Ancient settlement 'Hermonassa–Tmutarakan' (Taman Museum Complex)

About museum

One of the unique monuments of antiquity is located in the south of Russia — the settlement of Hermonassa–Tmutarakan. Over the past 25 centuries life here has never ceased, as reflected in cultural deposits up to 14 metres deep. To reconstruct the history of this place, scholars have used archaeological research and written sources by ancient authors, including Herodotus, Strabo and Pliny the Elder. Taman passed through the phases/names of Germanic Hermonassa, Khazar Matluku‑Tamatarhu, Old Rus' Tmutarakan, Polovtsian Matarhu, Tatar Matrika and Genoese Matrega. In the 18th century these lands were returned to Russia after the victory in the First Russo‑Turkish War. In 1792 Zaporizhian Cossacks settled here and left an enduring mark on Taman's history.