'The Ruins of Inkeman and City of Caverns.'

Coloured tinted lithograph by T Picken, 1855. One of 40 lithographs from 'The Seat of War in the East - First Series' after William Simpson, published by Paul and Dominic Colnaghi and Company, 22 May 1855.

The origins of the Inkerman caverns are unclear, but they were possibly excavated in the 8th century by icon-worshipping monks who were fleeing persecution by the Byzantine church. The cave complex contained several chapels and a monastery. Some of the caves were looted by the British during the Crimean War (1854-1856).