Taman Peninsula
The region's earliest known inhabitants are referred to, generically, as the "Maiōtai" (after the Greek name for the Sea of Azov). During the 6th century BC, Pontic Greeks founded the area's first cities, such as "Phanagoria" (near modern Sennoy) and "Hermonassa" (on the Taman Peninsula), who traded with nomadic tribes including the "Skuthai" (Scythians) and "Sindi".