8. The Northward Reach of Greek Colonization

Date: 22 March 2024
Time: 15:02:43 CET
Topic: 8. The Northward Reach of Greek Colonization
Tags: Greek emigration, Aegean, Hellespont, Propontis, Black Sea, Argonauts, settlements, Miletus, Ionian city, colonies, colonization, Mediterranean world, England, colonizer, motherland, freedom, dynamism, progress, colonial cities, poets, artists, philosophers

The wave of Greek emigration extended beyond the west and south, reaching the northern shores of the Aegean, the Hellespont, and the Propontis. The mythical dangers of the Black Sea, once associated with the Argonauts' perilous journey, were either forgotten or disregarded as Greeks established settlements on these distant shores.

Miletus, an Ionian city, played a significant role in this northward expansion. Often compared to a bustling beehive, Miletus became the "mother city" to over eighty colonies.

This remarkable wave of colonization positioned Greece in the ancient Mediterranean world much like England's role as a colonizer in the modern era. These colonies not only brought honor to their motherland through the achievements of their citizens, but also exerted a positive and stimulating influence on Greece itself. Fueled by a spirit of freedom, dynamism, and progress, these colonial cities produced some of Hellas' (Greece's) earliest poets, artists, and philosophers.