Pages: 771-789

In 1999―2008, the joint expedition of “Tauric Chersonesos” National Reserve and by “V. N. Karazin” National University in Kharkiv investigated the area of the consul’s residence (castle) of the Genoese fortress Cembalo (14th—15th centuries) in Balaklava was located. Excavations on the so-called “consul’s church” found on the territory of the consul’s residence discovered that the church was used by inhabitants as a burial vault. Excavations of tower no.8 and in the adjacent area give some reasons to believe that the tower was part of the fortress’s defensive structures. While digging on site B situated near tower no. 8 we found chamber 3 (constructed in late 15th—16th centuries). The walls of chamber 3 were made of stone shells of predominantly spherical shape. This ‘arsenal’ included 208 shells that weighed 20―104 kg each, which were meant to be used by trebuchet machines against enemy ships. A special platform for trebuchet was constructed on consul’s residence territory. During the excavations of 2007―2008, remains of iron lamellar armor were discovered on the platform. Some peculiarities and circumstances of the find allow us to suppose that the discovered details were fragments of a brigandine, an armor widely spread in the 14th—15th centuries. The armor could belong to an arbalester of the local garrison. So, the Consul’s Castle was the residence of some Genoese official and an important element of the defensive system of the fortress Cembalo.

Keywords: Genoese Gazaria, Cembalo, consul’s residence, consul’s church, burials, tower, shells, trebushet, brigandine

Information about author:

Serhiy Dyachkov. Candidate of Historical Sciences. V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University. Svobody Sq., 4, Kharkiv, 61022, Ukraine.
E-mail: [email protected]