Greek Colonization

Starting at the turn of the 9th century BCE, Greek communities began founding new settlements in and outside of the Aegean basin. Over the course of nearly 4 centuries, Greek colonies appeared across the Mediterranean and Black Seas, forming a network of trade and culture that stretched from modern day Spain to Ukraine.

These maps display some of those colonies and demonstrate their spread over the period traditionally considered the Greek Dark and Archaic Ages. Click on each city to learn what community the colonists came from, it's founder, when it was founded, and more.

Please interact with these maps by zooming in or out and clicking on points to learn more.

Note: All data was entered by students in HIST 3052 at the University of Minnesota. These maps do not claim to be authoritative and may contain errors.