The land on which Yalta situated was inhabited by the man long ago. Today’s Yalta developed on the place of the Tauri settlement, which was near the former village of Chehovo in I century A.D. Not far from the town archaeologists found things referring to the Stone and Bronze Ages. In the old part of Yalta, on the slope of Polikurovsky Hill and in suburbs of the town there were found the “stone boxes” – burial grounds of the Tauri, ancient inhabitants of the southern coast. The Tauri lived in the Crimea within the period from the X-IX centuries B.C. to the III century A.D. In the scripts of the Greek authors this tribe has bad reputation of cruel pirates, who not only rob travellers, but sacrifice them for their goddess Virgo. But it goes without saying that for the Tauri the piracy wasn’t the basis of economy, it was only an “extra trade”. They supported life by livestock farming, arable farming, hunting, fishing, dolphin hunting, and gathering sea molluscs.
No doubt, the history the Tauri of a settlement, where Yalta was founded, is connected with the history of the Crimea. Things of the medieval Crimea period are often found during construction work in the town itself. In the Middle Ages here was a large settlement called Dzhalita (Jalita). Yalta (Jalita) can be found in the description of the Crimea coast in the beginning of ХII century (1145). In XIII century Venetians, and then Genoeses penetrated in to the southern coast. In the documents and on maps of the ХIV century Yalta is named Yalita, Calita, Gialita and Etalita.
From the beginning of the XV century Yalta together with others lands of the southern coast was included in the feudal princedom of Feodoro, inhabited by people of the Сhristian religion. Then it belonged to Genoeses, and later again to Feodoro up to 1475.
From 1475 to 1774 Yalta was included in the province owned by the Turkish sultan. During this period it declined and by the end of the XVIII century it became a small fish village – a number of miserable hovels and church. It was situated in the lower part of Polikurovsky Hill, on Cape Svyatogo Ioanna (of St. John) – here now the marine passenger terminal is situated..
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