Toponymy is one of the most interesting branches of linguistics. For example, the Yellow Sea, washing the PRC, got its name due to the saturated yellow color of its water, “presented” to the reservoir by the mass of suspended particles brought here to the Yellow River.

By the way, in translation from Chinese, this name looks like the Yellow River. In addition to Chinese Yellow, in the waters of the World Ocean there was a place for the Red, White and Black Sea. If everything is clear with White, filled with pieces of broken ice in the off-season, or Red with its thickets of multi-colored corals, then the toponymy of the Black Sea has always caused a lot of discussion in scientific and close circles.

What was the Black Sea called before?

Initially - during the period of Greek colonization of the modern northern Black Sea region, the reservoir was called Pont Aksinsky. Translated from Greek, this meant "inhospitable sea." Naturally, the ancient Greeks, after the radiant waves of the Mediterranean and very rare storms in that region, the dark blue waves and the "grumpy nature" of the present Black Sea seemed terribly inhospitable.

Over time, when the Greek colonists with taste settled in the territory of the present Odessa, Nikolaev, Kherson region, Crimea, the sea changed its name to “hospitable” or Pont Euxinus.

The appearance of nomadic Scythian tribes in the south of present-day Ukraine in the II I – V centuries of our era assigned the name Scythian to the sea.

When the name first appeared: Black Sea

But already in the Early Middle Ages the toponym Black Sea began to appear. How? Improving the design of ships allowed sailors to moor not only offshore, on the shelf, but also in the open sea. And when the anchor was lowered deeper than 150 meters, it was covered with a black coating. It is this factor, and especially that, the dark navy blue color of the sea water, that almost simultaneously changed the name of the reservoir in the languages ​​of all the peoples living on its shore.

Why exactly the Black Sea?

And now a few words about why the anchors became black, and the water of the Black Sea is 10 tones darker than the neighboring Marmara and Mediterranean. The fact is that 78% of the Black Sea basin is filled with water containing hydrogen sulfide. Above is a thin layer (150-180 m) of water. Hydrogen sulfide is known for the characteristic smell of rotten eggs. And if it is colorless in small volumes, then a layer of this substance in water with a thickness of 1000 - 2000 meters gives the sea water located above it a deep dark blue color.

Where did the hydrogen sulfide come from in the Black Sea?

Where did the hydrogen sulfide come from in the Black Sea? Indeed, in other reservoirs it is not. There is no single version. Firstly, there is a high probability of gas entering from cracks in the earth's crust at the bottom of the reservoir. The fact is that the origin of the depression of this part of the World Ocean is tectonic. Therefore, the probability of penetration of gases to the surface from the asthenosphere is quite high.

Secondly, the history of the filling of the Black Sea with water is associated with the mass death of animals and plants living in the primary reservoir.We are talking about the famous breakthrough of the waters of the World Ocean into a huge ancient freshwater lake after the last ice age. The ice melted, the water level rose, and the Bosphorus isthmus was simply swept away by water masses. At the same time, all freshwater fauna and flora died. The decomposition of their remains could cause the mass appearance of anaerobic bacteria producing hydrogen sulfide.

Be that as it may, the waters of the Black Sea are really very different from the liquid that fills neighboring bodies of water. They are fundamentally opaque, and their rich dark blue color is clearly visible from the airplane window. Especially if you before flying over the azure waters of the Mediterranean and the Sea of ​​Marmara.