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Magna Graecia

"Magna Grecia" redirects here. For the racehorse, see Magna Grecia (horse).

Magna Graecia
Μεγάλη Ἑλλάς (Ancient Greek)
Historical region
Clockwise from top left: Second Temple of Hera in Poseidonia, Campania; Doric-styled temple, Segesta, Sicily; Taras' sculpture of a young man wearing cucullus and leading his donkey, Louvre; depiction of Eos riding a two-horsed chariot, on a krater from Southern Italy, Staatliche Antikensammlungen.
Etymology: from Ancient Greek and Latin ("Great[er] Greece")
Ancient Greek colonies and their dialect groupings in Magna Graecia.
Ancient Greek colonies and their dialect groupings in Magna Graecia.
Present countryItaly
Present territorySouthern Italy
Founded8th century BC
Founded byGreeks
Largest citySybaris[1]
Government
 • Typecity-states administered by the aristocracy
Demonym(s)Italiote and Siceliote

Magna Graecia[a] is a term that was used for the Greek-speaking areas of Southern Italy, in the present-day Italian regions of Calabria, Apulia, Basilicata, Campania and Sicily; these regions were extensively populated by Greek settlers starting from the 8th century BC.[2]

The settlements in this region, founded initially by their metropoleis (mother cities), eventually evolved into strong Greek city-states (poleis), functioning independently. The settlers brought with them their Hellenic civilization, and developed their own civilisation,[3] due to the distance from the motherland and the influence of the indigenous peoples of southern Italy[3] which left a lasting imprint on Italy (such as in the culture of ancient Rome). They also influenced the native peoples, such as the Sicels and the Oenotrians, who became hellenised after they adopted the Greek culture as their own. In some fields such as architecture and urban planning, they sometimes surpassed the mother country.[4] The ancient inhabitants of Magna Graecia are called Italiotes and Siceliotes.

Remains of some of these Greek cities can be seen today, such as Neapolis ("New City", now Naples), Syrakousai (Syracuse), Akragas (Agrigento), Taras (Taranto), Rhegion (Reggio Calabria), and Kroton (Crotone). The most populous city of Magna Graecia was Sybaris (now Sibari) with an estimated population, from 600 BC to 510 BC, between 300,000 and 500,000.[1]

The government of city-states was usually an aristocracy[5] and the cities were often at war with each other.[6]

The Second Punic War put an end to the independence of the cities of Magna Graecia, which were annexed to the Roman Republic in 205 BC.[7]

From the motherland Greece, art, literature and philosophy decisively influenced the life of the colonies. In Magna Graecia much impetus was given to culture, especially in some cities such as Taras (now Taranto).[5] Noteworthy was the South Italian ancient Greek pottery, fabricated in Magna Graecia largely during the 4th century BC. The settlers of Magna Graecia had great successes in the Ancient Olympic Games in their homeland. Crotone's athletes won 18 titles in 25 Olympics.[8] Although many of the Greek inhabitants of Magna Graecia were entirely Latinized during the Middle Ages,[9] pockets of Greek culture and language remained and have survived to the present day. One example is the Griko people in Calabria (Bovesia) and Salento (Grecìa Salentina), some of whom still maintain their Greek language (Griko language) and customs.[10] The Griko language is the last living trace of the Greek elements that once formed Magna Graecia.[11]

  1. ^ a b "Sybaris: la storia della più ricca città della Magna Grecia" (in Italian). Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  2. ^ Henry Fanshawe Tozer (30 October 2014). A History of Ancient Geography. Cambridge University Press. p. 43. ISBN 978-1-108-07875-7.
  3. ^ a b "Magna Grecia", Dizionario enciclopedico italiano (in Italian), vol. VII, Treccani, 1970, p. 259
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference magnagrecia was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b "Magna Grecia" (in Italian). Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  6. ^ Lazzarini, Mario (1995). La Magna Grecia (in Italian). Scorpione Editrice. p. 5. ISBN 88-8099-027-6.
  7. ^ "Le arti di Efesto. Capolavori in metallo" (in Italian). p. 11. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference olimpiadi was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ "Multilinguismo in Sicilia ea Napoli nel primo Medioevo" (PDF) (in Italian). Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  10. ^ "Per la difesa e la valorizzazione della Lingua e Cultura Greco-Calabra" (PDF) (in Italian). Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  11. ^ "Una lingua, un'identità: alla scoperta del griko salentino" (in Italian). 25 May 2020. Retrieved 15 July 2023.


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