What is the Black Sea called? Why is the Black Sea called the Black Sea? Various names in history

Everyone knows that there are 4 seas on the planet, the names of which are colors. This is Black, Yellow, Red, White. Today we will talk about Cherny - this mysterious and unique reservoir with an interesting history.

The waters of the Black Sea are filled with numerous secrets. Many millennia ago, it was one with the Caspian, until the earth separated them. The Caspian continued to be fresh, and the Black repeatedly merged with the Mediterranean and became increasingly saline. The composition of the reservoir changed, certain types of flora and fauna disappeared, others, on the contrary, appeared.

Why is the Black Sea called the Black Sea? This question still worries many today. The article will be devoted to the answer to it.

Brief historical background

Many centuries ago, the Black Sea was part of the ocean called Tethys. After the formation of the mountain ranges, the Tethys split. On the site of the Black Sea was the Sarmatian Sea-Lake. It was inhabited freshwater representatives whose remains are found to this day.

Later, as a result of the emerging connection with the ocean, the Meotic Sea was formed, which was saline. Other inhabitants settled in it, preferring a similar composition of water.

18-20 millennia ago Novoevksinskoye Lake was located on the territory of Chernoy, which later merged with the Mediterranean. Waves poured into the Black Sea in a powerful stream, flooding the coast. Possible cause Scientists call this event an earthquake. Sometimes the event is compared to the Biblical flood.

As a result of the salt flow, the freshwater inhabitants died and thus created a huge resource of hydrogen sulfide that exists to this day. Therefore, the reservoir is considered " sea of the dead depths."

Undoubtedly, the history of the formation of this reservoir is interesting. But no less informative is why the Black Sea was called the Black Sea?

Various names in history

It is known that over the centuries the reservoir has changed many names. In the VI-V centuries BC. e. it was called Pont Aksinsky. Also, the sea bore the names: Temarun, Scythian, Tauride, Surozh, Holy.

It was called Surozh because of the city of Sugdei, which stood on the site of modern Sudak. The Khazar sea was called because of the people who lived on these shores.

At the beginning of our era, the sea was called Scythian, although the Scythians called it Tana, which translates as black.

Scientists put forward various hypotheses why the Black Sea was called the Black Sea. Let's consider each of them.

Scholarly Strabo's version

The historian Strabo in the 1st century concluded that the name of the sea was given by the Greeks, struck by storms, fogs and wild barbarians who lived here. It seemed inhospitable to them, and they called it black (Pontos Axeinos).

Later, having lived on these shores, the Greeks changed their minds and began to call the sea "hospitable" - Pontos Evkseinos. But the original name has not been erased from the memory of people. That is why the Black Sea is called the Black Sea.

Another version

To the question why the sea is called Black, there is an answer like this. The theory owes its appearance to the Indian peoples.

According to history, long before the arrival of the Greek colonists, in the 1st millennium BC, various Indian tribes lived on the Black Sea coast, who called the neighboring sea Temarun (“black sea”).

This was explained by the external comparison of Azov and Cherny. If you watch the reservoirs from the mountain heights, Black really looks darker. So it's fair enough to call it that.

The Indian tribes replaced the Scythians, they agreed with this description. They began to call the sea Akhshaena, that is, "black."

Turkish version

According to this version, the sea owes its name to the Turks. They sought to conquer its shores, but were always rebuffed. local residents. Therefore, they called him Black, that is, unfriendly.

Maritime hypothesis

Sailors believe that the Black Sea is so named because of the strongest storms that color the water in deep black.

However, such natural phenomena here they do not occur so often, and the shade of water changes not only in this reservoir, but also in any other.

Perhaps it is so named because of the color of the silt that is thrown onto the coast during a storm. True, the silt is more gray than black.

Hydrological hypothesis

Hydrologists put forward their own version when answering the question of why the Black Sea was called the Black Sea. Any metal object lowered to an impressive depth is taken out darkened. The culprit for this is hydrogen sulfide, which is rich in a reservoir at a level below 200 meters.

This substance appears as a result of the life of bacteria that live in the deep layers. Below 150-200 meters in the sea there are exclusively microorganisms that have accumulated great amount hydrogen sulfide molecules.

mythic version

There is also a legend about why the Black Sea was called the Black Sea. It lies in the fact that in the reservoir lies the sword of the hero. He was thrown there by the wizard Ali, who was near death.

The sea is now agitated, wanting to throw the sword ashore. And the restless element looks dark. That is why the Black Sea is called the Black Sea. The legend answers this question in this way.

Hypothesis about the cardinal points

Among Asian peoples, the cardinal points are marked with color. The north is painted black. That is, the Black Sea is a reservoir located in this area. This is true for Asians.

Color spectrum

We practically answered the question why the Black Sea was called the Black Sea. But is the body of water always colored the same?

The Black Sea has different shades. For example, in early spring the water off its coast is brown. This is due to the growth of algae. The water starts to bloom.

Some inhabitants of the water element have a mysterious radiance. For example, perideneum algae. In addition to them, predators called nightlighters live in the water. They also glow thanks to a substance called "luciferin" - named after the ruler of hell.

When you look at a body of water while flying over it in an airplane, it looks deep blue. And from space, the sea is really very black.

Why is the water of the reservoir so dark? large area the sea basin is filled with hydrogen sulfide. In small quantities, this gas is colorless. But in the water its thickness is 1000-2000 meters, so the reservoir is so rich blue.

Where did hydrogen sulfide gas come from

In the Black Sea, at a level below 200 meters, only single-celled microorganisms live. Plants and animals do not survive in such conditions. it unique property unique to this body of water.

Many people ask: where does hydrogen sulfide come from in the deep sea? Let's dwell on this issue in more detail.

Oxygen enters the reservoir from the atmosphere, and also appears in the upper water layers as a result of photosynthesis. In order for oxygen to penetrate to depth, water must mix. In the Black Sea, water practically does not mix. In it, the upper layer is formed by river currents, and it is fresh in composition. From the Sea of Marmara penetrates salty water that flows deep.

Thus, in the Black Sea there are two water layers with different levels of density and temperature. What does this lead to? The stratification of sea waters does not allow the sea to mix and oxygen to penetrate to a considerable depth.

After the death of living organisms, their bodies are food for bacteria. When organic matter decomposes, oxygen is used. The deeper, the more decomposition, which means more oxygen is absorbed. So, the deeper, the less this substance. Below a depth of 100 meters, oxygen is not formed, but only absorbed. Substance cannot penetrate here either.

Below 200 meters there is no oxygen gas at all. Only anaerobic microorganisms live here. They help the process of decomposition of all the remains. As a result of this reaction, hydrogen sulfide is produced. This gas is poisonous to both animals and plants. It serves as a blocker of the respiratory process of mitochondria. Sulfur is taken from the amino acids of proteins, as well as from the sulfates of sea water.

Some scientists say that hydrogen sulfide in the sea appeared due to pollution of the reservoir. The amount of gas is increasing, and the sea is on the verge of disaster. This is partly true. A lot of water from agricultural fields fell into the sea in the 70-80s of the XX century. As a result, the growth of mud and phytoplankton increased in the reservoir. When rotting, they do emit hydrogen sulfide. But this process did not introduce any radical changes in the composition of the sea. There is also no risk of an explosion of hydrogen sulfide, scientists say.

Due to the abundance of hydrogen sulfide in sea waters there is no deep-sea fauna, as in other seas. Such low biodiversity is another feature of the Black Sea. There are no predatory deep-seated fish that live in other salty reservoirs.

So, we have studied in detail why the Black Sea is called the Black Sea. Due to the abundance of hydrogen sulfide, the reservoir has a rich rich dark color. Apparently, that is why it is called Black. However, the reader can accept for himself any answer to the question posed. All possible versions and hypotheses are presented in the article.

There are several seas that have any color in their name - Yellow, Red, Black and others. Today we will understand why the Black Sea was called the Black Sea.

It would seem that the most obvious answer is actually the most wrong one. After all, what comes to mind is that the Black Sea is probably called the Black Sea because it is always black in color. However, it is not. After all, you see, many other seas can also have a black color in different periods It never occurred to anyone to call them black. And the Black Sea is not always black.

It is known for certain that modern name the sea was given by nomadic Turkic peoples who came from Central Asia. Kara Dengiz - that was the name of the sea in their language then. And from them it migrated to most other languages.

Some popular versions of the origin of the name of the Black Sea are legendary. For example, there is a legend about a hero with a golden arrow that can cut the earth apart. The hero hid the arrow in the depths of the sea, and when he tried to return it, the sea resisted, raged and turned black - so it became Black.

Another legend says that not an arrow is hidden in the waters of the sea, but a powerful sword that can kill everything on earth. The spirits of the sea now and then try to get rid of it, so the sea often storms and becomes dark.

Well, how could it be without tragic love stories - there is a legend about a black-haired beauty who drowned herself in the sea because of a misfortune that happened to her beloved. From her grief and black hair, the sea got a dark color and became Black forever.

The most reliable explanation of the origin of the name is the observation of sailors who often sailed here since ancient times. The sea seemed inhospitable during the storms that happened here periodically. Even the ancient Greeks called it Pont Aksinsky - the Inhospitable Sea.

There are, of course, other hypotheses that are put forward by modern researchers. For example, that the color designation is taken from languages in which colors denoted cardinal points and "black" referred to "north", i.e. The Black Sea is the North Sea for such peoples.

Another version is related to the fact that anchors and other metal objects were painted black in the water of the sea if they lay in them long enough. Scientists attribute this effect to hydrogen sulfide, which is abundantly released in the depths of the Black Sea.

The name of the sea could also be given by black algae, which abundantly cover the seashore and swim in the coastal strip.

There is another version that the Bible scribes made a mistake when copying sacred texts, in which there was the Red Sea ("black" meant "beautiful").

Why are there no sharks in the Black Sea?

In fact, there are sharks in the Black Sea, however, of two species that are not dangerous to humans. It - black sea katran(another name is "Prickly Shark"), one of the species of katran - the most common shark in the world. As well as the scillum shark ("Cat shark").

Katran
Scillum (Cat shark)

Sharks dangerous to humans can potentially get into the Black Sea from mediterranean sea. However, even once in the Black Sea, these predators will not survive there. Firstly, the waters of the Black Sea have low salinity (in places - up to 17%). Secondly, the depths of the Black Sea, as has already been found out, are rich in hydrogen sulfide, which can be detrimental to sharks. At the same time, there is not enough food for sharks in the Black Sea, in comparison with other seas - the Black Sea is not so rich in fish. That is why there are no sharks in the Black Sea - well, with the exception of katrans and squillums.

Why are there many jellyfish in the Black Sea?

In fact, there are many jellyfish in the Black Sea, not everywhere and not always. Jellyfish in the Black Sea appear in August-September, the water is warm at this time, there is a lot of food for jellyfish. Jellyfish become visible and invisible, of various sizes.

In some areas of the Black Sea there are a lot of jellyfish, because there is an excellent food base for them, in others - less or not, since they have nothing to eat there. Well, the currents that carry jellyfish from place to place play a certain role - after all, these are not fish that can easily swim to one or another area of the sea, jellyfish swim mainly with the flow.

You also need to consider that jellyfish, like all creatures, have natural enemies from which they also try to stay away. Therefore, somewhere there are also clusters of jellyfish, but somewhere not.

There are a lot of versions as to why the Black Sea got its name. Everyone puts forward his own hypothesis, offers more and more new versions. But which of the options is the most plausible, you need to figure it out. The article offers some theories, as well as popular legends.

water color

The first theory is based on facts characteristic of even more ancient historical times. Around 1000 BC, the coast Sea of Azov It was inhabited by the tribes of Meots and Sinds. It was the Indian peoples who began to call the neighbor of the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov - the Black Sea. If you look at the two seas from a height, it is noticeable that the waters of the Black Sea are much darker than those of Azov.

raging waters

This version was proposed by the ancient Greek historian and geographer Strabo, who argued that the Greek colonists who decided to settle the coast struggled with thick fogs and squally winds and storms. At this time, on the shore they had to deal with fierce animals, brave and strong Scythians.

The Greeks, originally from the warm and calm Mediterranean Sea, called the troubled waters "Pontos Axeinos", which translates as inhospitable or black sea. But after years and even centuries, settlements began to be built on the coast, trading tents were set up, because the Greeks fell in love not only with the land, but also considered the sea to be their own. And so the name changed to “Pontos Euxeinos”, which means “hospitable sea”. But the new name did not stick.

The ability of the Black Sea is that it happens various shades and flowers. For example, closer to the beginning of spring, a brown shade is noticeable off the coast, and not the usual blue color of the waters. This phenomenon is biological in nature, and occurs in connection with mass reproduction smallest unicellular algae. In simple words- the sea begins to bloom.
linguistic theory

Linguists are divided into several groups that have different versions why the Black Sea got its name:

Banal confusion. The early words "beautiful" and "black" were synonymous. The constant rewriting of chronicles led to the fact that the sea turned out not beautiful, but black.

Random error. Earlier, due to the inattention of the chroniclers, only one letter was omitted in the word "black", which in the Church Slavonic language meant "red". This is how the name of the sea came about. Later, the mistake made was regularly reproduced in other texts, which caused the change from "black" to "black". But no one was surprised that the Red Sea is located in a completely different geographical point.

The Bible says that Moses and the Jews managed to escape from the enraged troops of the Pharaoh, thanks to the Black Sea, along the bottom of which they passed, finding the path of salvation.

Hydrologists version

Some researchers are sure that the Black Sea was named so at the suggestion of sailors who noticed the blackening of anchors when they were lowered into the water. Hydrologists explain this fact by the fact that hydrogen sulfide is present in large quantities at the bottom of the sea. Dissolved hydrogen sulfide is found in any body of water; it is considered a waste product of bacteria living at the bottom. But in the waters of the Black Sea, at a depth of 150-200 meters, it is present in the highest concentration, because in its own way geographic location it is “closed” by the banks and has limited “washability”.

On hit metal objects into water, a kind of oxidation occurs, forming metal sulfides, coloring objects black.

But on the other hand, experts understand that anchors are usually not launched to such a great depth, therefore it is hardly possible to agree that such a theory was put forward by sailors.

Popular sea legends

There are various legends and myths:

Absorption of human souls. Many legends cannot do without the theme of drowned men and drowned women. Previously it was thought that sea depths absorb human souls, due to the fact that in the water a person behaves unreasonably, frivolously.

Sea glow. It is known that during the voyages, many sailors saw a strange glow that came from the bottom of the sea. Such a phenomenon did not lend itself to any explanation, and therefore it was considered a light from the other world - seeing the glow, the sailors began to be baptized.

Bogatyr with an arrow. Once upon a time, a certain strong man-hero, with his powerful hand, launched a golden arrow into the sea, which has magical powers: it could divide the planet into two parts. Due to the fact that the sea did not throw an arrow on its shores, the water from a lighter shade acquired a dark color.

Turkic theory. Some sources claim that the name of the Black Sea was given by the ancient Turks. Despite the fact that the deep-sea abyss has a relatively calm character, the Turkic navigators noted that it is especially inhospitable.

The Black Sea is inhabited by many marine inhabitants, which only color it and make it even more mysterious. Why the sea got its name is definitely difficult to answer. But the most popular version is that if you look at it from a height, it seems black.

Many people wonder why the Black Sea is called black? Is it really black, and what is the reason for such a name. The answer to this question can be obtained by flying over it on an airplane - from a height it really looks black, unlike the Mediterranean and other seas. But in fact, the question goes far back in history.

And the Bulgarians call him Black Sea, and the Italians - Mare Nero, and the French - Mer Noir, and the British - Black Sea, and the Germans - Schwarze Meer. Even in Turkish, "Kara-Deniz" is nothing but the "Black Sea".

Where does such unanimity in the name of this amazingly blue sea, conquering us with its radiant serenity, come from? Of course, there are days when the sea is angry, and then its face darkens to blue-violet ... But this happens rarely, and even then only in difficult winter times for it.

And in clear weather early spring and until late autumn, the Black Sea is remembered for a long time by its rich blue, turning into light turquoise tones as you approach the coast ... "The sky wants to be beautiful, the sea wants to be - like the sky!" - V. Bryusov poetically said about this. And yet, who and when called this sea Black?

There is such a fascinating science - toponymy, which studies the origin of geographical names (toponyms). According to this science, there are at least two main versions of the origin of the name of the Black Sea.

Version one

It was put forward by the ancient Greek geographer and historian Strabo, who lived in the 1st century BC. In his opinion, the Greek colonists called the Black Sea, who were once unpleasantly struck here by storms, fogs, unknown wild shores inhabited by hostile Scythians and Taurians ... And they gave the stern stranger the appropriate name - Pontos Axeinos - "inhospitable sea", or "black". Then, having settled down on the shores, becoming related to the sea of good and bright fairy tales, the Greeks began to call it Pontos Evkseinos - "the hospitable sea." But the first name was not forgotten, like first love ...

Version two

In the 1st millennium BC, long before the Greek colonists appeared here, careless in the language of the Greek colonists, Indian tribes lived on the eastern and northern shores of the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov - Meots, Sinds and others, who gave the name to the neighboring sea - Temarun, which literally means "black sea". This was the result of a purely visual comparison of the color of the surface of the two seas, now called the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. From the mountainous shores of the Caucasus, the latter seems darker to the observer, as can be seen even now. And if it's dark, then it's black. The Meotians on the shores of the mentioned seas were replaced by the Scythians, who fully agreed with this characterization of the Black Sea. And they called him in their own way - Akhshaena, that is, "dark, black."

Other versions

The sea was so named because after a storm black silt remains on its shores. But this is not entirely true, silt is actually not black, but gray. Although ... who knows how all this was seen in antiquity ...

There is another hypothesis of the origin of the name "Black Sea", put forward by modern hydrologists. The fact is that any metal objects, the same anchors of ships, lowered to a certain Black Sea depth, rise to the surface blackened under the action of hydrogen sulfide located in the depths of the sea. This property must have been noticed since ancient times and, no doubt, could serve as a fixation of such a strange name for the sea.

In general, the sea is able to take on a wide variety of colors and shades. For example, in February-March, you can find that the water near the Black Sea coast is not blue, as usual, but brown. This color metamorphosis is already a biological phenomenon, and it is caused by the mass reproduction of the smallest unicellular algae. The flowering of water begins, as the people say.

Did you know that the lower layers of the Black Sea water are extremely saturated with hydrogen sulfide (H2S), which makes this water absolutely unsuitable for any kind of life, and the Black Sea is the largest storage of hydrogen sulfide on the planet. As we all remember, hydrogen sulfide is a terribly toxic gas that is used for medicinal purposes in small doses and has the smell of a rotten egg, and in large doses, a single inhalation of it can cause instant death. Therefore, in the lower layers of the Black Sea water, except for anaerobic sulfur bacteria, not a single creature cannot live. Fortunately for us, the layers of water in the Black Sea do not mix, because if they moved, it could become the largest natural disaster since the end of the last ice age.

Why such deposits of hydrogen sulfide were formed in the Black Sea, no one can say for sure yet. According to the most common version, it was like this: 7500 years ago, the Black Sea was a lake - the deepest freshwater lake, the level of which was lower than the modern one by more than 100 meters. After the end of the Ice Age, the level of the World Ocean rose, and salty waters poured into the future Black Sea. All freshwater living creatures that lived in the deepest lake died out, and hydrogen sulfide was the product of its decomposition.

Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky (1817-1899)

"Black Sea"

Sea of fairy tales and mysteries
The Black Sea keeps!
The scent of legends is so sweet
The magic of legends is a magnet!

A sea of truths, revelations,
A sea of fiction and secrets
A sea of thousands of generations
A sea of hundreds of thousands of countries!

Dmitry Rumata "Secrets of the Black Sea"

Inscriptions on geographical map often tell a lot interesting stories. Why is the city in Crimea called Armenian? For what reasons did they call Odessa so? What does the word "Kherson" mean? What is the root of the word "Moscow"? What did "Tula" originally mean? Who were the Laptevs? These and other questions concern people, despite the complexities of modern life.

The origin of the name of the Black Sea is very curious in itself. A modern tourist, going on vacation to Anapa or Sochi, Yalta or Alushta, Odessa or Tarkhan-Kut, knows perfectly well that he will return home black from sunburn, and only his eyes and smile will remain white on his face. Therefore, the sea, on the shores of which he is going to rest, is quite naturally associated with this color. But these shores have become resort places relatively recently.

Different names of the Black Sea

There are many options for how the Black Sea used to be called. In those days when there were no single directions yet, each of the wanderers put it on the maps in their own way. Marco Polo in the 13th century considered it so huge that he called it "Great", although today it is known that the dimensions are not so large. Once the city of Surozh (now a small Crimean Sudak) was such an important trading center that even the sea was named after it for some time. Afanasy Nikitin in the 15th century, on his way from India, came to Tavria from Turkey and designated the current Black Sea as Istanbul. They called him Georgian, and Greek, and Cimmerian, and Slavic. It was also Armenian - in the XI century, when the Seljuk Turks forced most this people to hide from persecution in the Crimea. Then even the concept of “Primorskaya Armenia” appeared, this resettlement was so large-scale.

Sea and geopolitics

The countries bordering it constantly fought for influence in the region, which, by the way, continues today. At the same time, they changed geographical names. At a certain stage, the renaming ended, and everyone came to consensus that the sea is still Black, having come to a common denominator at least in this matter. In all countries with a fleet, shipping directions are printed, fairways, shoals and banks are applied to them, and the origin of the name of the Black Sea, like many other bodies of water, worries sailors much less than seasonal wind roses, storm scores and the strength of currents. They even have no time to think about what the sea is and why it is called that.

Where did the word "sea" come from?

Linguists cannot reliably explain why the sea is called the sea, but they have several versions about this. In French it sounds "la mer", in Italian "mare", in German "meer", and it's hard not to agree that its pronunciation in different languages has a certain resemblance.

It is quite possible that Russian word"sea" morphologically comes from the Hebrew consonant formation, meaning "evil". Previously, it meant any vast body of water that was a danger to anyone who embarked on a journey on its waves.

"Colored" and "black and white" seas

Interpretations of the reasons why each of the seas got its name also differ. This is especially true for "color" names. There is the Red Sea, the color of the algae blooming in the Suez region. True, the peoples inhabiting its coast prefer to call it reed or reed, but on world maps it is designated as Red.

Or Here, it seems, everything is clear, the ice sets the color, and the sky is usually the same. apparently named after the race that inhabits its shores. And all this despite the fact that good weather the water is the same everywhere - blue or turquoise.

"Black C"

So why is the Black Sea called the Black Sea, and in almost all languages of the world? In English, this geographical concept sounds like "Black Sea", in French - "Mer Noir", in German - "Schwarze Meer", in Italian - "Mare Nero", and in translation everything is the same, black. It does not look like this at all, even during autumn and winter storms, when its color is more of a dark gray with a blue tint.

and "black inhospitality"

The history of the name of the Black Sea is old. The first inhabitants of its shores, who came up with the idea of somehow designating their place of residence, were the Greeks. They saw other Mediterranean. But it was here that extremely unpleasant surprises awaited them in the form of ice on the northern coast, severe storms, as well as the Scythians and Taurians, the inhabitants of the Crimea, who were engaged in robbery. Since ancient times, troubles have been associated with people with this and this is the version of why the sea is called the Black Sea. True, not literally. "Axinos Pontos" means the inhospitable sea, that's all. Later, getting to know him better and seeing him in different seasons, the Greeks changed their anger to mercy, and renamed Pont Aksinsky to Pont Euxinsky, that is, they gave the name the exact opposite meaning. It became welcoming. But the color remained the same.

Turkish observations of dark shades of water

So, the Greek version does not give an unambiguous explanation why the Black Sea is called the Black Sea, so it is better to turn to other sources. "Kara-Deniz" washes the northern coast of Turkey, it has always been like this, and, perhaps, it was the Ottomans who once gave the name to this vast reservoir. While traveling to Azov, they could observe, climbing the mountains of the Caucasus, another sea that appeared in the distance. Its water seemed darker than in the shallow Azov, so it turned out that it was possible to separate the water areas along the visible border of shades. ancient name The Black Sea in Turkish sounds a little different than the modern one, it is pronounced "Ahshaena", but the meaning is the same.

At the beginning of the 1st millennium, other peoples also lived on the coast of the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov, which historians conditionally call Indian tribes. In their language there was the word "Temarun" (again "black"), meaning the water surface, located further, outside the water area led by them. Perhaps they did not even think about why the sea is called the sea, and everything unknown seemed to them hidden darkness, that is, black.

Or maybe it's hydrogen sulfide?

So, all toponymic assumptions are based on a coloristic association with something mysterious, unknown and dangerous. But precisely for this reason, they should not be taken too seriously. Whatever it was dangerous way sailor, it entailed no more risk than sailing in or along the northern arctic routes. There are places on the map that evoke much darker associations, including color ones. It is possible that the matter is completely different.

There is another version of why the Black Sea is called the Black Sea, and it is connected with chemical composition bottom layers of water. From time to time perishes near its shores a large number of fish, or she, to the delight of the catchers, begins to peck very well. “Hydrogen sulfide has gone,” the fishermen say. And it's not about some man-made factors, it has always been like this, and this phenomenon is exclusively natural. The abundance of reactive gas causes the darkening of all metal objects lowered into the water, be it anchors, other marine gear, ancient cannonballs and cannons raised in the last century by scuba divers and archaeologists. Perhaps the key to the mystery of why the Black Sea is called the Black Sea lies precisely in this property of it, noticed by the ancient merchants, who were surprised to find that their anchor suddenly acquired a color not characteristic of iron and became “blued”.

Chemists consider this explanation the most plausible. Perhaps geographers will still argue with them.