Pages: 226-234

The article treats the issue of four important polises in the Northern Black Sea area: Borysthenes, Olbia, Nymphaeum and Germonassa, founded by natives of Miletus and, possibly, of other Ionian towns, and therefore culturally and ethnically homogenous. They all are classical colonies founded by the first wave of Greek settlers; they all played important roles of economic, political and religious centers of their regions. Each of these polises has been systematically researched for a very long time. The comparative analysis showed that the early stages of existence of these regions marked significant differences in what concerns the nature and ways of development of the rural neighborhood of the Greek urban centers. It is also obvious that the reason behind such differences are to be found in the structure of the local population around these Greek polises, namely in its economic, cultural and demographic characteristics. Later on, with enhanced social and economic basis of the Greek colonies in coastal Scythia and in connection with the enhanced domination of the steppe Scythians in hinterland, increasing influence upon formation of the ancient rural areas in the Northern Black Sea region had the military-political factor of relations, not only between the Greek and the local ethno-political unions but also between the ancient states themselves.