(Source: https://черноморие.рф/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/gorgippia_1.jpg)

There was an ancient city in the place of modern Anapa in the 6th century BC. It was called Sindin harbor, and later received the name Gorgippia in honor of the governor of the Bosporus king Gorgippa. This museum is the only open-air excavation museum in Russia. Here, excavations of quarters of the ancient city stretch for several kilometers. Its roadway is paved with slabs.

In terms of infrastructure, Gorgippia was a developed city. For example, there were systems of drains and water pipes. Garbage was washed into the sea and did not spoil the atmosphere. On the first floors of the houses there were trading shops and workshops. One of the important ways of earning from the locals was winemaking.

All these interesting stories can be found on the spot - guides tell in detail about the museum exhibits found in Gorgippia. This museum is also very interesting because you don’t have any artifacts hidden behind glass, but they clearly show how people lived in Anapa several thousand years ago.

Address: 353440, Krasnodar Territory, Anapa, Naberezhnaya st., 4.  Phone: (86133) 5-69-37.  Opening hours: from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., except Monday. You can visit the museum reserve on your own and with a guided tour.



Department of Archeology:

A single ticket for visiting 5 stationary exhibitions - 350 rubles; for students, pensioners, schoolchildren - 200 rubles; disabled people of I, II groups, large families, participants in the liquidation of the consequences of radiation accidents - 100 rubles; participants of the Second World War, orphans, preschool children with 4 years, soldiers of military service, children with disabilities - 50 rubles; Heroes of the Russian Federation, the Soviet Union, full cavaliers of the Order of Glory - 0 rubles.

A tour of the Gorgippia Museum-Reserve and the Gorgippia Antique City Hall lasts 1.5 hours and is held three times a day - 11:00, 15:00, 17:00. The cost for adults is 280 rubles, for pensioners - 160 rubles, for disabled people of I, II groups, large families, participants in the liquidation of the consequences of radiation accidents - 120 rubles, for participants of the Second World War, orphans, preschool children from 4 years old, soldiers of military service, children - for disabled people - 100 rubles.



Department of Local Lore:

A single ticket for visiting 4 stationary exhibitions of the local history department: - 250 rubles, students, pensioners, schoolchildren - 160 rubles, disabled people of I, II groups, large families, participants in the liquidation of the consequences of radiation accidents - 80 rubles, participants of the Second World War, orphans , to preschool children from 4 years old, soldiers of military service, children with disabilities - 40 rubles., Heroes of the Russian Federation, the Soviet Union, full holders of the Order of Glory - 0 rubles.

Excursions in the local history department are held at 11:00 and at 15:00. Duration: 1.5 hours. The cost for adults is 330 rubles, for pensioners - 240 rubles, for disabled people of I, II groups, large families, participants in the liquidation of the consequences of radiation accidents - 160 rubles, for participants of the Second World War, orphans, preschool children from 4 years old, soldiers of military service, children - for disabled people - 120 rubles.|

Objects of interest in the museum-reserve

Gorgippia is an object of cultural heritage of the peoples of the Russian Federation. Its history began in 1909, when an archaeological exhibition was opened. The first thing you should definitely see in the Gorgippia Museum in Anapa is the excavation of the ancient city with an area of about 2 hectares. You can get acquainted with the life of the people by visiting the indoor museum of the Gorgippia reserve.



Open air exhibition

Here you can see fragments of columns, carved cladding of the temple, the foundations of residential buildings, cellars, wells, paved streets, parts of the fortress wall, wineries, and granaries.

Walking through the excavations, one can imagine the life in Gorgippia: artisans worked in their workshops, wineries supplied residents with a noble drink, people stocked up grain, did household chores, raised children and worked, and on special days went to churches: Doric, Ionian, and Corinthian. This is the part of the city that was discovered during excavations and has been well preserved for several millennia.

Indoor exhibition

Indoors, you can see the utensils of ancient residents found on the territory of the former Gorgippia and not far from Anapa. Among the exhibits you can find coins, ceramic and clay dishes, terracotta figurines, bronze and stone sculptures, weapons, paintings, jewelry, various household items, tools for farming and much more.

During the XX century, the museum experienced difficult times during hostilities twice. The following exhibitions are devoted to these and other historical events: “The History of the Anapa Resort”, “Anapa in the Russian-Turkish Wars”, “Anapa during the Great Patriotic War”, “Viticulture and Winemaking”.

Crypt of Hercules

A unique building of antiquity is the crypt of Hercules. It was discovered 800 meters from the museum when constructing a residential building in 1975. The rocky soil has preserved the heritage of the past: the walls of the structure are painted in the style of “12 exploits of Hercules,” the drawings reflect scenes from the life of the hero. Scientists have established the age of the crypt - III century BC.

A rectangular well was the entrance to this structure, and the ceiling is located at a depth of 68 centimeters from the surface. The crypt is divided into a burial chamber and a room, and between them there is a stone double door with a thickness of about 20 cm. The height of the chamber is 3.4 meters. Inside, it is decorated with frescoes: they tell about the struggle of Hercules with the Lernean hydra, with a lion, about the taming of the Cretan bull, etc. In the room there are three empty sarcophagi with raised lids that were ravaged in antiquity. Currently, the frescoes are partially restored and presented in the indoor museum, and the sarcophagi themselves are located on the open part of the territory of the Gorgippia Archaeological Museum.

Collection of the Archaeological Museum "Gorgippia" Anapa

The state archaeological museum-reserve holds 54,000 objects, including 14540 archaeological, and 11085  numismatics. The most interesting objects from an archaeological and scientific point of view are: a plate with an inscription in the ancient Greek language, a red lagoon (a vessel made of ceramics of the 1st century A.D.), a figurine-lamp (a terracotta figurine of the 2nd — 1st centuries BC), a ceramic vessel of Hydria (III century BC), a figured vessel made of ceramics in the form of the head of Dionysus (I century AD).