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The Greek Community in Odessa, 1861–1917

The Greeks have always been a seafaring people, interacting with lands in easy maritime access to their homes. The northern littoral of the Black Sea is one such accessible region. In ancient times Greeks often visited this coast, dotting it with numerous colonies and trading stations. In the late 18th century, Greeks again came in considerable numbers to the region, now part of the Russian empire. Expanding commercial opportunities, especially the booming export of cereals from the southern steppes to western Europe beckoned them. This essay describes the Greek community in one city of the Russian empire, Odessa, for a particular period in its history. For contrast, characteristics of the German and Jewish communities of the time are occasionally referred to. The principal sources for the study are two census reports and material to supplement them. The censuses, valuable as they are, provide aggregate and rather static information. To gauge the direction and degree of change, I have also examined life histories and have conducted oral and written interviews