City Council in Odesa Oblast Refuses to Protect Ancient Greek City

The prosecutor's office failed to oblige the Pivdenne City Council to protect an ancient Greek settlement and necropolis on the shores of the Tiligul Estuary. The Court of Appeal ruled that the archaeological monument of national importance, the Koshary settlement, although located on municipal land, is not protected by the city hall.

According to the Dumskaya newspaper, the judges agreed with the arguments of the city council that the ownership of the land by the municipality does not make it the owner of the archaeological site. Such cultural heritage sites, except for ancient battlefields, always belong to the state. It will protect the cultural layer on an area of about 5 hectares.

The Koshary settlement regularly suffers from raids by black archaeologists and others. In 2004, 11 hectares of the monument's protection zone were divided up and transferred to private people, allegedly for agricultural activities. Subsequently, the shares were concentrated in the hands of a businessman who was going to build a cottage community there. Fortunately, the prosecutor's office intervened and succeeded in having the illegal decisions canceled in court.

An ancient settlement near the modern village of Koshary existed in the V-III centuries BC and, according to archaeologists, was part of the chora (district) of the polis of Olbia. The settlement was a large fortified center with a typical urban layout, multi-chambered houses with courtyards.

Scientists have also found many outbuildings, such as craftsmen's workshops, storage facilities for grain and other products, and sheds. The inhabitants of ancient Koshary were mainly engaged in agriculture, but fishing, animal husbandry, crafts, and trade were also developed. Olbian coins were found at the site, which indicates that it belonged to the Olbian state.

Кирило Бойко