Archaic and classical Magna Graecia

This chapter does not simply outline the history of Greek colonisation in southern Italy from the sixth to the mid-fourth century BC, but considers the regional context, paying attention to local societies and the forms of interaction between indigenous societies of the interior with coastal areas and Greek settlements. A plural and processual view of Magna Graecia is proposed, which examines interactions and entanglements, and is not shaped by classical sources or by modern interpretations based on ethnic and identity oppositions. The development of Sybaris and its sphere of dominance is an example of especial historical interest. This is examined in the context of the formation of a complex regional framework in the seventh-sixth century, and its interconnections, and is discussed in terms of its history and organisational structures. The fifth century is interpreted not as a period of ‘crisis’ but of transition and transformation. A focus on the formation of Lucanian and Brettian societies paves the way for a discussion of the internal political transformations of the Greek poleis. Finally, attention is given to the new situation in the fourth century, in which the military power of Dionysius I, the difficulties of the Achaean cities, the rise of Tarentum under Archytas and in connection with Syracuse take centre stage, while the Lucanians and Brettians create new and difficult challenges

Classical Antiquity Studies · Philosophy

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• Artistic Bilingualism in the Greek Poleis of the Northern Black Sea

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