17 Янв 2012
Melek-Chesme Barrow, 1858
Melek-Chesme Barrow is another burial construction in Kerch with a well-preserved monumental crypt. As well as the Royal Barrow, it was erected in the forth century ВС. It was up to 40ft/12m high, dominating all the other neighboring mounds. It was named after the Melek-Chesme River, which meant «Angel’s Spring». The archaeologist A. Lyutsenko, the head of the Museum of Antiquities, excavated it in 1858. The crypt appeared to have been robbed. Among the finds only a small bronze bracelet with gold snakes on the ends deserved attention. After restoration this remarkable monument of ancient architecture became open to visitors in 1871, and in due course it became the Museum of Epigraphic Monuments. During the World War II, the famous Taman sarcophagus was kept next to it. And only in 1995, after more than half-a-century break, Melek-Chesme Barrow was opened for visiting again.
