 The city of Oleshye (Oleshia) has been known since the 11th century, when it was a part of Kievan Rus', but the area itself has been known since antiquity.Herodotus mentioned Scythian forests in the mouth of the Dnieper in the 5th century BCE, which were called "Oleshye" (from the Slavic word for "forest") by the Slavs.The city, which appeared later, took its name from the area, and the later form of the name (Alyoshki/Oleshky) is also related.