Ancient times Archeological digs at Mayak village near the city ascertained that the area had already been inhabited in the 17th–15th centuries BC. While many finds from Kerch can be found in the
Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg and the local museum, a large number of antique sculptures, reliefs, bronze and glassware, ceramics and jewellery were excavated in 1855–1856 during the
Crimean War by Duncan MacPherson, a surgeon from the British Army, and later donated to the
British Museum in London. Kerch as a city starts its history in the 7th century BC, when
Greek colonists from
Miletus founded a city-state named
Panticapaeum on
Mount Mithridat near the mouth of the Melek-Chesme river. Panticapaeum subdued nearby cities and by 480 BC became the capital of the
Kingdom of Bosporus. Later, during the rule of
Mithradates VI Eupator, Panticapaeum for a short period of time became the capital of the much more powerful and extensive
Kingdom of Pontus. The city was located at the intersection of trade routes between the
steppe and
Europe. This caused it to grow rapidly. The city's main exports were grain and salted fish; wine-making was also common. Panticapaeum minted its own coins. According to extant documents the Melek-Chesme river (small and shallow nowadays) was navigable in Bosporan times, and sea
galleys were able to enter the river. Much of the city's population is thought to have been ethnically
Scythian, later
Sarmatian, as implied by the large
Royal Kurgan at
Kul-Oba. In the 1st century AD, Panticapaeum and the Kingdom of Bosphorus suffered from
Ostrogoth raids; then the city was devastated by the
Huns in AD 375. The settlement of
Myrmekion was founded by
Ionians in the eastern part of what is now Kerch, some four kilometers north-east of ancient
Panticapaeum, in the first half of the 6th century BC.
Middle Ages From the 6th century the city was under the control of the
Byzantine Empire. By order of Emperor
Justinian I, a citadel named Bospor was built there. Bospor was the centre of a
bishopric, the
diocese of Bosporus and developed under the influence of Greek
Christianity. In 576, it withstood a siege by the
Göktürks under Bokhan, aided by Anagai, the last
khan (ruler) of the
Uturgurs (tribe of
Huns). In the 7th century, the
Turkic Khazars took control of Bospor, and the city was named
Karcha from Turkic "karşı" meaning 'opposite, facing.' The main local government official during Khazar times was the
tudun. During Khazar rule, Kerch was used as a major port for the
Khazar slave trade, through which slaves were exported to the
Black Sea slave trade. Christianity was a major religion in Kerch during the period of Khazar rule. Kerch's Church of
St. John the Baptist was founded in 717; thus, it is the oldest church in Ukraine. The Church of the Apostles existed during the late 8th and early 9th centuries, according to the
Life of the Apostle Andrew by
Epiphanius of Salamis. Following the fall of Khazaria to
Kievan Rus' in the late 10th century, Kerch became the centre of a Khazar
successor-state. Its ruler,
Georgius Tzul, was deposed by a
Byzantine-
Rus expedition in 1016. From the 10th century, the city was a
Slavic settlement named Korchev, which belonged to the
Tmutarakan principality. Kerch was a center of trade between Russia',
Crimea,
Caucasus and the
Orient. In the 13th century, Crimea including Korchev was invaded by
Mongols. After the Mongols, the city became the
Genoese colony of Cerco (Cherkio) in 1318 and served as a sea harbour, where townspeople worked at salt works and fishery. In 1475, the city was passed to the
Ottoman Empire. During the Turkish rule Kerch fell into decay and served as a
slave-market. It repeatedly suffered from raids of
Zaporizhian Cossacks.
18th–20th centuries , 1839 In response to the strengthening of
Russian military forces in
Azov area, the Turks built a fortress, named
Yenikale, near Kerch on the shore of
Kerch Strait. The fortress was completed by 1706. In 1771 the
Imperial Russian Army invaded
Crimea and approached Yenikale. The Turks decided to abandon the fortress, though reinforcements from the Ottoman Empire had arrived a few days earlier. By the Peace
Treaty of Kuchuk-Kainarji in 1774, Kerch and Yenikale were ceded to Russia. As a result, the Turkish heritage has been almost completely wiped out. In 1790 Russian naval forces under the command of admiral
Fyodor Ushakov defeated the Turkish fleet at the
Battle of Kerch Strait. Because of its location, from 1821 Kerch developed into an important trade and fishing port. The state museum of ancient times and a number of educational institutions were opened in the city. The ironwork factory was built in 1846 based on a huge
iron ore deposit found on Kerch Peninsula. During the
Crimean War the city was devastated by
British forces in 1855. In the late 19th century, mechanical and
cement factories were built, and tinned food and
tobacco factories were established. By 1900, Kerch was connected to a railroad system, and the fairway of Kerch Strait was deepened and widened. At this time, the population had reached 33,000. After suffering a decline during the
First World War and the
Russian Civil War, the city resumed its growth in the late 1920s, with the expansion of various industries, iron ore, and metallurgy in particular, and by 1939 its population had reached 104,500.
Kerch in World War II On the
Eastern Front of World War II from 1941 to 1945, Kerch was the site of heavy fighting between
Red Army and
Axis forces. After fierce fighting, the city was taken by the
Germans in November 1941. On 31 December 1941, the
302nd Mountain Rifle Division recaptured the city following a naval landing operation at Kamysh Burun, to the south of the city, five days earlier. In 1942 the Germans occupied the city again. The Red Army lost over 160,000 men, either killed or taken
POW at the
Battle of the Kerch Peninsula. On 31 October 1943 another Soviet naval landing operation was launched. Kerch returned to Soviet control on 11 April 1944. The German invaders killed about 15,000 citizens and deported another 14,000 during their occupation. Evidence of German atrocities in Kerch was presented in the
Nuremberg trials. After the war, the city was awarded the title
Hero City. The
Adzhimushkay catacombs in the city's suburbs were the site of
guerrilla warfare against the occupation. Thousands of soldiers and refugees found shelter inside and were involved in counterattacks. Many of them died underground, including those who died of numerous alleged poison gas attacks. Later, a memorial was established on the site.
Kerch in the Soviet Union Kerch in Independent Ukraine On 11 November 2007, a powerful storm passed through the city, causing much damage and an ecological disaster as a few ships, including an oil tanker, were shipwrecked and blocked the
Kerch Strait.
Russian occupation As with the other parts of Crimea, Kerch is occupied by Russian forces following the
Russian occupation of Crimea in 2014. On 17 October 2018,
a student killed 20 people and himself at
Kerch Polytechnic College. ==Geography==