greek colonizing era 700s-500s BC Flashcards
When did the explosion of Greek overseas settlement outside of Greece happen and where?
730s BC
First in Sicily, then in Italy, then around the shores of the Mediterranean and the Black Sea
What was the Greek movement based on? How did it differ?
Copying of the Phoenicians of Lebanon - how they set up overseas colonies for trade
However, the Greeks aimed primarily at farmland and not for trade routes
Colonizing was used for what?
Population control
Sources of grain and trade access for the home city;
- Grain would eventually be sold back to home city
- Home city linked into long range trade route for other goods
Who led and went on the expeditions of overseas colonies?
Aristocrats led the expeditions
Farmers of the peasant class who lacked enough land at home were shipped out
What places were methodically planned to be colonized?
Places with fertile farmland
Places with non Greek inhabitants who were primitive and disorganized enough to be beaten and ejected
Greek Sicily
Greeks colonized eastern Sicily
Sikels (non Greek inhabitants) were unsophisticated indigenous people that were overpowered and ejected
Eastern fields were fertile;
due to natural lime
Syracuse - foremost Greek colony of Sicily
Fought in Peloponnese AGAINST Athens, was the scene of a major campaign that destroyed an Athenian army
Greek Italy
South coast of Italy
More fertile space and better rainfall than Greece;
Wheat was grown
Taras - most famous Greek city of Italy, colony founded by Sparta;
created partly for population control and political control back at Sparta
Greeks in North Africa
Cyrne - (modern Libya) Greek colony in North Afrcia
Founded by Dorian Greek colonists of Thera in the Aegan Sea;
created because of drought and food shortage in Thera, so for population control
Other famous Greek colonies
Colonies were planted almost always on or near a seacoast
Naples in Western Italy
Istanbul in Turkey
Marseille in Southern France
Nice on the French Riviera
Greeks in Russia
Far northeastern trade depot Tanaïs;
stood at delta of the Don river that rises south of Moscow
Special case of Corcyra
Island located just off Greece’s northwest coast
Colony of Corinth, founded circa 734 BC
Anchorage on Corinth’s trade route to Italy
Revolted against Corinth in a sea battle
(only major colony to do so)
Fought as an ally of Athens in Peloponnese war;
because Corinth was an ally of Sparta
Apollo
God of colonists
Several Greek colonies were named after him
Only god who could approve a colonizing expedition;
(association goes back to at least 1000 BC)
Delphis oracle in 700s 600s BC became the most important of Apollo’s shrines;
for the function of giving permission to colonizing expeditions
An example of those who did not ask for his permission:
They got driven away by native people in Libya
