Why did the Greeks go west?
• Around 1200 BCE, the ancestors of the Greeks, the Mycenaeans discovered what we now know as Italy and Sicily
• They traded with the nomadic people who lived there, until a dark age set upon their civilization
• All memories of Italy were transformed into a legend of a mythical land with monsters and sorcerers
• After the end of the dark ages (around 7th century BCE), Greek was getting overpopulated.
• This led to them rediscovering the west, and settling in the lands they called Magna Graecia
Immigration
• Many different bands of people went to these new lands seeking better opportunities and land.
• Before they could start their journey, they had the consult The Oracle at Delphi.
• The Oracle was located on a shrouded mountaintop in the Temple Of Apollo and was usually an older woman who spoke in a language only the priests could decipher.
• Many of the first settlers landed at Pithekoussai
Glory of the West
• The lands in Magna Graecia were lush, largely unpopulated lands in which the potential for a better life was great.
• The lands had many natural resources, which aided in the cities of the west match Greece’s splendor and power and even surpass it.
Cities of the West
Pithekoussai
• Founded in 770 BCE, arguably the first real Greek settlement in Magna Graecia
• It was a port city, with a large harbor and a lot of trade.
• It was a trading point between Phoenicians and the Greeks, with both civilizations intermingling there
Kroton
• City of athletes and warriors
• Such great athletes that at one point, the first 7 runners of the marathon were Krotite, instilling the belief the Krotites were the greatest of all Greeks.
Sybaris
• Richest city in all of Magna Graecia
• Rumored to have banned all roosters from the city, lest they wake anyone up early
• Also were supposed to have vine...