The Very First Greek Settlement in Italy (Origins of Magna Graecia)

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Before Rome was even a patch of mud, intrepid Ancient Greeks were pushing the frontiers their flourishing civilisation. But until around 750 BCE, none had thought to settle permanently on the peninsula we now call Italy. This is the story of those seafaring Hellenes who established that first settlement, which would one day evolve into Magna Graecia, Great Greece - the series of colonies around Southern Italy, Sicily and other islands. Watch on to learn the story of how Euboeans and Phoenicians, Levantines and Etruscans, all helped establish Greeks on Ischia, known then as Pithekoussai.
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Sources Used
Ancient Texts:
Livy - History of Rome (Ab Urbe Condita)
Strabo - Geography (Γεωγραφικά)
The Sibylline Books (Libri Sibyllini)
Pseudo-Scymnus - Periodos to Nicomedes
Thucydides - History of the Peloponnesian War (Πελοποννησιακός Πόλεμος)
Velleius Paterculus - Roman History (Historiae Romanae)
Virgil - Aeneid (Aeneis)
Modern Studies:
Boardman, J. et al. (2008) The Cambridge Ancient History 3rd Edition, volume III part 3 - The Expansion of the Greek World, Eighth to Sixth Centuries B.C.
Demetriou, D. (2011) 'What is an Emporion? A Reassessment', Historia: Zeitschrift für Alte Geschichte, 60, H.3, pp. 255-272.
DeVries, K. (2003) 'Eighth-Century Corinthian Pottery: Evidence for the Dates of Greek Settlement in the West', Corinth, Vol.20, pp. 141-156.
Dewan, R. (2014) A Mediterranean Mosaic: he Archaeological Evidence for Ethnic Diversity at Pithekoussai, Laurier Undergraduate Journal of the Arts.
Credits
If you see any of your artwork in the video, please let me know so I can give you credit!
Film, TV & Game Clips:
'Assassin's Creed Odyssey' (2018) | Ubisoft Montreal ©
'The First King: Birth of an Empire' / 'Il primo re' (2019) | Rovere | 01 Distribution ©
'Total War Saga: Troy' (2020) Creative Assembly ©
Music:
All Music is licensed by Epidemic Sound
www.epidemicsound.com/
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
02:34 Phoenicians and Etruscans
03:22 Mycenaean Greek Trade
04:23 Euboeans and Levantines
05:29 Pithekoussai: The First Settlement!
07:27 The Lelantine Exodus
08:35 Cumae: a New Beginning
#MagnaGraecia #Ischia #GreekColonisation #ancienthistory #classics #ancientrome #classicalstudies #history #greek #history #latin #mythology #epic

[@carnival8789]

My Mother is of Greek and Southern Italian Descent, in Calabria. This is so cool to learn about where some of my ancestors came from!

[@lugalzagesi1]

Good stuff! I love how Greek culture spread like a virus. Magna Graecia gave it to the Etruscans, who gave it to the Romans, and eventually the West at large.

[@CleverMonkeyor]

Every video is an awesome look into the culture, all of which inspires me to continue the effort to learn ancient greek. πολλὴν χάριν σοι ἔχω!

[@brookecristello2363]

Awesome video and really helpful! it's been suprisingly difficult to find good documentaries about the history of ancient Greeks in Italy.

[@AntiquityforAll]

Thank you and I’m very pleased to hear it!

[@henkstersmacro-world]

👍👍👍as always very interesting!!

[@GrandeSalvatore96]

Can’t wait to see more on this topic. Hellenic colonisation is such an interesting chapter of ancient history.

[@AntiquityforAll]

Next stop: Sicily!

[@Veriox22]

Your video is insanely well made. Thanks for convering a part of our history!

[@Monkeysfist221]

Underrated history. Found out I’m 57% Italian. Mostly originating in Sicily. So could I possibly have had ancient Greek ancestors? Only about 1% Greek.

[@chris10hi]

Amazing videos

[@cal2127]

werent there some mycenaen potterys found in italy

[@dane279]

What’s the video game used in some of the animation?

[@AntiquityforAll]

Mostly Assassin's Creed Odyssey - a fantastic source of material, even if many didn't like the game (though I did!)

[@John-115]

❤🎉

[@GaryYoung-eq1ph]

Are Roman's really Greek Etruscan, and latins mixed

[@johngarofano7356]

No

[@acllhes]

Hey what’s the Rites of Demeter 👀 Jk it’s why I’m here. Tracking the rites development into Christianity.

[@CountCristianWaters]

My YDNA line is Carthaginian King Hasdrubal the first then later to Roman Italian Nobility. My mother's Paternal line is Greek Nobility.

[@bluesman1947]

Ya sure