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Tyras

Ancient Greek city-state in Ukraine

Summary

Ancient Greek city-state in Ukraine

Field	Value
name	Tyras
native_name	Τύρας
image	Tyras4.jpg
caption	Remains of Tyras, near the medieval walls of the Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi fortress.
map_type	Ukraine#Ukraine Odesa Oblast
map_alt	Tyras is located near the Black Sea coast in southwestern Ukraine.
map_size	270
relief	yes
coordinates
location	Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi, Odesa Oblast, Ukraine
type	Settlement
builder	Settlers from Miletus
built	Approximately 600 BC
abandoned	Late 4th century AD
epochs	Archaic Greek to Roman Imperial
cultures	Greek, Roman
condition	Ruined
ownership	Public
public_access	Yes
website
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Tyras () was an ancient Greek city on the northern coast of the Black Sea. It was founded by colonists from Miletus, probably about 600 BC. The city was situated some 10 km from the mouth of the Tyras River, which is now called the Dniester. The surrounding native tribe was called the Tyragetae. The ruins of Tyras are now located in the modern city of Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi in the Odesa Oblast of Ukraine.

History

Of great importance in early times, in the 2nd century BC Tyras fell under the dominion of native kings whose names appear on its coins, and it was destroyed by the Getae about 50 BC.

In 56 AD, it seems to have been restored by the Romans under Nero and, henceforth, formed part of the province of Lower Moesia. There exists a series of its coins with heads of emperors from Domitian to Alexander Severus.

Indeed, the autonomous minting of coins in the city lasted from the time of the emperor Domitian (81 AD) up to the end of the reign of the emperor Alexander Severus (235 AD) with few breaks. The coins of Tyras of this period were of copper with the portraits of the members of the Imperial house for the province of the Roman Empire.

In Tyras was stationed a small unit of the Roman fleet, Classis Flavia Moesica.

In 201 CE, Septimius Severus and Caracalla granted the inhabitants of the city the right to engage in duty-free trade.

Soon after the time of Alexander Severus, it was partially destroyed by the Goths, but archaeological findings show that Romans remained there until the end of the 4th century under Theodosius I. Later, the Byzantines renamed the city, destroyed by barbarian invasions, with the new name Maurokastron, "black fort".

Its government was in the hands of five archons, a senate, a popular assembly and a registrar. The images on its coins suggest a trade in wheat, wine and fish. The few inscriptions are also mostly concerned with trade.

Remains of the city are scant, as its site has been covered by the great medieval fortress called by the Genoese Maurocastro (and later Akkerman/Cetatea Albă).

Tyras and the other Greek colonies along the north coast of the Black Sea, 8th to 3rd century BC

References

This work in turn cites:
E. H. Minns. Scythians and Greeks (Cambridge, 1909)
V. V. Latyshev, Inscriptiones Orae Septentrionalis Ponti Euxini, Volume I.

References

Bertolazzi, Riccardo. (2024). "The Eastern Roman Empire under the Severans: Old Connections, new Beginnings?". [[Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht]].

Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

milesian-pontic-colonies roman-towns-and-cities-in-ukraine ancient-history-of-ukraine former-populated-places-in-eastern-europe bilhorod-dnistrovskyi members-of-the-delian-league history-of-bilhorod-dnistrovskyi-raion archaeological-sites-in-ukraine

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