulfide). Salinity here increases to 22-22.5 ppm, the average temperature is ~8.5°C.

The climate of the Black Sea, due to its mid-continental position, is mainly continental. Only the southern coast of Crimea and the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus are protected by mountains from cold northern winds and, as a result, have a mild Mediterranean climate.

The weather over the Black Sea is significantly influenced by the Atlantic Ocean, over which most of the cyclones originate, bringing bad weather and storms to the sea. On the northeastern coast of the sea, especially in the Novorossiysk region, low mountains are not an obstacle to cold northern air masses, which, wading over them, cause a strong cold wind (bora), local residents call it Nord-Ost. Southwest winds usually bring warm and fairly humid Mediterranean air masses to the Black Sea region. As a result, most of the sea area is characterized by warm, wet winters and hot, dry summers.

The average January temperature in the northern part of the Black Sea is -3 °C, but can drop to -30 °C. In the territories adjacent to the southern coast of Crimea and the coast of the Caucasus, winters are much milder: the temperature rarely drops below 0 °C. Snow, however, periodically falls in all areas of the sea. The average July temperature in the north of the sea is 22-23°C. The maximum temperatures are not so high due to the softening action of the water reservoir and usually do not exceed 35 °C.

The greatest amount of precipitation in the Black Sea region falls on the coast of the Caucasus (up to 1500 mm per year), the least - in the northwestern part of the sea (about 300 mm per year). Cloud cover for the year averages 60% with a maximum in winter and a minimum in summer.

The waters of the Black Sea, as a rule, are not subject to freezing, with the exception of the coastal part in the north of the reservoir. Coastal waters in these places freeze up to a month or more; estuaries and rivers - up to 2-3 months.

The flora of the sea includes 270 species of multicellular green, brown, red bottom algae (cystoseira, phyllophora, zoster, cladophora, ulva, enteromorph, etc.). The phytoplankton of the Black Sea includes at least six hundred species. Among them are dinoflagellates - armored flagellates (prorocentrum micans, ceratium furca, small scripsiella Scrippsiella trochoidea, etc.), dinoflagellates (dinophysis, protoperidinium, alexandrium), various diatoms, etc. The fauna of the Black Sea is noticeably poorer than the Mediterranean. 2.5 thousand species of animals live in the Black Sea (of which 500 species are unicellular, 160 species of vertebrates are fish and mammals, 500 species of crustaceans, 200 species of mollusks, the rest are invertebrates of various species), for comparison, in the Mediterranean - about 9 thousand . species. Among the main reasons for the relative poverty of the animal world of the sea: a wide range of water salinities, moderately cold water, the presence of hydrogen sulfide at great depths.

In this regard, the Black Sea is suitable for the habitation of rather unpretentious species, at all stages of development of which great depths are not required.

At the bottom of the Black Sea live mussels, oysters, pecten, as well as the predatory mollusk rapana brought with ships from the Far East. Numerous crabs live in the crevices of the coastal rocks and among the stones, there are shrimps, various types of jellyfish are found (cornerot and aurelia are the most common), sea anemones, sponges.

Among the fish found in the Black Sea: various types of gobies (goby-goby, goby-whip, goby-round goby, goby-martovik, goby-rotan), Azov anchovy, Black Sea anchovy (anchovy), shark-katran, flounder-glossa, five species of mullet, bluefish, hake (hake), sea ruff, red mullet (common Black Sea sultanka), haddock, mackerel, horse mackerel, Black Sea-Azov herring, Black Sea-Azov sprat, etc. There are sturgeons (beluga, stellate sturgeon, Black Sea-Azov ( Russian) and Atlantic sturgeon).

Among the dangerous fish of the Black Sea are the sea dragon (the most dangerous is the poisonous spines of the dorsal fin and gill covers), the Black Sea and conspicuous scorpionfish, the stingray (sea cat) with poisonous spikes on the tail.

Of the birds, gulls, petrels, diving ducks, cormorants and a number of other species are common. Mammals are represented in the Black Sea by two species of dolphins (the common dolphin and the bottlenose dolphin), the Azov-Black Sea common porpoise (often called the Azov dolphin), and the white-bellied seal.

Some species of animals that do not live in the Black Sea are often brought into it through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles by the current or swim on their own.

The history of the study of the Black Sea began in ancient times, along with the voyages of the Greeks, who founded their settlements on the seashore. Already in the 4th century BC, peripluses were compiled - ancient sailing directions of the sea. In the future, there is fragmentary information about the voyages of merchants from Novgorod and Kiev to Constantinople.

Another milestone on the path of exploration of the Black Sea was the voyage of the ship "Krepost" from Azov to Constantinople in 1696. Peter I, equipping the ship for navigation, gave the order to carry out cartographic work along the way of its movement. As a result, a “direct drawing of the Black Sea from Kerch to Tsar Grad” was drawn up, depth measurements were taken.

More serious studies of the Black Sea date back to the end of the 18th-19th centuries. In particular, at the turn of these centuries, Russian scientists academicians Peter Pallas and Middendorf studied the properties of the waters and fauna of the Black Sea. In 1816, a description of the Black Sea coast, made by F. F. Bellingshausen, appeared, in 1817 the first map of the Black Sea was issued, in 1842 - the first atlas, in 1851 - the Black Sea sail.

The beginning of systematic scientific research of the Black Sea was laid by two events of the end of the 19th century - the study of the Bosphorus currents (1881-1882) and the conduct of two oceanographic depth-gauging expeditions (1890-1891).

Since 1871, a biological station (now the Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas) has been operating in Sevastopol, which has been systematically studying the living world of the Black Sea. At the end of the 19th century, an expedition led by J. B. Spindler discovered the saturation of the deep layers of the sea with hydrogen sulfide; later, a member of the expedition, the famous Russian chemist N. D. Zelinsky, gave an explanation for this phenomenon.

The study of the Black Sea continued after the October Revolution of 1917. In 1919, an ichthyological station was organized in Kerch (later transformed into the Azov-Chernomorsk Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography, now the Southern Research Institute of Marine Fisheries and Oceanography (YugNIRO)). In 1929, a marine hydrophysical station was opened in the Crimea, in Katsiveli (now a branch of the Sevastopol Marine Hydrophysical Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine).

In Russia, the main research organization that studies the Black Sea is the Southern Branch of the Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Gelendzhik, Golubaya Bukhta) and a number of others.

The transport significance of the Black Sea for the economy of the states washed by this reservoir is great. A significant volume of maritime traffic is made up of tanker flights that ensure the export of oil and oil products from Russian ports (primarily from Novorossiysk and Tuapse) and Georgian ports (Batumi). However, the volumes of export of hydrocarbons are significantly constrained by the limited capacity of the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits. In Ilyichevsk, the largest oil terminal was created to receive oil as part of the Odessa-Brody oil pipeline. There is also a project for the construction of the Burgas-Alexandrupolis oil pipeline bypassing the Black Sea straits. Oil terminals in Novorossiysk are capable of receiving supertankers. In addition to oil and products of its processing, metals, mineral fertilizers, machinery and equipment, timber, lumber, grain, etc. are exported from the Russian and Ukrainian ports of the Black Sea. raw materials, etc. In the Black Sea basin, container transportation is widely developed, there are large container terminals. Transportation is being developed with the help of lighters; railway ferry crossings Ilyichevsk (Ukraine) - Varna (Bulgaria) and Ilyichevsk (Ukraine) - Batumi (Georgia) are operating. Maritime passenger transportation is also developed in the Black Sea (however, after the collapse of the USSR, their volume decreased significantly). The international transport corridor TRACECA (Transport Corridor Europe - Caucasus - Asia, Europe - Caucasus - Asia) passes through the Black Sea. The Black Sea ports are the end points of a number of Pan-European transport corridors. The largest port cities on the Black Sea: Novorossiysk, Sochi, Tuapse (Russia); Burgas, Varna (Bulgaria); Batumi, Sukhumi, Poti (Georgia); Constanta (Romania); Samsun, Trabzon (Turkey); Odessa, Ilyichevsk, Yuzhny, Kerch, Sevastopol, Yalta (Ukraine). On the Don River, which flows into the Sea of Azov, there is a river waterway connecting the Black Sea with the Caspian Sea (through the Volga-Don Shipping Canal and the Volga), with the Baltic Sea and the White Sea (through the Volga-Baltic Waterway and the White Sea-Baltic Canal) . The Danube River is connected to the North Sea through a system of canals. A unique deep-sea gas pipeline "Blue Stream" has been laid along the bottom of the Black Sea, connecting Russia and Turkey. The length of the underwater part of the pipeline, which runs between the village of Arkhipo-Osipovka on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus and the coast of Turkey, 60 km from the city of Samsun, is 396 km. There are plans to expand the capacity of the gas pipeline by laying an additional pipe branch.

The following types of fish are of commercial importance in the Black Sea: mullet, anchovy (hamsa), mackerel, horse mackerel, pike perch, bream, sturgeon, herring. Main fishing ports: Odessa, Kerch, Novorossiysk, etc.

In the last years of the 20th - beginning of the 21st century, fishing has significantly decreased due to overfishing and the deterioration of the ecological state of the sea. Prohibited bottom trawling and poaching are also a significant problem, especially for sturgeons. Thus, in the second half of 2005 alone, specialists from the Black Sea State Basin Administration for the Protection of Aquatic Living Resources of Ukraine (“Chernomorrybvod”) on the territory of Crimea uncovered 1,909 violations of fish protection legislation, seized 33 tons of fish caught by illegal fishing gear or in prohibited places.

Favorable climatic conditions in the Black Sea region determine its development as an important resort region. The largest resort areas on the Black Sea include: the Southern coast of Crimea (Yalta, Alushta, Sudak, Koktebel, Feodosia) in Ukraine, the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus (Anapa, Gelendzhik, Sochi) in Russia, Pitsunda, Gagra and Batumi in Georgia, Golden Sands and Sunny Beach in Bulgaria, Mamaia, Eforie in Romania.

The Black Sea coast of the Caucasus is the main resort region of the Russian Federation. In 2005 it was visited by about 9 million tourists; in 2006, according to the forecasts of officials of the Krasnodar Territory, this region should have been visited by at least 11-11.5 million tourists. There are over 1,000 boarding houses, sanatoriums and hotels on the Russian Black Sea coast, and their number is constantly growing. A natural continuation of the Russian Black Sea coast is the coast of Abkhazia, the most important resorts of which Gagra and Pitsunda were popular back in Soviet times. The development of the resort industry on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus is constrained by a relatively short (for example, compared to the Mediterranean Sea) season, environmental and transport problems, and in Abkhazia by the uncertainty of its status and the threat of a new outbreak of military conflict with Georgia.

The coast of the Black Sea and the basin of the rivers flowing into it are areas with a high anthropogenic impact, densely populated by humans since ancient times. The ecological state of the Black Sea is generally unfavorable.

Among the main factors disturbing the balance in the ecological system of the sea, the following should be singled out:

Heavy pollution of rivers flowing into the sea, especially runoff from fields containing mineral fertilizers, especially nitrates and phosphates. This entails a re-fertilization (eutrophication) of the sea waters, and, as a result, a rapid growth of phytoplankton ("sea bloom" - the intensive development of blue-green algae), a decrease in water transparency, and the death of multicellular algae.

Pollution of waters with oil and oil products (the most polluted areas are the western part of the sea, which accounts for the largest volume of tanker traffic, as well as port waters). As a result, this leads to the death of marine animals caught in oil slicks, as well as air pollution due to the evaporation of oil and oil products from the water surface.

Pollution of sea waters with human waste - discharge of untreated or insufficiently treated sewage, etc.

Mass fishing.

Prohibited, but widely used bottom trawling, destroying bottom biocenoses.

Changes in the composition, reduction in the number of individuals and mutation of the aquatic world under the influence of anthropogenic factors (including the replacement of native species of the natural world with exotic ones that appear as a result of human impact). So, for example, according to experts from the Odessa branch of YugNIRO, in just one decade (from 1976 to 1987), the population of the Black Sea bottlenose dolphin decreased from 56 thousand to seven thousand individuals.

According to a number of experts, the ecological state of the Black Sea has deteriorated over the past decade despite the decline in economic activity in a number of Black Sea countries.

President of the Crimean Academy of Sciences Viktor Tarasenko expressed the opinion that the Black Sea is the dirtiest sea in the world.

To protect the environment in the Black Sea area in 1998, the ACCOBAMS agreement (“Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Contiguous Atlantik Area”) was adopted, where one of the main issues is the protection of dolphins and whales. The main international document regulating the protection of the Black Sea is the Convention on the Protection of the Black Sea from Pollution, signed by six Black Sea countries - Bulgaria, Georgia, Russia, Romania, Turkey and Ukraine in 1992 in Bucharest (Bucharest Convention). Also in June 1994, the representatives of Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine and the European Union signed the Convention on Cooperation for the Protection and Sustainable Development of the Danube River in Sofia. As a result of these agreements, the Black Sea Commission (Istanbul) and the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (Vienna) were established. These bodies perform the function of coordinating environmental programs implemented under the conventions. Every year on October 31, the International Black Sea Day is celebrated in all countries of the Black Sea region.

Many people wonder why the Black Sea is called black? Is it really black, and what is the reason for such a name. The answer to this question can be obtained by flying over it on an airplane - from a height it really looks black, unlike the Mediterranean and other seas. But in fact, the question goes far back in history.

And the Bulgarians call it Black Sea, and the Italians - Mare Nero, and the French - Mer Noir, and the British - Black Sea, and the Germans - Schwarze Meer. Even in Turkish, "Kara-Deniz" is nothing but the "Black Sea".

Where does such unanimity in the name of this amazingly blue sea, conquering us with its radiant serenity, come from? Of course, there are days when the sea is angry, and then its face darkens to blue-violet ... But this happens rarely, and even then only in difficult winter times for it.

And in clear weather from early spring to late autumn, the Black Sea is remembered for a long time for its juicy blue, turning into light turquoise tones as you approach the coast ... "The sky wants to be beautiful, the sea wants to be - like the sky!" - V. Bryusov poetically said about this. And yet, who and when called this sea Black?

There is such a fascinating science - toponymy, which studies the origin of geographical names (toponyms). According to this science, there are at least two main versions of the origin of the name Black Sea.

Version one. It was put forward by the ancient Greek geographer and historian Strabo, who lived in the 1st century BC. In his opinion, the Greek colonists called the Black Sea, who were once unpleasantly struck here by storms, fogs, unknown wild shores inhabited by hostile Scythians and Taurians ... And they gave the stern stranger an appropriate name - Pontos Axeinos- "the sea is inhospitable", or "black". Then, having settled down on the shores, having become related to the sea of good and bright fairy tales, the Greeks began to call it Pontos Evkseinos - “the hospitable sea”. But the first name was not forgotten, like first love ...

Version two. In the 1st millennium BC, long before the arrival of Greek colonists who were careless in the language, Indian tribes lived on the eastern and northern shores of the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov - Meots, Sinds and others, who gave the name to the neighboring sea - Temarun, which literally means "black sea". This was the result of a purely visual comparison of the color of the surface of the two seas, now called the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. From the mountainous shores of the Caucasus, the latter seems darker to the observer, as can be seen even now. And if it's dark, then it's black. The Meotians on the shores of the mentioned seas were replaced by the Scythians, who fully agreed with this characterization. Black Sea. And they called him in their own way - Akhshaena, that is, "dark, black."

There are other versions. For example, one of them says that the sea was so named because after a storm black silt remains on its shores. But this is not entirely true, silt is actually not black, but gray. Although ... who knows how all this was seen in antiquity ...

In addition, there is another hypothesis of the origin of the name " Black Sea”, put forward by modern hydrologists. The fact is that any metal objects, the same anchors of ships, lowered to a certain Black Sea depth, rise to the surface blackened under the action of hydrogen sulfide located in the depths of the sea. This property must have been noticed since ancient times and, no doubt, could serve as a fixation of such a strange name for the sea.

In general, the sea is able to take on a wide variety of colors and shades. For example, in February-March, you can find that the water near the Black Sea coast is not blue, as usual, but brown. This color metamorphosis is already a biological phenomenon, and it is caused by the mass reproduction of the smallest unicellular algae. The flowering of water begins, as the people say.

There are many interesting things in the "color scale" of the Black Sea. In all other respects, amazing and entertaining - you can’t count it at all ...

Sea of fairy tales and mysteries
The Black Sea keeps!
The scent of legends is so sweet
The magic of legends is a magnet!

A sea of truths, revelations,
A sea of fiction and secrets
A sea of thousands of generations
A sea of hundreds of thousands of countries!

Dmitry Rumata “Secrets of the Black Sea”

7 FACTS ABOUT THE BLACK SEA, WHICH USED TO BE RUSSIAN
Among all the seas, the most important for us is the Black Sea. Our genetic memory is connected with it, going from those times when this sea was called “Russian” through the Soviet era, when the Black Sea remained the most “popular” and dear.

1. Hospitable / inhospitable

By the number of names, the Black Sea may well be considered a champion among the seas. More than twenty names of this reservoir are known. Due to the inconvenience of navigation, the first ancient Greek colonists called it Pont Aksinsky, which translates as “inhospitable sea”. Then, when the sea had already been mastered, the same Greeks began to call it Pontus Eusinsky, that is, “hospitable sea”. Other historical names of the Black Sea are Temarun, Cimmerian, Akhshaena, Blue, Tauride, Ocean, Surozh, Holy. In Russia, from the 10th to the 16th centuries, the Black Sea was called either the “Russian” or the “Scythian” sea. 2. Why the Black Sea is “black”

Why did the Black Sea become "black"? No one can definitely answer this question. According to one version, this name came from the color designation of parts of the world, where the North was marked in black, and the Black Sea was considered just the northern sea. According to another version, the Black Sea became so called due to the fact that any metal objects lowered to its depth turn black due to the hydrogen sulfide contained in the water.
The Black Sea is home to 2,500 species of animals. For comparison, about 9,000 species live in the Mediterranean Sea.

3. Constantly growing
In winter, the Black Sea does not freeze completely. Only in the northwestern part does a small area of the sea freeze for a short time.
The Black Sea is constantly growing. Over the course of a century, its shores expand by 20-25 centimeters. This may seem insignificant if you do not know that the Black Sea already keeps the ancient cities of Taman in its depths.
4. Knipovich glasses

If you look at the flow pattern of the Black Sea, you can see two looped whirlpools with a wavelength of 300-400 kilometers. They are shaped like glasses. In honor of the oceanologist Nikolai Knipovich, who first described the Black Sea currents, this scheme was called “Knipovich glasses”.

5. Harmless shark In the Black Sea there are sharks - katrans. They are quite small - no more than a meter in length, and do not pose a danger to bathers, because they keep to cold waters, rarely come to the shore and, in principle, are afraid of people. They can only pose a threat to fishermen. The spines on the dorsal fin are poisonous. The substance contained in the liver of katran helps to cure some forms of cancer and is part of the medicine "Katrex".
6. Dangers

In addition to almost harmless sharks, there are also quite dangerous creatures in the Black Sea. Such, for example, as the Black Sea scorpionfish. The poisonous thorns on her back can cause a lot of suffering to those who prick on them. Also, the sea dragon (poisonous spines on the dorsal fin) and the stingray can pose a threat. In the event of a collision with any of these marine life, you should immediately seek help at the emergency room and, at a minimum, take antihistamines.
7. Sea of dead depths
There are virtually no ebb and flow in the Black Sea due to the weak exchange of water with the Atlantic Ocean.

Another name for the Black Sea sounds very ominous – “the sea of dead depths”. The fact is that there is practically no life in the Black Sea deeper than 150-200 meters due to the high percentage of hydrogen sulfide contained in the deep layers of water. Over millions of years, the Black Sea has accumulated more than a billion tons of this substance, which is a product of the vital activity of bacteria. According to one version, the very appearance of the Black Sea (7500 years ago) was associated with the mass death of the freshwater inhabitants of the Black Sea Lake, which was once here. From this, reserves of hydrogen sulfide and methane began to accumulate at its bottom.

The Black Sea was not always called the Black Sea. He had several names. For example, in ancient Greece, the Black Sea was called Pontus Euxinus, which means "hospitable sea."

However, the ancient Greeks did not immediately so affectionately call the Black Sea. At first, when they first arrived on the coast, and encountered the tribes that lived here, the Black Sea became inhospitable for them...

They named it Pont Aksinsky. Legends say that the tribes of the Taurians, who then inhabited the shores of the Black Sea, were extremely ferocious: they sacrificed all alien people to their gods. But the sea cannot be responsible for those who live on it. And later, the ancient Greeks renamed the inhospitable sea into a hospitable one.

There are several more old names for the Black Sea. This is the Sugde Sea, in honor of the prosperous city of Sugdei (present-day Saadak), and the Khazar Sea, in honor of the Khazars. In the times of Ancient Russia, in the annals the Black Sea was called Russian, presumably because the prince of Kiev, who fought with the Khazars, visited its shores. The Italians, who owned some small ports on the coast in the Middle Ages, called the sea Pontus.

Where did the name Black Sea come from? There are several versions. The Scythians called the sea Teng, which is translated from the Scythian as Dark. The ancient Iranians called the Ashkhaen Sea, which also means Dark.

One of the Turkish legends says: in the Black Sea lies the sword of a god, which was thrown into the sea by a magician named Ali. The waters of the sea do not want this sword, trying to throw it out of their depths. When the sea is agitated, it becomes dark, and even black.

If you do not delve into the legends, but read the works of scientists about the origin of the name Black Sea, then there are several hypotheses. The first of them is connected with the fact that the Turks, who conquered the shores of the Black Sea for many centuries, found fierce resistance from local tribes - Circassians, Adygs and others. Therefore, they called the sea Karadengiz, i.e. inhospitable, Black.

The second hypothesis refers us to Magellan. Magellan fell into the sea on time, and in all seas the water darkens in a storm. According to the first impression, the name of the sea was fixed.

The next version is based on the fact that in the depths of the Black Sea there is a lot of hydrogen sulfide, which paints metal objects black. The ancient navigators painted their anchors, from which they gave the sea the name Black Sea.

And there are many more versions. For example, one of them ascribes this name to black algae, which turn black when they land on the shore after a storm.

The Scythians were a militant people, so the main meaning of their life was the seizure of territories, robberies of foreign lands. They were among the first to master the Caucasian mountains, making military campaigns in Central Asia. They are credited with primacy in the name of the Caucasus Mountains, which means snow-white.

Even before our era, the first settlements of the Greeks appeared on the banks of the Black. Basically, the Greeks inhabited the shores of the Crimean peninsula. The names of cities derived from Greek names have survived to this day. For example, Yalta, from the Greek word yalos, coast. Or the city of Alupka, in which there was also a Greek settlement in those days, which was called Alopex, which means fox. Evpatoria, was named by the Greeks in honor of the king of Evpator, Theodosius, translated from Greek means given by God.

In general, the Greeks left a lot of evidence of their stay on the shores of the Black Sea.
With the fall of the Roman Empire, the Greeks stopped populating the Black Sea. Gone is the Greek name. The Middle Ages came and the name Black Sea became stronger in the world.

Further, Italians settled on the Black Sea for a couple of centuries. They bought from the Tatar khans the right to colonize some areas of the coast in order to engage in slave trade and usury. The Italians renamed the cities: Feodosia to Kafu, Anapa to Mapu, etc. But their names did not take root.

Since the 15th century, the Turks have dominated the Black Sea. They inhabit all the shores of the Black Sea, both Crimean and Caucasian. Like others, the Turks took the local population prisoner, plundered the cities. All the oppression of the peoples of the Caucasus by the Turks led to the fact that they asked for protection from the Russian Tsar. Since the end of the 18th century, Russians have been fortifying themselves on the Black Sea. There were bloody wars for access to the Black Sea. But Russia was able to finally gain a foothold only after the signing of the Kuchuk-Kainarji peace treaty.

Each sea, like each person, has its own image, character, habits, and finally, history. The Black Sea has much to be proud of. over millions of years, it has repeatedly changed its appearance, married the seas and oceans, survived the most famous biblical catastrophe and came out of it even more beautiful, renewed, rich, hospitable, affectionate, wise.

The ancient Greek name for the sea is Pont Aksinsky (Greek Πόντος Aξενος, "Inhospitable Sea"). In Strabo's "Geography" (7.3.6) it is assumed that the sea received such a name because of the difficulties with navigation, as well as the wild hostile tribes inhabiting its shores. Later, after the successful development of the coast by the Greek colonists, the sea became known as Pontus Euxinus (Greek Πόντος Εuξενος, "Hospitable Sea"). However, Strabo (1.2.10) mentions that in antiquity the Black Sea was also called simply “the sea” (pontos).

Black Sea 250-40 million years ago

Tens of millions of years ago, in the region of the modern seas of the Mediterranean, Marmara, Black, Azov, Caspian and Aral, the bay of the ancient huge Tetis Sea stretched. So this sea is called by the name of the goddess of the sea, the daughter of Neptune Thetis (Tetis). The bay consisted of two parts - the western - the modern Mediterranean Sea and the eastern - the rest. The western part was salty, and the eastern part was desalinated, since many rivers flowed into it. Scary, monstrous prehistoric fish and lizards reign in its depths.

13-10 million years ago

About 13 million years ago, with the formation of the Alps, the connection between the two parts of the Tethys Sea was interrupted. In place of the eastern part of the bay, the Black Sea, together with the Caspian and Aral Seas, form the Sarmatian freshened sea. Huge mountain ranges raised their peaks from the depths of the ocean, tearing it apart - the Crimea and the Caucasus are just inconspicuous islands in the midst of raging waves. After 3 million years of evolutionary changes, its water area has significantly decreased, and salinity has increased. Each change in salinity, of course, was accompanied by a mass extinction of the inhabitants of this reservoir.

8 million years ago

The Pontic Sea formed 8 million years ago. It included the modern Black and Caspian Seas. The modern peaks of the mountains of the Caucasus and Crimea continued to be its islands. The Pontic Sea was practically fresh. More insipid than even the Caspian Sea today.

1-3 million years ago

1-3 million years ago, the fresh Black Sea embraced the salty ocean, forming the Meotic Sea, but the land continued to rise and a million years ago forever separated the Black and Caspian Seas. The Caspian Sea has remained desalinated.

18-20 thousand years ago

At this time, on the site of the Black Sea, a fresh Novoevksinskoye lake-sea arose.

Black Sea 6-8 thousand years ago

The last connection of the Black and Mediterranean Seas occurred about 8 thousand years ago and was catastrophic. The strongest earthquake split the land. The modern Bosphorus arose. Huge masses of salty Mediterranean water rushed into the Black Sea basin, causing the death of a huge number of freshwater inhabitants. So many of them died that the decomposition of the remains of their organisms in the depths of the sea, devoid of oxygen, created the initial supply of hydrogen sulfide, which continues to exist to this day. The Black Sea has become the "Sea of Dead Depths".

Historians believe that this whole cataclysm took place before the eyes of a person who lived here. Are not these events the worldwide flood? After all, as you know, Noah moored his ark to the Caucasian Mount Ararat, which then could well look like an island in a raging stream at the confluence of two seas.

The latest history of the Black Sea

Nature has taken a break now. There is only a very slow uplift of the mountains surrounding the sea - a few centimeters per century. The mountains are growing, but the sea is advancing. Moreover, it comes faster than mountains rise - 20-25 centimeters per century. It would seem a little, but the ancient cities of Taman have already disappeared at the bottom of the sea.

A Brief History of the Peoples of the Black Sea

The emerald waters of the Black Sea keep the memory of great peoples and great deeds in ancient times, the legendary Argonauts sailed the Black Sea in search of the Golden Fleece, Hercules performed feats on its shores. The Hellenes built their colonies on the Black Sea coast. The famous Hermes competitions were held here, and the wines made in local vineyards were famous even in the metropolises.

Mithridates VI Eupator is considered one of the most famous rulers of the Pontic kingdom. In 113 BC. e. Mithridates with his supporters returns to Pontus and asserts his royal power over the country. However, he managed to achieve this only after a ruthless massacre of enemies from among the Pontic nobility.

Mithridates VI Eupator began his long reign with the creation of a strong Pontic army, at the head of which he intended to make great conquests. Indeed, in a short time, the warlike king of Pontus subjugated neighboring Colchis by force of arms, turning it into a Pontic satrapy, and Lesser Armenia, Tauric Chersonesus, which was protected from the Scythian kingdom and part of the Scythian settled tribes in Tavria. Alliances were made with the free tribes of the Scythians, the Bastarnae and the Thracians.

At the beginning of 66 BC. e. command of the Roman army in the East passed to the commander Gnaeus Pompey. In the same year, near the city of Nikopol, the second battle in history took place between the Romans and the troops of King Mithridates. Pompey succeeded in occupying the heights that dominated the battlefield, and the Pontians were forced to camp below them. At night, the Roman legions suddenly attacked the sleeping Pontics and defeated them, putting the royal army to flight.

The result of the Third Mithridatic War was the transformation of Bithynia and Pontus into Roman provinces. Following this, the commander Pompey approached the Armenian capital Artaxate at the head of a Roman army of many thousands and forced King Tigran to recognize himself as a vassal of Rome and renounce all his conquests in his favor. The death of Mithridates Eupator led to a significant expansion of the possessions of Ancient Rome in Asia Minor.

After the Greeks, not only the Romans lived on the hospitable shores of the Black Sea, but also the Byzantines, Genoese, and Venetians. The remains of the architecture of ancient cities can still be admired - they are well preserved. and in the waters of the Black Sea to this day, divers find amphoras and coins.

HISTORY OF THE NAME OF THE BLACK SEA

In Ancient Russia of the X-XVI centuries, the name "Russian Sea" was found in the annals, in some sources the sea is called "Scythian".

The modern name "Black Sea" has found its corresponding reflection in most languages: Greek. Μαύρη θάλασσα, Bolg. Black Sea, cargo. შავი ზღვა, rum. Marea Neagră, English. Black Sea Tour Karadeniz, Ukrainian Chorne more and others. The earliest sources mentioning this name date back to the 13th century, but there are certain signs that it was used earlier. There are a number of hypotheses regarding the reasons for the emergence of such a name:

The Turks and other conquerors, who tried to conquer the population of the coast of the sea, met a fierce rebuff from the Circassians, Adygs and other tribes, for which they called the Karadengiz Sea - Black, inhospitable. But in Turkey there is another legend, according to which in the waters Black Sea rests the heroic sword, which was thrown there at the request of the dying wizard Ali. Because of this, the sea is worried, trying to throw out deadly weapons from its depths, and is painted black.

Another hypothesis of the origin of the name is based on the fact that metal objects (for example, anchors), lowered into the sea water deeper than 150 m for a long time, were covered with a black coating due to the action of hydrogen sulfide.