Beginning in the eighth century BC the Greeks began a period of expansion that saw the establishment of settlements in various places on the coasts of the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. The reasons behind colonisation are debated but it would appear that trade, draught, political problems, and land hunger brought about by an increase in population during the Geometric period were the primary factors that impelled the cities to send people out to find a new life elsewhere.
After colonisation the ancient Greek world stretched from Libya and southern France to Cyprus, Asia Minor and the Crimean Peninsula. Sailing existing sea routes, the colonists captured land typically occupied by a vulnerable non-Greek people. Coasts defended by powerful kingdoms such as Egypt or Assyria were never colonised by the Greeks.
Greeks from Chalcis and Eretria on the island of Euboea founded the trading station of Pithecusae on the island of Ischia in the Gulf of Naples on the west coast of Italy (c.775 BC). Later, the Chalcidian element transferred to the mainland opposite and founded Cumae/Cyme (c.750 BC).
On the east coast of Sicily, Chalcis founded Naxus (c.734 BC) and Zancle (c.730 BC), and Corinth founded Syracuse (c.733 BC). On south coastal Italy, Chalcis founded Rhegium (c.730-c.720 BC), Achaea founded Sybaris (c.720 BC) and Croton (c.708 BC), and Sparta founded Taras (c.706 BC).
By the late 700s BC, Greeks mainly from Chalcis had ousted native Thracians from the Aegean coast of Thrace and occupied the region later known as Chalcidice. Thasos (Is) nearby, was occupied in c.650 BC by Greeks from the island of Paros. Later colonies on the Thracian coast included Abdera (c.654 BC), Aenus (c.600-c.575 BC) and Amphipolis (437 BC)
To the northeast the Black Sea and its approaches were colonised mainly by Miletus. Of perhaps two dozen Milesian colonies here the most important included Cyzicus (756 BC), Sinope (c.631 BC) and Panticapaeum (c.600 BC). Byzantium, the city with the greatest destiny, was founded c.660 BC by colonists from Megara.
In 733 or 706 BC the Corinthians established Corcyra (modern Corfu) off the northwestern coast of Greece, about eighty miles (≈130 km) east of the heel of Italy. Later, to compensate for a Corcyrean rebellion the Corinthians created new northwestern colonies that included Ambracia and Leucas (c.625 BC), and Apollonia Illyrica (c.600 BC).
In North Africa the Greek city of Cyrene, destined for commercial greatness, was founded from the island of Thera in c.630 BC. To the northwest Massilia (modern Marseille, in southern France) and other far-western Greek cities were established by Phocaeans from Ionia c.600 BC.
Most of the Greek colonies had been established in the West by 650 BC and southern Italy and Sicily later became known as Magna Graecia because of the large number of settlements there. Colonisation further west and in the East did not end until the middle of the sixth century BC.
Leave a Reply