The Greek Colonies in Ukraine

By about 1000 BC Greece had become overpopulated. That caused many brave and adventurous people to emigrate and establish colonies along the Mediterranean and Black Sea coasts. In the late 7^th and early 6^th centuries BC, they founded several colonies on the northern shore of the Black Sea.

The richest of the Greek cities on the Ukrainian coast was Olvia,[7] situated at the mouth of the Buh River. The famous Greek historian Herodotus visited this city in the 5^th century BC. Other important centers were Chersonesus (near present-day Sevastopol), Tira (present-day Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi), Theodosia (retains the same name), Kerkinitidus (present-day Evpatoria), and Panticapeum (present-day Kerch).

The most powerful of them was Panticapeum that submitted over 20 other Greek city-states around the Azov Sea and became known as the kingdom of Bosporus.

The Greek cities had the most advanced culture of the time. They could boast of high level of education, arts, architecture, and science. Most of them were democratic republics where all males had wide political rights. Females could not take part in political life (they could not elect or be elected to official positions) since the Greeks believed that women could not think logically.

Greek colonies on the Black sea became the bread basket of Greece. Beside bread they exported fur, honey, wax, salt, timber, and slaves (usually bought from Scythians) into Greece and Asia Minor. Their import consisted of vine, oil, fabric, ceramic, various luxuries.

In the middle of the 1^st century BC the Black Sea coast became part of the Roman Empire. Roman garrisons stayed in the Greek coastal cities until the end of the 3^rd century AD, when Rome had to withdraw its troops from the Crimea to protect Italy from the barbarians.[8] Left without Roman protection the Greek cities were destroyed by barbarians (Goths, Huns, and others).

The Greco-Roman civilization on Ukrainian lands lasted about 1000 years and it had positive impact on the economy, social structure and cultural level of various inhabitants of our country.

Tavrs

In the Crimean Mountains and near them lived the tribes of Tavrs.[9] Their major occupations were cattle-breeding, fishing, and farming. The Tavrs were proud people and waged numerous wars against Scythians, Sarmatians, and Greeks. Scholars believe that such names of the Crimean peninsula as Tavrida, Tavrika, and Tavria are derived from the name of these people.

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