The "Chersonesus Tauricus" of Antiquity, shown on a map printed in London, ca 1770

Taurica (Greek: Ταυρις, Ταυριδα, Latin: Taurica) also known as Tauris, Taurida, Tauric Chersonese, and Chersonesus Taurica was the name of Crimea in Antiquity. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1254x760, 218 KB) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1254x760, 218 KB) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... It has been suggested that Greco-Roman be merged into this article or section. ... London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England and is the most populous city in the European Union. ... 1770 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Latin was the language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... Motto: Процветание в единстве - Prosperity in unity Anthem: Нивы и горы твои волшебны, Родина - Your fields amd mounts are wonderful, Motherland Capital Simferopol Largest cities Simferopol, Eupatoria, Kerch, Theodosia, Yalta Official language Ukrainian. ... It has been suggested that Greco-Roman be merged into this article or section. ...

Etymology of the name

The Greeks named the region after its inhabitants, the Tauri. As the Tauri inhabited only mountainous regions of southern Crimea at first the name Tauris was used only to this southern part, but later it was extended to name the whole peninsula. Sometimes Taurica is referred to as Tauric Chersonese or Chersonesus Taurica. This name is Greek for the "Tauric peninsula" (Chersonese literally means "peninsula"). This variant of the name should not be confused with the city of Chersonesos. In the science fiction television show Stargate SG-1, the Tauri or People of the Tauri (sometimes apostrophized as Tauri) are humans from Earth. ... Tauric Chersonesos (Greek Χερσονασος, also Chersones, Khersones, Korsun, Russian and Ukrainian: ) was a site of Greek settlements founded approximately 2500 years ago in the southwestern part of the Crimean (Taurian) Peninsula. ...

Greek legends about Tauris

According to Greek legends, Tauris is the place to which Iphigeneia was sent after Artemis rescued her from the human sacrifice her father was about to perform. The goddess swept the young princess off to Tauris where she became a priestess at the Temple of Artemis. Here, she was forced by the Taurian king Thoas to perform human sacrifices on any foreigners who came ashore. See the plot of Iphigeneia in Tauris for more details. The sacrifice of Iphigenia by the Illioupersis Painter Iphigeneia (, also Iphigenia and sometimes Iphianassa) was a daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra in Greek mythology. ... The Artemis of Versailles, a Roman copy of a Hellenistic marble sculpture, now at the Louvre Museum. ... The so-called Mask of Agamemnon. Discovered by Heinrich Schliemann in 1876 at Mycenae. ... The site of the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus in Turkey: Some stacked remnants recreate columns, but nothing remains of the original temple The Temple of Artemis (Greek: Artemision; Latin: Artemisium) was a Greek temple dedicated to Artemis completed around 550 BC at Ephesus (in present-day Turkey) under the... Iphigeneia in Tauris (in Greek: ) is a drama by the playwright Euripides, written sometime between 414 BC and 412 BC. It bears much in common with another of Euripides plays, Helen, and is often described as a romance, a melodrama, or an escape play. ...

Chronology

Taurica was inhabited by a variety of peoples. The inland regions were inhabited by Scythians and the mountainous south coast by the Tauri, an offshoot of the Cimmerians. Greek settlers inhabited a number of colonies along the coast of the peninsula, notably the city of Chersonesos near modern Sevastopol. Scythia was an area in Eurasia inhabited in ancient times by an Indo-Aryans known as the Scythians. ... The Cimmerians (Greek Κιμμέριοι, Kimmerioi) were ancient equestrian nomads who, according to Herodotus, originally inhabited the region north of the Caucasus and the Black Sea, in what is now Russia and Ukraine, in the 8th and 7th century BC. Assyrian records, however, first place them in the region of Azerbaijan in... Tauric Chersonesos (Greek Χερσονασος, also Chersones, Khersones, Korsun, Russian and Ukrainian: ) was a site of Greek settlements founded approximately 2500 years ago in the southwestern part of the Crimean (Taurian) Peninsula. ... Sevastopol (Russian and Ukrainian: Севастополь; Crimean Tatar: ), formerly known as Sebastopol, is a port city in Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of Crimean peninsula. ...

In the 2nd century BC eastern part of Taurica became part of the Bosporan Kingdom, before being incorporated into the Roman Empire in the 1st century BC. (3rd century BC - 2nd century BC - 1st century BC - other centuries) (2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC - 1st millennium AD) // Events 175 BCE - Antiochus IV Epiphanes, took possession of the Syrian throne, at the murder of his brother Seleucus IV Philopator, which rightly belonged to his nephew Demetrius I Soter. ... The Bosporan Kingdom, which was located on the Crimea peninsula, existed in the time of the Roman Empire. ... For other senses of this name, see Roman Empire (disambiguation). ... (2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC - 1st millennium) The 1st century BC started on January 1, 100 BC and ended on December 31, 1 BC. An alternative name for this century is the last century BC. The AD/BC notation does not use a year zero. ...

The land of Tauris and its rumored customs of killing Greeks are also described by Herodotus in his histories, Book IV, 99-100 and 103. Bust of Herodotus at Naples Herodotus of Halicarnassus (Greek: , Herodotos) was a historian who lived in the 5th century BC (484 BC-ca. ... The Histories of Herodotus by Herodotus is considered the first work of history in Western literature. ...

See History of Crimea for more details.

Modern name

Taurica was eventually renamed by the Crimean Tatars, from whose language the Crimea's modern name derives. The word "Crimea" comes from the Crimean Tatar name Qırım, via Greek Krimeia (Κριμαια). The Crimean Tatars (Qırımtatar (aka Qırım, Qırımlı and Qırım türkü), Pl. ...

See Name of Crimea for more details.

Russian governorate

After the annexation of Crimea in 1783 Russian authorities made an attempt to revive the ancient name, and former lands of the Crimean Khanate were organized into Taurida Governorate. But this name was used only in the official documents and "Crimea" remained a common name for the country. 1783 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

Following the 1917 October Revolution, Taurida governatory was reformed as the Taurida Soviet Socialist Republic (Russian: Советская Социалистическая Республика Тавриды - Sovetskaya Sotsialisticheskaya Respublika Tavridy) briefly in early 1918 before being overrun by the World War I Central Powers. After the reassertion of Soviet control in 1921, the governatory was divided between the peninsular Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic under the Russian SFSR and the mainland portions which accrued to the Ukrainian SSR. 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ... The October Revolution, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution or November Revolution, was the second phase of the Russian Revolution of 1917, the first having been instigated by the events around the February Revolution. ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... Combatants Allies: Serbia, Russia, France, Romania, Belgium, British Empire, United States, Italy, and others Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, Ottoman Empire Casualties Military dead: 5 million Civilian deaths: 3 million Total of dead: 8 million Military dead: 4 million Civilian deaths: 3 million Total dead: 7 million The First... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Triple Alliance. ... State motto (Russian): Пролетарии всех стран, соединяйтесь! (Transliterated: Proletarii vsekh stran, soedinyaytes!) (Translated: Workers of the world, unite!) Capital Moscow Official language None; Russian (de facto) Government Federation of Soviet republics Area  - Total  - % water 1st before collapse 22,402,200 km² Approx. ... 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (Крымская Автономная Советская Социалистическая Республика) (October 18, 1921—June 30, 1945) was created as part of RSFSR within the Crimean Peninsula, its capital being Simferopol. ... State motto: Пролетарии всех стран, соединяйтесь! (Workers of the world, unite!) Official language None (Russian in practice) Capital Moscow (last) Chairman of the Supreme Council Boris Yeltsin Established In the USSR:  - Since  - Until November 7, 1917 December 30, 1922 December 12, 1991 Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 1st in former Soviet Union 17,075,200... State motto: Пролетарі всіх країн, єднайтеся! Official language None. ...

See Taurida Governorate for more details.

Modern use of the name

Since 1921 the name Taurida has no official status in Crimea and is used almost only in histocical context. However some institutions of the republic still use it, e.g. Taurida National University (the main university in Crimea).