This is a valuable unpublished ph.D thesis which analyzes in great detail the development of Black sea grain trade in the 19th century based on official statistical series of the Russian Empire. The port cities, their foundation and evolution over time forms the basis of the analysis of the rise of the Black sea region in the international grain trade and the role of this process to the economic development. The development of the Black sea region is linked to the expansion of the productive hinterland, the expansion of sea and land transportation networks and the diffusion of the technology of steam. /Η διδακτορική διατριβή αναφερει την ανάπτυξη του ρωσικού εμπορίου στη Μαύρη θάλασσα και τις επιπτώσεις του στην οικονομία της εποχής.