7. Greek Colonization Spreads Its Wings

Date: 22 March 2024
Time: 15:01:29 CET
Topic: 7. Greek Colonization Spreads Its Wings
Tags: Dorians, Sicily, Syracuse, Rome, Agrigentum, tyrant Phalaris, Dorian colonies, Gulf of Lyons, Ionians, Massalia, Marseille, trade routes, travel networks, Africa, Cyrene, Naucratis, Nile Delta, Egyptian culture, knowledge

The Dorians left their mark on Sicily too. In 734 BC, they founded Syracuse, a powerful city that would one day stand toe-to-toe with a rising Rome. Sicily also saw the rise of Agrigentum, a Dorian city forever stained by the brutality of the tyrant Phalaris. Many other flourishing Dorian colonies took root on the island.

Moving west to the Gulf of Lyons, around 600 BC, the Ionians established the important city of Massalia (modern-day Marseille). This city became a hub for extensive trade routes and travel networks.

Even Africa felt the touch of Greek expansion. The Dorians founded the grand city of Cyrene around 630 BC. Roughly around the same time, the recently unearthed city of Naucratis emerged in the Nile Delta. This city became a central point for the Greek population in Egypt, facilitating the flow of Egyptian culture and knowledge into Greece.