Knowra Magna Graecia Magna Graecia Magna Graecia was the network of Greek-founded settlements along the coasts of southern Italy, established chiefly from the eighth century BCE. Its cities developed distinct political and cultural identities while maintaining ties to the wider Greek world.
Greek colonization : The ancient Greek practice of founding settlements beyond the Aegean, often through organized migration from a parent city. It supplies the broader movement that established Greek communities in southern Italy.
Sybaris : An ancient Greek city on the Gulf of Taranto, founded by settlers from Achaea and destroyed by Croton in 510 BCE. Its wealth and violent destruction illustrate the region’s intense intercity rivalries.
Ancient Greek : The language spoken by Greek communities from antiquity through the early centuries CE, with several regional dialects. Greek dialects connected the cities culturally while preserving differences among their founders.
Pythagoras : A Greek philosopher and mathematician traditionally associated with the sixth century BCE and the city of Croton. His Croton community made southern Italy a major setting for early Greek philosophy.
Euboea : A Greek island whose cities, especially Chalcis, established early settlements in southern Italy. Euboean settlers founded some of the earliest Greek communities in the region.
Croton : An ancient Greek city in Calabria, founded by Achaean settlers and known for its political and intellectual life. Croton became a leading city and the conqueror of neighboring Sybaris.
Greek polis : An autonomous Greek city-state consisting of an urban center and its surrounding territory. The polis explains why the region comprised independent cities rather than one unified colony.
Pythagoreanism : A philosophical and religious movement associated with Pythagoras and his followers, emphasizing number, discipline, and the soul. Its communities show how intellectual movements took root in the cities of Magna Graecia.
Pithekoussai : An early Greek settlement on the island of Ischia, founded by Euboeans in the eighth century BCE. Its early settlement offers evidence for the first phase of Greek expansion westward.
Taras : An ancient Greek city in Apulia, founded by Spartan settlers and later known as Tarentum. Taras was the region’s principal Spartan foundation and a major later power.
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