The royal mound is a monument of burial architecture of the 4th century BC, the tomb of one of the members of the Spartokid dynasty, who ruled the Bosporus kingdom in 438-109 BC.
Instructions
Step 1
The Tsarsky Kurgan is located five kilometers from Kerch on the northern outskirts of the city near the village of Adzhimushkay. In the belly of an 18-meter hill with a circumference of about 250 meters, an amazing tomb is hidden, which is a real masterpiece of ancient architecture, which has no analogues either in Greece or in the whole world. An amazing and, without exaggeration, a mystical place, a visit to which leaves amazement and awe in the soul. When you look at this stately structure before entering, you feel as if the earth has opened in front of you from the top of the bulk dome to its foot. There is no doubt that the earth in this mysterious place opened its soul so that a person could see its secret.
Step 2
The architecture on the Tsarskoe Kurgan is unique. These are limestone blocks stacked on top of each other, and without the use of any binding bonding mortar, they simply adhere tightly to each other. This implies very careful handling of the limestone blocks and adjustments before laying. There is a corridor - dromos with a length of 36 meters. The dromos is built in an unusual way, creating a kind of illusion: if you look towards the burial chamber, then the entrance to it seems to be closer, and if you are near it and look at the street, it seems that the exit is very far away. This effect was achieved due to the uneven width of the corridor walls, and it was achieved during construction. After all, it was believed that the soul of the buried person would enter here easily, but in order to get out, it would have to follow a more difficult path.
On the masonry, in some places, you can distinguish carved inscriptions and images. The burial chamber has an almost square shape - 4, 29 by 4, 39 meters, its height is about 9 meters. The walls of the tomb, as well as of the corridor, are made of stone blocks, they hide the second reason for the uniqueness of the Tsar's burial mound: gradually the square walls turn into a round vaulted dome, consisting of 12 levels - this is also an unusual architectural device uncharacteristic of ancient tombs of that time. The Greek architect believed that the soul of the buried person, when lifted up, will be purified with each narrowing, and then, already completely refined, will be able to seep through the wall into eternity.
Step 3
The researchers who discovered the tomb were not upset not to find treasures in it - this place itself is of great value. It was found that it was intended for the burial of one of the Bosporan kings - Leukon I, in which the kingdom flourished. The royal mound was built in the 4th century BC and was plundered in ancient times. Only a wooden sarcophagus and fragments of pottery have survived to us. Now the Tsarsky Kurgan - an architectural monument is one of the most visited places in Kerch and not only among tourists. Many believe in the unsolved mystical possibilities of this place and come here to take with them a piece of ancient wisdom.
