Nikōnion (; ) and Nikōnia ()Strabo, Geography, §7.3.16
/ref> was an

ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...

city on the east bank of the

Dniester The Dniester ( ) is a transboundary river in Eastern Europe. It runs first through Ukraine and then through Moldova (from which it more or less separates the breakaway territory of Transnistria), finally discharging into the Black Sea on Uk ...

estuary. Its ruins are located 300 meters to the northwest of the modern village Roksolany, in the

Odesa Raion Odesa Raion () or Odessa Raion () is a List of raions of Ukraine, raion (district) of Odesa Oblast, Ukraine. It was created on 17 July 2020 as part of the reform of administrative divisions of Ukraine. Biliaivka Raion, Biliaivka Municipality, Bili ...

of the

Odesa Oblast Odesa Oblast (), also referred to as Odeshchyna (Одещина), is an administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast (province) of southwestern Ukraine, located along the northern coast of the Black Sea. Its administrative centre is the city of Ode ...

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

History

Nikōnion was founded in the second half of the 6th century BC by colonists from

Miletus Miletus (Ancient Greek: Μίλητος, Mílētos) was an influential ancient Greek city on the western coast of Anatolia, near the mouth of the Maeander River in present day Turkey. Renowned in antiquity for its wealth, maritime power, and ex ...

. On the opposite bank of the river other Milesian colonists had already founded

Tyras 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 Dn ...

. The city was founded at a time when many

nomadic tribes Nomads are communities without fixed habitation who regularly move to and from areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the population of nomadic past ...

were beginning to settle in the areas north of the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...

. The Greeks settled in this area because of the plentiful fishing and the opportunity to trade with these barbarian settlers. Stone construction in the city began in the 5th century. At the turn of the 3rd-2nd centuries BC, the city was destroyed, an event which was associated with the Macedonian commander

Zopyrion Zopyrion () (died 331 BC) was a Macedonian general. Zopyrion was made a governor either of Thrace or of Pontus by Alexander the Great. In 331 BC, he led an invasion of Scythian lands, "thinking that, if he did not attempt something, he should b ...

, associate of

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon (; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), most commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip ...

. In the 1st century BC, the size of the city increased from the previous period. Nikōnion was abandoned permanently in the middle of the third century AD when the area was invaded by the

Goths The Goths were a Germanic people who played a major role in the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the emergence of medieval Europe. They were first reported by Graeco-Roman authors in the 3rd century AD, living north of the Danube in what is ...

during the

Great Migrations ''Great Migrations'' is a seven-episode nature documentary television miniseries that airs on the National Geographic Channel, featuring the great migrations of animals around the globe. The seven-part show is the largest programming event in the ...

Archaeological excavations

The city was located on a plateau which now descends steeply into the Dniestr estuary, which has submerged the lower terrace of the city. The size of the city is estimated to be . According to the findings of excavations in the area, it appears that in the 5th-4th centuries BC, the money in Nikōnion mostly consisted of Histrian coins. It is also possible that Nikōnion itself minted coins, because some of the coins discovered during excavation are unique in appearance and bear the name of the

Scythian The Scythians ( or ) or Scyths (, but note Scytho- () in composition) and sometimes also referred to as the Pontic Scythians, were an ancient Eastern Iranian equestrian nomadic people who had migrated during the 9th to 8th centuries BC fr ...

king

Scyles Scyles, Skyles, or Scylas ( Scythian: ; , romanized: ; Latin: ), was a Scythian king who lived in the 5th century BC. He is mentioned in the histories of Herodotus as having been an admirer of Greek culture and traditions, which led to his falli ...

, who had established a protectorate over Nikōnion and other settlements in the area and may have been buried in the city.

References

External links

Description of excavations in Niconium by the Nicolaus Copernicus University in 2012, including pictures
* ttp://www.archaeology.odessa.ua/ Odesa State Museum of Archaeology {{Authority control Milesian Pontic colonies Ancient history of Ukraine Former populated places in Eastern Europe Greek colonies on the Black Sea coast Archaeological sites in Ukraine

History

Archaeological excavations

References

Further reading

External links