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Greek Colonization of the Black Sea
From around 750 BCE, Ionian poleis such as Miletus expanded along the northern coast of Asia Minor into the Black Sea region, founding colonies inclu…
Timeline
- c. -750–-700Miletus (Asia Minor) · IoniaIonian poleis such as Miletus organized colonial fleets northward, establishing posts at strategic points on the Sea of Marmara and the Bosporus; Byzantium (traditionally founded c. 667 BCE) controlled strait trade and became the gateway to the Black Sea colonial network.
- c. -700–-550Black Sea coast · UkraineGreek colonists founded poleis at Sinope, Olbia, Panticapaeum, Chersonesus, and elsewhere, exchanging grain and luxury goods with Scythians and other peoples; the Black Sea became an important source of grain and raw materials for the Greek world.
- c. -600–-500Black Sea · Black SeaThe colonies formed a Black Sea trade circle, exchanging Greek pottery, wine, and crafts for grain, dried fish, furs, and metals; writers such as Herodotus recorded contacts between Greeks and Scythians, and Black Sea colonization became a major pillar of the classical Greek economy.
Sources
- Boardman, J. The Greeks Overseas: Their Early Colonies and Trade, 4th ed. — John Boardman (1999)
- Herodotus, Histories, Book 4 — Herodotus