"Ancient Geography of Crimea and Southern Ukraine" (details from "Map of Ancient Eastern Europe and Near East") (see related A | B), 1700

The region is reputed to be the land of the Amazons, later of the Scythians and Sarmatians. Crimea, in ancient times known as Khersonesus, currently is an Autonomous Republic and is a part of Ukraine. Note that the city of Chersonesus, now Simferopil is not far from modern Yalta. 

To the west of Crimea near the point where the river Borysthenes (Dnieper) opens into the Euxine or Black sea stands the modern city of Kherson, a name formerly for Crimea itself (Khersonesus for "dry" region). Note that "Eu-xine" is a misleading "eu"phemism since the Black sea is not "peaceful" as implied but is feared for its fierce storms. Further to the west, near the ancient city of Lobia arose the modern city of Odessus or Odessa, established by pro-Napoleon French that had to leave France after his defeat. 

To the east, Crimea ends in the peninsula of Kerch, where is located the city of Kerch (one of the oldest, dating 17 c. B.C.) Across the strait of Kerch is the Taman peninsula (Russia). The Maeotae inhabited Taman and the shores of the Maeotae or Azov sea where the Thanais or Volga river empties into the Azov. The narrow Kerch strait (4 to 15 km wide) links the Euxine or Black with the Maeotae or Azov seas. Across the Kerch strait is the ancient site of Taman city. The region was ruled by the Moetae and Sindi and later invaded by Sarmatians, Greeks, and Jews. The city of Taman became the capital of Great Bulgaria until it fell under the control of the Khazars in the mid-7th. century. By the 9th century it fell under the control of the Kievan state until the Mongols seized the area in 1239. For most of the 1400s, the Taman peninsula was ruled by the Genoese Jewish family of Simeone de Guizolfi until it was seized by the Khanate of Crimea in 1483 and the Ottoman Empire in 1783. The Russian Empire gained final control of the area in 1828. Michael Lermontov describes the area in his novel "A Hero of Our Time". 

To the south, across the Euxine, is ancient Sinope, now the Turkish city of Sinop, where Diogenes was born. This area was a major center of Hittite civilization. 

Southern Ukraine, Crimea and Kerch - Taman areas in particular, were famous in ancient times for their luxurious jewelry, including what has become known as "Scithian Gold". Excavations in Mayak, near Kerch unearthed particularly outstanding examples of precious gems.