Ancient Hellenes brought civilization to Crimea. They named the peninsula Taurida after the Taurian tribe who lived there.
Great colonization
The Greeks, apparently, knew about the existence of the Crimea even in the era of the Mycenaean culture (XV-XII centuries BC). The myths of the Iliad and Odyssey, formed later, but reflecting the knowledge gained during that period, speak of the Black Sea as the Pontus of Aksin, that is, inhospitable. It is described as eternally cold and shrouded in dark clouds. The Cimmerians living on its northern shore, according to the Greeks, lived directly in front of the entrance to the afterlife kingdom of shadows.
The situation changed in the 8th century BC. e., when the Greeks, due to the lack of land, were forced to move to the extensive colonization of the Mediterranean coast and adjacent inland seas.
The great Greek colonization was organized like this. The decision to establish a colony and resettle some of the inhabitants there was made by the people's assembly of the polis or its aristocratic council. The head of the entire enterprise was appointed, bearing the title of eikist. He had the highest power in the colony at first. The colony itself became an independent polis, but nominally recognized the authority of its metropolis, and often turned to it in case of political difficulties.
To determine the place where to withdraw the colony, the polis sent a delegation to Delphi, to the authoritative common Greek oracle of Apollo. There the pythia, breathing in sulfuric vapor, uttered a prophecy. Of course, that was the ceremonial side of the matter. But it is characteristic that the priests of Apollo were in charge of this, who obviously built the case in such a way that different streams of colonists did not collide with each other in new places and did not interfere with each other. The Apollo Oracle gave good advice. Thus, the great Greek colonization was a well thought out undertaking.
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Greek colonies in Crimea
To begin the development of the shores of the Black Sea, the Greeks first had to colonize the shores of the Bosphorus. On the northern coast of the Black Sea, Greek colonists appeared already in the 7th century BC. e. The first Hellenic colony in Taurida was, apparently, Panticapaeum (present-day Kerch), which arose at the end of the same century. It was founded by people from the city of Miletus on the western coast of Asia Minor.
The same Milesians in the 6th century BC. e. founded Feodosia, and a number of cities appeared around Panticapaeum. At the beginning of the 5th century BC. e. all these cities (except for Feodosia) united into the Bosporan kingdom. The latest of the Greek colonies in Taurida was Chersonese (near present-day Sevastopol), founded by settlers from Heraclea Pontic (which itself was a colony) at the end of the 5th century BC. e.
On the extreme southern coast of Crimea, where the warmest climate, there were no Greek colonies, since there are no convenient bays there. Therefore, in the new place, the Greek colonists had to adapt to new conditions. So, it was impossible to grow olives here, so the olive oil so familiar to the Greeks had to be imported. At the very least, only a grapevine grew here. And of course wheat. After all, Greek colonization was initially undertaken with the expectation of capturing areas for growing bread for food.
Economy
The nature of the organization of agricultural production in the colonies depended on where the colonists themselves came from. In the Bosporus kingdom, created by the Milesians, the land was cultivated by free communes. There was also classical slavery, but mainly in the craft. In Chersonesos, founded by the Heracleians, an economy was organized according to a model close to Sparta. There, the conquered local population (helots) were attached to the land and cultivated it for the needs of the owners. The Chersonesos lived in rich estates, on the lands of which enslaved Taurus worked.
The Chersonesos steadily expanded their possessions in the Crimea, founding new latifundia. A significant part of the flat territory in the Western Crimea, turned into fields for growing bread and vineyards, was under the control of the Chersonesos state. The borders of the state were marked with a fortified wall. The Chersonese state was not inferior in power to the Bosporus.
Political development
The Greek states in Crimea have gone through a long history filled with internal political upheavals, wars with neighbors (among which the Scythians who owned the northern part of the peninsula were the most troublesome), participation in the big politics of the ancient world.
Chersonesos stubbornly adhered to the previous order of natural economy, without developing it, which ultimately led to its decline. The Bosporan kingdom gradually became the main intermediary in the grain trade of the entire Northern Black Sea region with the rest of the ancient world and flourished until the end of the 2nd century AD. e. It retained the attributes of independence at the very time when Chersonesos turned into only a military outpost of Rome on the northern coast of the Black Sea, a place of exile for political and religious dissidents (among whom was St. Clement, Pope of the first century of Christianity).
However, when at the end of the 4th century AD. e. The Bosporan kingdom fell under the blows of the "barbarians" (the Goths and the Huns), Chersonesos resisted for this very reason, and after many more centuries it served as a stronghold of the Eastern Roman Empire - Byzantium.
Yaroslav Butakov