Map of the Northern Black Sea Region

Northern-West Black Sea Coast

Tauria

Northern-East Black Sea coast

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  The history of the Northern Black Sea Coast
Ru  En  Ua  
 
The Northern Black Sea Coast - is a unified vast area uniting the Northern Black Sea and Azov coasts in geographic limits from the estuary of the Danube up to the Gagrinsky mountain range of the large Caucasus.

Within the borders of this area three different regions are distinguished:
The Northern-West Black Sea Coast - is a region in which the city-states Olbia, Tyra, Nykoniy, and also their districts are included.
Tauria - is a region covering the Southern and Western Crimea, with the center in Chersonessos.
The Northern-East Black Sea Coast - is a region including the Eastern Crimea, Priazovie and the Northern-Caucasian coast of the Black Sea to the outlet to the sea of the Gagrinsky range.

The colonization of the Northern Black Sea Coast by the Greeks was one of the directions of their broad settling which was called " The Great Greek colonization " (VIII - VI centuries BC).

In the period from VII to IV BC the zone of an antique statehood was formed on a vast territory from the estuary of the Danube to the Gelengik bay. It was in the vicinity with numerous local barbarous tribes. The antique civilization being constantly modified, existed for almost one thousand years here (up to IV AD).

The political history of the Northern Black Sea Coast is usually divided into four seasons:

1. The Independent development - from the moment of the beginning of the antique states in the region to the end of II century BC;

2. The short period of the unification of all the states of the Black Sea Coast in the network of the Pontos power of Mithradates the Great - the end of II - the middle of I centuries BC;

3. The period of the Roman influence - from the middle of I century BC up to the rout of the antique states of the Northern Pontos by the union of the barbarous tribes with the Goths at the head (the middle of III century AD);

4. The period of the final decline and downfall of the antique states of the Northern Black Sea Coast - the second half of û - IV AD.


© The Odessa Museum of Numismatic 2000.