Greeks in Ukraine
Encyclopedia
A Greek
presence throughout the Black Sea
area existed long before the beginnings of Kievan Rus. For most of their history in this area, the history of the Greeks in Russia
and in Ukraine
forms a single narrative, of which a division according to present-day boundaries would be an artificial anachronism.
Greeks established colonies on what are now the Ukrainian
shores of the Black Sea
as early as 6th century B.C. The Greek colonies traded with various ancient nations around the Black sea: Scythians, Maeotae
, Cimmerians
, Goths
, proto-Slavs. After the Polovtsy and Mongol-Tatar invasion of the steppes to the north of the Black Sea, Greeks remained only in the towns beyond the Crimean Mountains, on their southern slopes.
They lived among the Crimean Tatars
until the conquest of Crimea by the Russian Empire and Tsarina Catherine the Great
's plan to relocate the Greeks from Crimea
to the northern shores of the Azov sea. New territory was assigned for the Greeks between today's cities of Mariupol
and Donetsk
, and basically comprises all the southern portion of Donetsk Oblast
of Ukraine. Ukrainians and Germans were settled among the Greeks, and afterwards Russians. Ukrainians mostly settled villages and partly towns in this area, unlike the Greeks, who rebuilt their towns, even giving them their original Crimean names. Since this time in Ukraine names of settlements in Crimea match names of places in southern Donetsk Oblast: Yalta
-Yalta, Gurzuf
-Urzuf, etc.
During the Soviet era, Crimean Greeks were expelled after the Second World War. By the 2001 census there were 91,500 Greeks, the vast majority of whom (77,000) still live in Donetsk Oblast. Higher estimates such as 160,000 have been reported in the past, explained by intensive assimilation enacted by the Soviet government. Thus many Greeks were intended to change to the more prestigious Russian nationality. Other concentrations of Greeks are in Odessa
and other major cities.
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
presence throughout the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
area existed long before the beginnings of Kievan Rus. For most of their history in this area, the history of the Greeks in Russia
Greeks in Russia
The Greek presence in southern Russia is dated to the 6th century BC. Today there are about 188,000 people of Greek extraction living in the Russian Federation. Most live in the south and the Black Sea region with large concentrations in Moscow and St. Petersburg...
and in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
forms a single narrative, of which a division according to present-day boundaries would be an artificial anachronism.
Greeks established colonies on what are now the Ukrainian
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
shores of the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
as early as 6th century B.C. The Greek colonies traded with various ancient nations around the Black sea: Scythians, Maeotae
Maeotae
Maeotae or Mæotæ or Maeotici were an ancient people dwelling along the Palus Maeotis in antiquity. It is not clear whether they spoke an Iranian language or were related to the modern-day Adyghe. The best attested tribe among them was the Sindi.The earliest reference may be the logographer...
, Cimmerians
Cimmerians
The Cimmerians or Kimmerians were ancient equestrian nomads of Indo-European origin.According to the Greek historian Herodotus, of the 5th century BC, the Cimmerians inhabited the region north of the Caucasus and the Black Sea during the 8th and 7th centuries BC, in what is now Ukraine and Russia...
, Goths
Goths
The Goths were an East Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin whose two branches, the Visigoths and the Ostrogoths, played an important role in the fall of the Roman Empire and the emergence of Medieval Europe....
, proto-Slavs. After the Polovtsy and Mongol-Tatar invasion of the steppes to the north of the Black Sea, Greeks remained only in the towns beyond the Crimean Mountains, on their southern slopes.
They lived among the Crimean Tatars
Crimean Tatars
Crimean Tatars or Crimeans are a Turkic ethnic group that originally resided in Crimea. They speak the Crimean Tatar language...
until the conquest of Crimea by the Russian Empire and Tsarina Catherine the Great
Catherine II of Russia
Catherine II, also known as Catherine the Great , Empress of Russia, was born in Stettin, Pomerania, Prussia on as Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg...
's plan to relocate the Greeks from Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
to the northern shores of the Azov sea. New territory was assigned for the Greeks between today's cities of Mariupol
Mariupol
Mariupol , formerly known as Zhdanov , is a port city in southeastern Ukraine. It is located on the coast of the Azov Sea, at the mouth of the Kalmius River. Mariupol is the largest city in Priazovye - a geographical region around Azov Sea, divided by Russia and Ukraine - and is also a popular sea...
and Donetsk
Donetsk
Donetsk , is a large city in eastern Ukraine on the Kalmius river. Administratively, it is a center of Donetsk Oblast, while historically, it is the unofficial capital and largest city of the economic and cultural Donets Basin region...
, and basically comprises all the southern portion of Donetsk Oblast
Donetsk Oblast
Donetsk Oblast is an oblast of eastern Ukraine. Its administrative center is Donetsk. Historically, the province is an important part of the Donbas region...
of Ukraine. Ukrainians and Germans were settled among the Greeks, and afterwards Russians. Ukrainians mostly settled villages and partly towns in this area, unlike the Greeks, who rebuilt their towns, even giving them their original Crimean names. Since this time in Ukraine names of settlements in Crimea match names of places in southern Donetsk Oblast: Yalta
Yalta
Yalta is a city in Crimea, southern Ukraine, on the north coast of the Black Sea.The city is located on the site of an ancient Greek colony, said to have been founded by Greek sailors who were looking for a safe shore on which to land. It is situated on a deep bay facing south towards the Black...
-Yalta, Gurzuf
Gurzuf
Gurzuf or Hurzuf is a resort in Crimea, Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea.Gurzuf is a former Crimean Tatar village, now a part of Greater Yalta. It was made famous by Alexander Pushkin who visited the place in 1821. The famous ballet master Marius Petipa died here...
-Urzuf, etc.
During the Soviet era, Crimean Greeks were expelled after the Second World War. By the 2001 census there were 91,500 Greeks, the vast majority of whom (77,000) still live in Donetsk Oblast. Higher estimates such as 160,000 have been reported in the past, explained by intensive assimilation enacted by the Soviet government. Thus many Greeks were intended to change to the more prestigious Russian nationality. Other concentrations of Greeks are in Odessa
Odessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
and other major cities.
See also
- Greeks in RussiaGreeks in RussiaThe Greek presence in southern Russia is dated to the 6th century BC. Today there are about 188,000 people of Greek extraction living in the Russian Federation. Most live in the south and the Black Sea region with large concentrations in Moscow and St. Petersburg...
- Greeks in GeorgiaGreeks in GeorgiaThe Greek diaspora in Georgia is estimated at between 15,000 and 20,000 people down from about 100,000 in 1989. The community has dwindled due to the large wave of repatriation to Greece , as well as emigration to Russia...
- Greek diasporaGreek diasporaThe Greek diaspora, also known as Hellenic Diaspora or Diaspora of Hellenism, is a term used to refer to the communities of Greek people living outside the traditional Greek homelands, but more commonly in southeast Europe and Asia Minor...
- Mariupol#Language structure
- Greece–Ukraine relations