The Archaeological Museum Gorgippia is located in the city center, on the Anapa Embankment. It was created at the site of the excavations of the ancient city of Gorgippia, founded by the ancient Greeks in the 4th century BC. Here you can see the foundations of ancient buildings, as well as see a collection of artifacts in museum buildings.
The city of Gorgippia was founded by Greek colonists in the 4th century BC. At this time, the kings of the city of Panticapaeum (modern Kerch) united other Greek polises under their rule and created the Bosporus Kingdom on the territory of the Kerch and Taman peninsulas. Gorgippia became one of the largest cities of the Bosporus Kingdom on the Taman Peninsula.
The city of Gorgippia got its name after Gorgipp, the brother of the Bosporus king Leucon I. He was the viceroy of the king in these parts. During the heyday (1-2 centuries AD), the territory of the city of Gorgippia reached 40 hectares, but archaeological excavations in the center of Anapa were carried out only on the territory of 2 hectares. Now this place is the center of the Gorgippia Museum. It is impossible to carry out excavations in other places, since the urban development of modern Anapa was formed there.
The city of Gorgippia was destroyed in 240 AD during the invasion of barbarian tribes. The ruins of the city have been preserved much better than the ancient Chersonese in Sevastopol or Panticapaeum in Kerch. The excavations of Gorgippia were carried out at the end of the 19th century by the archaeologist Nikolay Veselovsky. In total, about 60 houses built in different eras have been excavated. Veselovsky was one of the most famous archaeologists of Russia in the 19th century. His cottage, which has become a museum, is still preserved in Anapa.
The first museum in Anapa, which housed the finds of the archaeologist Veselovsky, appeared in 1909. In the courtyard of the museum you can see several sarcophagi and tombstones found during the excavations of Gorgippia. There are also decorative elements of houses that allow you to restore the appearance of the buildings of the city of Gorgippia.
Of great interest is the exposition inside the Gorgippia Museum building. It is built in the form of a large hall. In the center of the museum you can see the most valuable exhibits, including gold jewelry of the ancient period. Along the walls there are ceramic and stone products, jewelry, weapons, household items. On the maps you can see how the Bosporus Kingdom developed in the ancient era.
