Crimea… Kimmerians, Tavrs, Greeks, Byzantinians, Khazars, Turk-Seljuks, Mongol-Tatars, Slavs (Ukrainians and Russians)…
Not so many old toponyms have left till now from all this local ethnoses that inhabited Crimea in different periods of time. Hitherto quite widespread are Crimean Tatar’s toponyms, while Greek’s ones are uncommon.
In 5 km to the west from Sudak (other historically known names – Soldajya, Sugdeya, Surozh) Sudak-Limen is located. This name means “Sudak’s bay” in translation from Greek language, which was state language of Byzantium (ancient Greek city, which became Constantinople and later Istanbul) and all Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman Empire in 330-1453) - medieval hehemon of Black Sea territories. On this territory settlement Noviy Svit is situated now. Boundaries of Sudak-Limen on the east lie along the spur Kush-Kaya (mountain Sokol), and on the west – along mountain Koba-Kaya (Orel). Mountains and sea were fantastically combined within the bay. However, it is known not only due to its unic natural, but also important historic sites.
In 2003 expedition of Center of Underwater Archaeology of Kiev National Taras Shevchnko University and Science Commitee of Ukrainian Federation of Underwater Sport and Underwater Activity continued the investigstion of XIII century ship-wreck remains, which are closely connected to medieval history of Sudak.
The expedition was held under the direction of Sergiy Zelenko. Scubadivers from Center of Underwater Archaeology, Taras Shevchenko University, clubs “Azhio” and “Skif”, from cities Dnepropetrovsk, Donetsk, Simferopol taked part in it.
Underwater archaeologists conduct regular excavations of unic site of medieval navigation’s history. Piphoses, amphoras, table and kitchen crockery, glass wares, “polivnaya” ceramics were found on the area of excavations in the year 2003.
Second place in quantity of findings after amphrae takes “polivnaya” ceramics, which is represented by next categories:
1. Ceramics made from light clay with brown and green paintings. From all findings of 2003 deep bowl, some fragments of opened-form vessels and frament of closed-form vessel can be attributed to this category. Painting on this kind of ceramics is mostly zoomorphic, rarely - plants. The images were drawn by broad brush. Contours and main elements of images were colored with brown paint with lightgreen spots.
2. Vessels of so called “Anatolian” (or “seljuc’s”) group were made out of red clay. They have opened forms; in ornamentation three techics were used – “sgraffito”, “rezerv” and inventory (or fresco) white “angobs”. Two vessels with complete profile (deep basin and plate), fragments of other six vessels can be attributed to this category.
3. Zeuxippus ware and Roulette ware (Spirale Cerchio category) is formed by opened-form vessels made out of red clay. They are decorated by monochrome “poliva” and ornaments “sgraffito” that form concentric circles, waves and spirals. Vessels of this group were the most numerous among the findings. They included dishes, basins, plates, deep bowls and goblets.
4. Ceramics with inventory (or fresco) white “angobs”. Here we have table closed-form vessels and fragment of bottom basin. The surface of the vassels is decorated by vertical stripes of white “angob”. “Poliva” is monochrome yellow-brown or green.
5. Ceramics with “sgraffito” ornamentation under the monochrome poliva. Several fragments of upper parts of body and flap (or skits) of opened-form vessels, along with one basin with complete profile, were found. In the most cases glaze is in the upper part green on the outside and yellow-brown inside. Another variant is monochrome green glaze inside the vessel and outside of its edges.
6. Ceramics with “sgraffito” ornamentation, lighting with green and brown pigments.
Two basins with horizontal borders can also be attributed to ship’s cargo. Fish with rounded body, small tail, and three pairs of prodruding fins is depicted inside of one of them.
Besides that, a lot of table and kitchen crockery without ornamentation was found during the excavations of 2003.
“Polivnaya” wares are assumpted to be imported out of several regions. They are environs of Constantinople, Salonika, northen Anatolia – region of Amassia (for “Anatolian” group). The most nomerous vessels of Roulette ware group, according to French scientist Yona Vaksman, are imported from Venice. The futher research obviously will allow to define more precisely regions of ceramics origin, thus, to determine the ship’s route and to narrow chronology of aforenamed types of ceramics.
 

                                                                                         Translated by Yuliya Yushkova