The ancient city of Callatis

Callatis is one of the oldest urban settlements in Romania, founded in the 4th century BC by Greek colonists from Heraclea Pontica, on the site of the current Black Sea port of Mangalia.

Ion Puican, 07.02.2026, 14:00

Callatis was an active commercial, cultural and spiritual center for over a millennium, spanning the Greek, Roman and Roman-Byzantine periods. Maria-Magdalena Ștefan, an archaeologist, responsible for the Callatis sector of Romania’s National Museum of History (MNIR), tells us more about the ancient city: “Under all the streets and buildings in Mangalia today, if we were to dig, we would find vestiges from antiquity that were part of the ancient city of Callatis, a Greek city. A city-state, that is, a community of citizens that governed itself and which included the city and the surrounding agricultural territory, with villages, villas, roads and cemeteries, and in the case of Callatis, of course, with several port areas. Such a city-state made its own policy, had its own army and gods, whom it chose as protective gods. And it also managed its own economy and minted coins.”

Founded by Dorian Greeks who came from Heraclea Pontica, Callatis was not just any city. It was one of the largest and most powerful Greek urban centers on the western shore of the Black Sea, as archaeologist Maria-Magdalena Ștefan tells us: “Callatis was founded by Dorian Greeks from the city of Heraclea Pontica, which was located on the southern shore of the Black Sea, in today’s Turkey. The Dorians are that part of the Greeks most well-known and famously associated with Sparta. The culture of the Dorians was somewhat more austere and their style, a warlike one. Callatis was probably founded as early as the end of the 6th century. The truth is, however, that in the ancient sources that refer to the events of that early period, Callatis is never mentioned. Also, from an archaeological point of view, we do not have enough arguments to place it in that early period other than a certain historical logic. That is why we are talking about a re-foundation or perhaps even founding altogether at the beginning of the 4th century BC. (…) Callatis is one of the largest and most powerful Greek cities on the western shore of the Black Sea.”

Maria-Magdalena Ștefan describes an image of this important ancient center, of the role of the Callatis fortress and how life was in those distant times: “Today’s Port Street in Mangalia follows the route of part of the Hellenistic fortification, and the area of ​​the current Mangalia Archeology Museum and the Callatis stadium overlaps part of the ancient cemetery. The funerary landscapes remain, in fact, very impressive in Callatis. At least a thousand mounds, tumuli, were built around the city. And this is a special thing for the ancient world. These tumuli were erected in an organized plan, in rows, separated by roads and streets. Even in light of the latest archaeological discoveries in Callatis, what we can understand about the role that this Greek community played in this area is that of an intermediary between the Aegean world, the Macedonian kingdoms, ancient Greece itself, Asia Minor with the area of ​​the kingdoms barbarians, with the Thracians, the Odrysians and the Scythians. In such cities, such as Callatis, meetings could be established, treaties could be concluded, coins could be minted with which mercenaries were hired, they were points from which ships departed and moved armies on both sides of the Black Sea, or goods and slaves were moved. The Greek cities of Dobrogea, Histria, Tomis, Callatis were built according to the model of the Mediterranean polis. This meant that their enclosures were delimited by fortification elements, generally stone walls. Inside, within the city, the neighbourhoods were designed, drawn according to a plan, separated by streets. The houses could have several floors, they were built of stone, but also of clay. There was in these cities a central market called the Agora, where the inhabitants met. There were areas with temples for different gods and, of course, port areas that were vital for trade, given that this was the main activity in these cities. Trade was carried out, as we know from the sources of the time, cereals, salted fish, wine, olive oil, textiles and especially slaves. Probably one of the main resources for the development of these cities were the slaves coming from the barbarian territories. Agriculture and various crafts also mattered. There were workshops in Callatis, for workshops for making terracotta, painted terracotta figurines. Precious textiles and jewellery were also produced. We can think of the probably most beautiful moments which were the religious holidays, which took place according to a well-known calendar and which were public holidays in which the whole community participated.”

Callatis remains a silent city, hidden under the city of today, but essential for understanding who we were and how different worlds met here. Through its vestiges and archaeological research, this ancient city continues to speak to us about memory, identity and the deep connection between past and present,  an open invitation to look at Mangalia not just as a place of vacation, but as a space of living history. (EE)