UNESCO includes the ancient city of Chersonesos in Crimea on its list of world heritage in danger

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has included the ancient city of Chersonesos, in Crimea, on its list of world heritage sites in danger, as announced by the Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Ministry, which blames Russia for the risk to this former Greek colony.

“We welcome this decision. The site, located in Ukrainian Crimea that is temporarily occupied by Russia, is under constant threat and is being damaged and destroyed by the Russian occupation authorities,” the Foreign Ministry denounced in a brief note.

For the Ukrainian authorities, this decision alerts the international community to the need to “strengthen cooperation to prevent the illicit trafficking of cultural property from temporarily occupied Crimea.”

The ancient city of Tauric Chersonesos and its chôra, now located on the outskirts of Sevastopol, has been part of the UNESCO world heritage list since June 2013 as it is an example of how the daily life of the Greek agricultural colonies was organized between the 5th century BC and the 14th century AD

Tauric is the term used by the ancient Greeks and Romans to refer to the Crimean peninsula and refers to the Taurus, the people who lived there; while the chôra refer to the crops and agricultural territory that surrounded the city.