Before Odesa was ever more than a thought, the ground beneath it held stories as old as time.
Long before grand designs and royal decrees, ancient settlers walked this ground, their lives woven into the very soil. During classical antiquity, the site where Odesa now stands was already buzzing with Greek activity.
By the middle of the 6th Century B.C., Greeks had established a bustling colony on the northern coast of the Black Sea. This strategic spot, shielded by a bay from fierce storms and harsh winters, was a choice made by the Greeks with the foresight that marked their ventures. Some believe this settlement was the one called Histria (Havan Istrion).
As time marched on, new faces appeared. By the 7th Century B.C., the Greeks were joined by the Tiverians and Uliches. Fast forward to the 13th and 14th centuries, and raiding Tatar tribes had their influence, and Genoese ships frequented the port they established. The Genoese called their port Ginestra, named for the gorse plants that dotted the steppes.
The 15th Century saw the rise of "Koczibej" under the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, but soon after, the Ottomans took control. The once-thriving area fell into neglect under Ottoman rule. Yet, it remained important. The Ottomans built fortifications, and in 1764, they erected a fortress on the bay's shores, calling it Yeni-Dunya, or "New World."
Even before Odesa's formal founding, the land had layers of history, from Greek colonists to Ottoman fortresses. The Tsvyntar Sotnykivs'koyi Sichi, or Kuyal'nyk Cossack Cemetery, on Khadzhibey Road, is a testament to this. Dating back to 1775, before the city's founding, it marks the final resting place of Cossacks from the Sotnyky Cossack Regiment. Their graves are quiet witnesses to the land's many transitions.
This area was a crossroads of cultures and empires—Cimmerians, Scythians, ancient Slavs—each leaving its mark. Throughout all these changes, the bay remained a constant, reliable sanctuary even in the harshest times. It was destined to become the heart of something new.
So, as you wander through Odesa, remember you are walking on a landscape steeped in ancient history. The city today is built upon layers of past civilizations, each adding to the rich tapestry that is modern Odesa.
It all sounds Greek to me
The ancient predecessor was Havan Istrion, a Greek city established over 2,500 years ago, situated beneath modern Prymorskyi Boulevard. Archaeological finds suggest its burial mounds were present in Greek Square until they were removed for market construction in 1803. Traces of this Greek heritage have appeared across Odesa. In 1823, a worker found a burial with Greek vases in Teatralnyi Lane. Other ancient remains, including skeletal finds and painted vases, were discovered near the Londonska Hotel and Vorontsovs'kyy Palace.
The city's residents built stone homes with tiled roofs. Fishing was one of the earliest industries here. Archaeologists found a fisherman's pit containing stone and ceramic weights, fish remnants, and iron tools. This evidence highlights how the early settlers, Greek colonists, relied on the sea and adapted to the land.
Havan Istrion (from which Havanna Street in front of Greek Square gets its name) was one of the largest settlements in the region, but it was not alone. Around the Odesa Bay, there were 12 Greek colonies. Two rival settlements, Luzanivka and Havan Istrion, occupied opposite sides of the bay. Luzanivka was a subordinate of Olbia, one of the powerful Greek states of the time, while Havan Istrion was aligned with Istria.
On the heights of Zhevakhova Hora, between Khadzhibey & Kuyal'nyk estuaries, archaeologists found a scribed lead letter. It was from the 4th century BC. An aristocrat from Olbia, Protagor, wrote it. He was told to return home. They also found amphorae, iron knives, and pottery. There was a sanctuary to Demeter, the goddess of fertility.
All the way back...
The territory of the Northern Black Sea coast has been inhabited since ancient times, starting from the Paleolithic period. Several thousand years of historical heritage shaped the culture through the Chalcolithic, Bronze Age (particularly Usatovo, Yamna, Sabinovka, Bilozerska cultures), nomadic Cimmerians (1st millennium BC), Scythians (6th–4th centuries BC), and Sarmatians (from the 3rd century BC).
Greek colonization began in the 6th century BC, located between the ancient Greek cities of Tyras and Olbia, followed by Roman rule (1st–3rd centuries AD) and Gothic presence (3rd century AD), with the cessation of ancient settlements and cities in the region linked to the invasion of the wild nomadic tribes of the Huns in the year 375. For many centuries, the lands around the Odesa Bay turned into uninhabited "Wild Steppes".
The area was then influenced by the Slavic tribes, Pechenegs, Cumans and Mongols (mid-13th century). Genoese colonization started in the 13th century, followed by the Galicia-Volyn period (13th–14th centuries), the presence of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (14th–15th centuries), and the Crimean Khanate and Ottoman Empire (15th–18th centuries). The Northern Black Sea region was also inhabited by Ukrainians and Moldovans throughout the modern era
A Goddess's Sanctuary
The Greeks prayed to her. Women gathered for the Thesmophoria festival. They prayed for crops, for marriage, for life to go on. Demeter was the one who would listen.
In the late 4th century BC, Olbia clashed with its Greek neighbors—Chersonesus in Crimea and Istria near the mouth of the Danube. The reason was clear. Greek sailors had learned to sail across open seas, no longer hugging the coast. Ships bypassed Olbia, anchoring in Istria and sailing straight to Chersonesus, cutting their journey in half. Olbia began to lose out. War was its answer. By attacking Istria, Olbia sought to shift power to weaken its rivals.
Havan Istrion sat near Olbian lands, with Luzanivka under Olbia's control. Fighting was fierce. Olbia's influence waned, and by the start of the 3rd century BC, the city had fallen into decline. Luzanivka, however, held on for another century, enduring until the 2nd century BC. But the fate of the ancient settlement that once stood near today's Odesa was sealed long before then. Olbia's hold over the Black Sea was broken.
A Secret Society
Theodoros Kolokotronis takes the Great Oath of the Filiki Eteria, in a painting by Dionysios Tsokos (1814-1862).
In 1814, three Greeks in Odesa, Nikolaos Skoufas, Athanasios Tsakalov & Emanouil Xanthos founded the secret society Filiki Eteria, to gain independence for Greece via armed struggle.
