Caffa

Etymology and other names

Modern	Feodosia
XVII	Caffa
XVII	Kaffa
Ancient	Theodosia
Ancient	Cavum

Sources from old books

1638. The merchants map of commerce by Roberts, Lewes

CAFFA anciently Theodosia, seated commodiously for traffique in the botome of the black sea, was by Mahomet the great taken from the Genoes, and is the present scale for all commodities that passe by Sea from Constantinople, Trabesond, Podolia, and Walachia by Danubius, and such other places to Tartarie, Muscovia, &c. The Countrey affords great aboundance of cow hides, furres, waxe, honey, and a kind of pickled fish much resembling the English herring here caught upon this coast: also it sends to Constantinople some butter sowed up in oxe hides of all colours and sluttishly made, which serves for provision there to the slaves, and the meanest sort of people inhabiting that large City; also thence the grand signior hath his principall timber for the building of his Gallies, Shippes, and such like other provisions.

Caffa doth in matters of Merchandize and trade retaine still much of the customes of the Genoes, to whom for a long time it was subject; and so doth Thana, Sorgat and other principall Cities bordering upon the black sea, which I will in briefe touch so farre as I have gathered the same when I lived in Turkey.

First then the coines of Caffa are the same as is currant throughout Turkey, save that the neighbourhood of Tartaria and Moscovia makes the coines of those places and Kingdomes likewise passe currant there, as it is found in all frontier Towns which borders upon two Nations, and that are either free of themselves, or subject to other; therefore for the same I will referre the Reader to the coines currant in those bordering Countries.

Their weight is a Rotolo, 100 whereof makes a Cantar, which answers in haberdepois weight to 70 li. English; which said Cantar is divided into severall divisions, according to the commodity bought or sold thereby; as sometimes to Batmas, accounting 7½ Batmas to a Cantar, and 12 Rotolos to a Batma, and then the Cantar is but 90 Rotolos: and sometimes to Sommas and Saggies, as 124 saggies makes a Somma, and 10 Somma's makes a Cantar of 100 Rotolos above-said; and silke is sold by this Somma, 20 Somma's to a draught, which is 2 Cantars, and is English about 140 li. and in Venetia sotile weight 212 li. circa.

Their measure so farre as I could learne is but one, which is the pico, the 100 whereof made in Venetia by triall of a friend silke braies 130, and this pico is divided into 8 Rupps, as at Constantinople.

They have also a coine which is called a Somma, in which their accounts are kept, and to which other coines currant are reduced; and the same is divided to saggis, which they account by 45 saggis to a somma, and 4 sommes to a soltany or checquin; and thus much shall serve for the trade of Caffa.

1662. A Geographical dictionary in which are described... London. by Henry Brome.

Caffa, a Town in the Peninsula of the lesser Tartary, belonging to the Turk.

1692. The gazetteer's, or, Newsman's interpreter by Laurence Echard.

Kaffa, or Caffa, a rich and considerable City and Sea-Port, the M. of Crim Tartary, in the Peninsula called Precop; sub. to the Turks, who have here a Bassa. It stands on the Euxine Sea, (where is an excellent Haven) about 380 m. N.E. of Constantinople, and 500 S. of Moscow. Lon. 61.20. Lat. 47.20. //Coordinates:Echard

1693. A geographical dictionary representing the present and ancient names by Edmund Bohun.

Caffa, a considerable City and Sea-Port in Crim Tartary, upon the Eastern side of the Peninsula East of the City of Crim; supposed to be the Cavum of the Antients. It is a flourishing Mart, and furnished with a large and capacious Haven: Heretofore possessed by the Genoese, who (saith Dr. Heylin) by the Help of this Port and the Plantation they had in Pera, on the North Side of Constantinople, engrossed all the Trade of the Euxine Sea into their own hands. In 1475. it was taken by Mahomet the Great; ever since it has been in the hands of the Turks, and though by them much ruin'd, is still the principal Place in that Demy-Island. The Turks govern it by a Bashaw they send thither; and although the Tartars can possess themselves of it when they please, yet they chuse rather to leave it in his hands than to take it into their own. The Venetians have often sollicited a free Commerce with it for the Benefit of its Commodities: but the Port has constantly refused to suffer their Vessels to pass into the Black Sea for Reasons of State. They reckon about 4000 Houses of Mahometans, Tartars, and Christians; whereof some Latins, Greeks, and some Armenians, to the Number of about 800, who are obliged to wear a Distinction from the rest in their Bonnets.

1694. The great historical, geographical and poetical dictionary by Louis Moreri.

Caffa, a Town in Little Tartary, upon the Coast of the Black Sea, near the Bosphorus Cimmerianus, now called the Streights of Caffa, from this Town. The Genoeses became Masters of it in the 13th Century, in the time of the Holy War, and Decline of the Eastern Empire; but it was taken from them in 1475 by Mahomet II. and is ever since strongly garisoned by the Turks. There are two Forts in this City, whereof one commands all the Neighbouring Places, and is the Residence of the Caschas; the other is the Lesser of the two, but is well furnished with Artillery. They count 4000 Houses in Caffa, whereof 3200 belong to Turks and Tartars, and the other 800 to Graecians and Armenians. There are no Stone Buildings, except 8 old Churches, which were built by the Genoeses, the ordinary Houses are of Earth and Mortar. It has good Air, but their Water is naught, and there grows but little Fruit about it; but as for other Provisions, it's thought it does not yield to any Town in the World, either for Goodness or Cheapness; very good Mutton costs but the third part of a Penny a Pound, and other Meat, Fouls and Bread are proportionably Cheap, or rather Cheaper. But fresh Fish is very scarce, for they can get but little ones about the Town, and that but in Spring and Autumn neither. All the Turks and Tartars wear little Caps lined with Sheep-Skins; and because most part of the Christians in Asia wear Caps, those of Caffa are obliged to sow a little Piece of Cloth to theirs (as the Jews do to their Cloaks in Germany) to distinguish them from the Mahometans. The Road of Caffa is very convenient and safe, and the Town has the greatest Commerce of any Port on the Black Sea; the greatest consist in Salt Fish, and Caviar, that is brought from the Sea of Zabache, and sent into Europe, and to the Indies. It's said that there are Fish taken in that Sea which weigh 8 or 900 Pound a piece, and whereof one fills 3 or 4 Ferkins. The Reason the Country People give for the great Number of these prodigious Fishes, is, that the Water is fat and muddy, and but very little Salt, by reason of the River Don or Tanais, that discharges it self into that Sea; this draws the Fish from the Black Sea, and fatneth them in a little time. They begin to Fish in the Month of October, and continue to April. Besides the Ships that go for Fish to Caffa, there are many that transport Corn, Butter and Salt thence to Constantinople and other Places: Its Butter is the best of all Turky. The Venetians, after much Cost, and many Endeavours, got Leave to Trade here in 1672; but the Master of the Customs of Constantinople, representing to the great Visier the many Inconveniences that this would occasion, made him revoke the Licence; he insisted much upon this, that it would open the Christians a new way of holding Correspondence with those that lived about this Sea already, and were uneasie under the Government. Besides, That it would ruine a great number of their own Subjects, for that the Venetians would ingross all the Trade unto themselves, because all People would think it more safe to put their Goods aboard them than any others, &c. Chardin in Voyage de Perse in 1673.