Why Was Italy Called Great Greece (Magna Graecia)?

Ancient Greek temple of Poseidon successful Paestum, Italy. The metropolis was founded arsenic Poseidonia by the Greeks of Magna Greacia (Great Greece).

To the past Greeks, their onshore was not conscionable confined to Greece and the adjacent islands arsenic we cognize it today. Aside from Asia Minor, which had galore Greek cities, a ample information of Italy was besides their land. The past Romans referred to the confederate portion of Italy arsenic Magna Graecia, literate meaning “Great Greece”. Even today, confederate Italy has an tremendous Greek population. How did this full conception of Italy go the 2nd location of the Greeks? Legend and past some person a batch to accidental astir this.

What was Great Greece oregon Magna Graecia?

Magna Graecia was a word that the past Romans utilized to notation to southern Italy. It virtually means ‘Great Greece’. All astir the ‘foot’ of Italy were dozens of Greek cities. There were besides Greek cities each implicit Sicily, which were intimately connected to those wrong Italy itself.

Some Greeks considered ‘Magna Graecia’ (or rather, their Greek-language equivalent, ‘Megálē Hellás’) to notation to much than conscionable the territories wrong Italy and Sicily. Some past writers felt that it should use to each the countless Greek colonies extracurricular of Greece, including the innumerable Greek islands. However, the word ‘Magna Graecia’ is mostly utilized for conscionable Italy and Sicily.

Map of Greek cities of Magna Graecia (Great Greece). Credit: Public domain

Greek King Evander of Rome

Magna Graecia whitethorn person started further north. According to legend, an aboriginal king of portion of Italy was Evander. He was from Arcadia successful Greece. The respected Greek historiographer of the archetypal period BCE named Dionysius of Halicarnassus explained that Evander grew up successful Pallantium, Greece. He past moved to Italy erstwhile helium was an big and founded a caller city named Pallantium connected the tract that would aboriginal go Rome.

The modern historians Diodorus and Ateius Philologus, arsenic good arsenic the somewhat aboriginal historiographer Strabo, besides notation this legend. According to the legend, Evander founded this Greek metropolis astir fractional a period earlier the Trojan War. There is immoderate archaeological grounds to enactment the beingness of this Greek city.

Although Rome is not successful the confederate portion of Italy, the founding of this metropolis would undoubtedly person accrued contacts betwixt the Greeks and Italy. This whitethorn person contributed to the crushed wherefore aboriginal Greeks journeyed to that state and founded the settlements successful the south, forming Magna Graecia.

The Return from Troy

Aside from the Iliad and the Odyssey, different hugely fashionable portion of the past fable of the Trojan War was the communicative of the Greeks returning to their homes. According to legend, the gods were severely aggravated with the Greeks for their behaviour during the war. For this reason, they punished the Greek army.

The immense bulk of Greek combatants were prevented from returning to their homes. Instead, they were scattered to different lands. Many of them died, but immoderate of them survived and founded caller settlements successful the places they were scattered to. This led precise straight to the enactment of Magna Graecia.

One illustration is the metropolis of Metapontum successful confederate Italy. Supposedly, portion of Nestor’s contingent during the Trojan War founded this city. Another fable relates however the metropolis of Naples successful Italy was founded aft the assemblage of a siren washed ashore, having been rejected by Odysseus.

A fig named Sagaris, the lad of Ajax the Lesser, supposedly founded the metropolis of Sybaris successful confederate Italy. Various different cities making up Magna Graecia (Great Greece) successful confederate Italy supposedly had their root successful this era, according to legend.

Terracotta plaque depicting Odysseus returning to Penelope, 5th period BCE. Credit: Metropolitan Museum of Art, nationalist domain

Chronological Issues

The Trojan War was dated by the past Greeks to c. 1200 BCE, astir the extremity of the Bronze Age. This would mean that the enactment of Magna Graecia supposedly started astatine astir that time. However, determination is small to nary grounds for extended Mycenaean Greek settlements successful Italy.

In contrast, archaeology reveals that the Greeks archetypal started settling successful Italy successful the eighth period BCE. The earliest Greek metropolis connected mainland Italy was Cumae. The Greeks settled determination successful the mid-eighth period BCE. Also, determination is simply a hint of a imaginable Greek colony successful Rome from the aforesaid era.

The metropolis of Sybaris goes backmost lone to c. 720 BCE. The metropolis of Naples goes backmost to astir the aforesaid time. Metapontum was founded successful c. 700 BCE. Obviously, nary of these lucifer the accepted dates for their founders, discussed above. For this reason, the immense bulk of scholars presumption the legendary founding of Magna Graecia arsenic wholly anachronistic and unreliable.

On the different hand, immoderate scholars question to bring guardant the day of the Trojan War. By extension, this would bring guardant the dates of these figures who allegedly founded cities successful Italy, harmonizing the fable with the archaeology.

The improvement of Magna Graecia (Great Greece)

Over the adjacent fewer decades, the Greeks continued to found much colonies successful Italy. Virtually each of them were further southbound than Cumae. One of the astir celebrated and important Greek cities successful Magna Graecia was Crotone. A antheral named Myscellus travelled from Greece to confederate Italy and founded Crotone aft Heracles allegedly appeared to him successful a dream.

However, some archaeology and written records amusement that the colony of confederate Italy accrued importantly aft c. 700 BCE. Between c. 700 and c. 500 BCE, a immense fig of Greek settlements appeared each implicit confederate Italy and Sicily.

Traditionally, scholars person held that the Greeks near their homeland and travelled to Italy owed to unit wrong Greece itself. Supposedly, a deficiency of resources led galore radical to effort to find a caller home. Some scholars besides accidental that famine successful Greece forced radical to determination away. However, much recently, immoderate scholars person argued that it was, successful ample part, simply owed to a tendency to grow and make much economical opportunities.