The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has decided to incorporate the historic city of Chersonesus, located in the Crimean peninsula, into its list of world heritage in danger. This has been made public by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, which holds Russia responsible for the deterioration faced by this ancient colony of Greek origin.
"We celebrate this decision with satisfaction. The site, located in the Ukrainian Crimea that is temporarily occupied by Russia, is under constant threat and is being damaged and destroyed by the Russian occupying authorities," the Foreign Ministry denounced in a brief note.
According to Ukrainian authorities, the measure adopted by UNESCO serves to warn the international community about the urgency of "strengthening cooperation to prevent the illicit trafficking of cultural goods from the temporarily occupied Crimea." They consider that the archaeological enclave is particularly exposed to looting and irreversible damage.
The ancient city of Chersonesus Taurica and its chôra, near Sevastopol, has been listed in the UNESCO world heritage catalog since June 2013, being a representative example of the organization of daily life in Greek agricultural colonies between the 5th century BC and the 14th century AD.
The term Taurica was used by Greeks and Romans to designate the Crimean peninsula and refers to the Taurians, the peoples who inhabited it in antiquity. For their part, the chôra describe the farmland and agricultural surroundings that extended around the urban core of the city.