Researchers from Sevastopol State University have identified a previously unknown medieval fortress near the village of Rodnoye in southwestern Crimea.
Experts have described the fortress site as an Isar – a type of Turkic and Byzantine defensive structure commonly found in Crimea and parts of the Black Sea region.
These sites served as fortified outposts of the medieval Principality of Theodoro, a Christian state that existed in the southwestern Crimea until the Ottoman conquest in the late 15th century.
The southern coast of Crimea has long been a cultural crossroads, shaped by indigenous communities, Greek colonists, Roman and Byzantine rule, Tatar conquest, and later Genoese commercial expansion. Scholars hope the discovery of the Isar will help clarify how medieval fortifications fit into this layered historical narrative.
“The site is unique,” said Sergei Bocharov, Deputy Director for Research at the Institute of History and Archaeology of Byzantium and the Black Sea Region at Sevastopol State University. “It has a distinctive system for organising defensive space and protecting the surrounding area. Most notably, it includes two towers, whereas the majority of known isars were equipped with only one.”
Excavations have determined that the fortress covers an area of roughly 0.9 hectares (2.2 acres) and is enclosed along its entire perimeter by rubble stone walls bonded with mortar.
Archaeologists have documented substantial stone foundations reaching up to 0.8 metres in height and 0.5 metres in width, with surviving sections of masonry rising between 0.2 and 0.5 metres.
Of particular interest are the foundations of two rectangular towers located on the southeastern side of the complex, which suggest a more elaborate defensive strategy than previously documented at similar sites.
Sources : Sevastopol.SU
