Such a large-scale and time-consuming undertaking as an archaeological expedition requires serious preparation material base, an insane amount of approvals and solid scientific basis. Before laying the first pit, our historians have done enormous work on collecting information about Adzhider fortress in various historical sources.
Fortunately, the lack of material was not felt. Mentions of fortifications, which had to secure one of the most troubled parts of the border of the Empire, are quite common in various documents of the XVIII early XIX centuries. Along with the state securities, regulatory planning, construction and subsequent maintenance of the fortress bastion of Ovidiopol often occurs in the lives of military leaders of the time who were somehow involved in the stories of Adzhider.
In the book that was published to the centenary of Odessa (1894) "Biography of de Ribas, Richelieu and Vorontsov", ninth page of the first chapter describes the role so beloved by Odessa citizens Admiral Joseph de Ribas iis mentioned - in fact, the author of the project. Below are the historical evidence that these two state-man played a decisive role in the formation of Odessa as a major port city. Not surprisingly, after the fortress on the banks of the Dniester estuary was over, its opening was attended by de Ribas and de Wollan. Admiral de Ribas, thus, had the honor of the first to raise the flag over the strategically important military installation. "A chronological overview of history of the Novorossiysk Territory 1731-1823" compiled by Apollo Skalkovsky and published in 1836, page 227 of the first chapter takes us back to the days of the founding of Odessa, where it by the way refers to the participation of de Ribas and de Wolan in the construction of the Odessa fortress, and commercial buildings of Odessa, which they launched right away after the construction of the fortress in Ovidiopol.Suppose by military standards, the fortress was short-lived and never in its short stories entered into the battle, but its extremely good location, well-thought-out defensive system and most modern for those times artillery, Adzhider repulsed any enemys desire to go to the senseless assault. Isn`t it the greatest achievement of the military strategy? De Ribas and de Wolan did their job, and apparently - did well.
Valery Sinkovsky, archival materials of Sergey Argatyuk