ANCIENT GREEK CITIES IN SCYTHIA

Scythia ( Greek: Σκυθική) was a region of Central Eurasia in classical antiquity, occupied by the Eastern Iranian Scythians, incorporating Central Asia and parts of Eastern Europe east of the Vistula River, with the eastern edges of the region vaguely defined by the Greeks. The Ancient Greeks gave the name Scythia (or Great Scythia) to all the lands north-east of Europe and the northern coast of the Black Sea.

The Scythians inhabited Scythia from at least the 11th century BCE to the 2nd century CE.In the 7th century BCE, they controlled large swaths of territory throughout Eurasia, from the Black Sea across Siberia to the borders of China.
The founding of the Greek settlements on the Black Sea Coast dates back to the 7th and the 6th century BCE. It was a part of the  Great Greek colonization. Most of the cities in the north and west areas of Pontos were established by colonists from Miletus. Cities in this territory became essential economic and political units, playing a significant role in the area of continental Greece.

The Greek population came more often into contact with neighbouring tribes new trade centers were founded in the area. Scythians and Thracians became the main trading partners of Greeks and their neighbours in the eastern Mediterranean. The Bosporan kingdom, with the city of Pantikapaion as its center, was a substantial trade area.The commerce was focused on ceramics, food,and also slaves. Written evidence from that era include epigraphic records (records of ownership) from various Greek colonial cities, as well as accounts from ancient authors.

Triptolemos - relief