Azov , formerly known as
Azoff, is a
town in
Rostov Oblast, Russia, situated on the
Don River just from the
Sea of Azov, which derives its name from the town. Population:
History
Early settlements in the vicinity
The mouth of the Don River has always been an important commercial center. At the start of the 3rd century BCE, the Greeks from the
Bosporan Kingdom founded a colony here, which they called
Tanais (after the Greek name of the river). Several centuries later, in the last third of 1st century BCE, the settlement was burned down by king
Polemon I of Pontus. The introduction of Greek colonists restored its prosperity, but the
Goths practically annihilated it in the 3rd century. The site of ancient Tanais, now occupied by the
khutor of Nedvigovka, has been excavated since the mid-19th century.
