city state · Greece and the Aegean

Histria

657 BCE – 72 BCE (approx.) · capital Histria

The oldest Greek colony on the western Black Sea coast, founded by Miletus near the mouth of the Danube.

Origins

Milesian colonists founded Histria c. 657 BCE on a peninsula by the sea near the Danube delta, in modern Dobruja, Romania. It was named after the Istros, the Greek name for the Danube, and became the earliest Greek city on the western Black Sea coast.

Rule and society

Histria traded olive oil, wine and pottery with the Getae and Scythians for grain, fish, honey and slaves. Aristotle mentions its shift from oligarchy to democracy. Its sanctuaries honoured Zeus Polieus and Aphrodite, and it struck silver coins showing two heads and a sea eagle catching a dolphin.

Decline and legacy

Histria was garrisoned by Lysimachus and revolted against him in 313 BCE. Its harbour silted up. In 72 to 71 BCE Marcus Lucullus brought the western Pontic cities under Roman control, and Burebista's Getae sacked the city soon after. It revived under Rome and was abandoned in the 7th century CE.

Connections (1)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Histria. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/histria
MLA
“Histria.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/histria. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Histria.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/histria.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Histria’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/histria (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻