Eastern steppes couldn’t develop properly because of constant raids of Asiatic nomads.
what is even considered a city? Aren’t most of the larger cities in Southern/Eastern Ukraine anyway? So I guess those cities are more densly populated and West it’s like smaller cities with not many inhabitants?
The Donbass was first settled by Cossacks from Ukraine (mostly) and Russia in the 16-17th centuries. These were known as Khartzysy (Харцызы) whose primary occupation, according to Russian sources, was theft and looting. Likely that some of those folks acquired the habits of the nomads around them.
Of course most of the people living there now came in Imperial times. Mostly from Ukraine, but of course their lives were shaped by Russia and the USSR, which is kind of why this region is now so Pro-Russian.
I don’t have access to my books at the moment but I could have sworn by at least 300 BCE theres more places in the Crimea that had been established and mentioned in writing on some decrees. Many of those were founded in the 6th or 5th century BCE if I recall correctly.
EDIT: Forgot I have digital access to some. So as per the Inventory of Archaic and Classical Poleis, the following cities were established in the Ukraine before 300 BCE:
Ordessos – probably at the Tylihul Estuary – A Scythian city
Ophiousa – probably near Tyras/Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi
Note that there were a bunch of cities on the other side of the Crimean Bosporos as well, and there might have been more Scythian cities further inland but the book doesn’t cover those.
Also please dont lynch me if I used the wrong spelling for the modern sites.
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Eastern steppes couldn’t develop properly because of constant raids of Asiatic nomads.
what is even considered a city? Aren’t most of the larger cities in Southern/Eastern Ukraine anyway? So I guess those cities are more densly populated and West it’s like smaller cities with not many inhabitants?
The Donbass was first settled by Cossacks from Ukraine (mostly) and Russia in the 16-17th centuries. These were known as Khartzysy (Харцызы) whose primary occupation, according to Russian sources, was theft and looting. Likely that some of those folks acquired the habits of the nomads around them.
Source: https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Харцызы
Of course most of the people living there now came in Imperial times. Mostly from Ukraine, but of course their lives were shaped by Russia and the USSR, which is kind of why this region is now so Pro-Russian.
I don’t have access to my books at the moment but I could have sworn by at least 300 BCE theres more places in the Crimea that had been established and mentioned in writing on some decrees. Many of those were founded in the 6th or 5th century BCE if I recall correctly.
EDIT: Forgot I have digital access to some. So as per the Inventory of Archaic and Classical Poleis, the following cities were established in the Ukraine before 300 BCE:
Ancient name – Modern site – Metropolis
* Chersonesos – Sebastopol – Herakleia
* Karkinitis – Yevpatoria – Unknown
* Kimmerikon – Opuk – Ionians
* Kytaia – near Yakovenkove – Unknown
* Myrmekeion – across the bay from Pantikapaion (Kerch) – Ionians
* Nikonion – Roskolanskoye – Miletos
* Nymphaion – Geroyevka – Miletos
* Olbia/Borysthenes – Berezhan island – Miletos
* Pantikapaion/Bosporos – Kerch – Miletos
* Theodosia – Feodosia – Miletos
* Tyras – Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi – Miletos
* Tyritake – Arshintsevo – Miletos
Unlocated:
Ordessos – probably at the Tylihul Estuary – A Scythian city
Ophiousa – probably near Tyras/Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi
Note that there were a bunch of cities on the other side of the Crimean Bosporos as well, and there might have been more Scythian cities further inland but the book doesn’t cover those.
Also please dont lynch me if I used the wrong spelling for the modern sites.