Black Sea: Old Trade Routes and Current Perspectives of Socioeconomic Co-operation

On the coasts of the Black Sea, across the coastline of six countries (today), 32 important medieval and byzantine port-cities have flourished the last decades. Those port-cities facilitated the merchandise shipping from Europe to Central Asia and faraway China, through sea roads and routes followed not only by merchandisers and travelers but also by emperors and pilgrims. This paper constitutes a summarized literature review of the economic history of some of the most important Black Sea port-cities, counting from the 19th century, through 20th century and up to the present. It also seeks to examine the reconstruction and development of those port-cities after the demise of the Ottoman Empire, a number of Wars, political changes and finally through the economic and political transition of the Black Sea area. Additionally, the paper reviews the Black Sea trade routes followed by the merchants of the examined period. We conclude on current comparative advantages of the wider region and the perspectives for socio-economic development.