Histria

Histria was founded by Milesian Greeks around 657 BC on what was then the Black Sea coast, and it functioned as a port and trading city for something like thirteen centuries before silting and raids finished it. The sea has since retreated: the ruins now stand beside the Sinoe lagoon, part of the Danube Delta biosphere reserve, with reedbeds and water birds where ships once docked. The excavated area shows the late Roman defensive wall, streets, basilicas, baths and the sacred zone with Greek temple foundations, and the stratigraphy runs from Archaic Greek through Hellenistic and Roman to early Byzantine. A museum at the entrance holds sculpture, inscriptions and pottery. The setting, flat and open with the lagoon on one side and the Dobrogean steppe on the other, gives the place an unusual melancholy, and birdwatchers often combine it with the delta.

History

Milesian settlers founded the city to trade with the native Getae, in 630 BC according to Pseudo-Scymnus or in 657 BC according to Eusebius, and it was lived in for at least 1,200 years. Around 480 BC it issued an 8-gram silver drachma, the earliest documented coin on present Romanian territory; the ruins were identified in 1868 by Ernest Desjardins, and Vasile Pârvan began excavating them in 1914 (Wikipedia, Histria (ancient city)).

What you'll find

• The late Roman wall - the substantial defensive circuit at the entrance.
• The sacred zone - Greek temple foundations near the shore.
• Basilicas and baths - late antique buildings in the excavated quarters.
• The lagoon setting - reedbeds, water and birdlife around the ruins.

When to go

April to October, with spring best for birds and wildflowers on the steppe. Summer is hot and shadeless. The site closes on Mondays in some seasons and the museum has its own hours. Autumn light across the lagoon is excellent.

Things to know

Remains are mostly at foundation level, and without the museum first the site is hard to read. There is no shade and the wind off the lagoon can be strong. Mosquitoes are serious near the water in summer. Public transport is impractical; you need a car.

Nearby

Enisala fortress lies north; Constanța and the coast are south.

Key facts