Greek colonization of Magna Graecia (8th–5th centuries BCE)

  1. Dionysius I destroys Naxos, marking a late turning point

    Labels: Dionysius I, Naxos Sicily

    In 403 BCE, Dionysius I of Syracuse destroyed Naxos, the earliest Greek colonial foundation in Sicily. This event highlights a shift from an earlier era of establishing new colonies to a later era dominated by conflicts among Greek cities and the rise of powerful rulers (tyrants) in the west. By the late 5th century BCE, the story of Magna Graecia increasingly centered on warfare, consolidation, and survival rather than new settlement.

  2. Carthaginian campaigns intensify pressure on Greek Sicily

    Labels: Carthage, Himera

    In 409 BCE, Carthaginian forces attacked Greek cities in western Sicily, including the destruction of Himera after a Carthaginian victory. These wars signaled that Greek settlements in the west faced powerful rivals, not only local peoples but also major Mediterranean states. The resulting insecurity influenced alliances and military organization across the Greek cities of Sicily and southern Italy.

  3. Poseidonia (Paestum) founded on Italy’s west coast

    Labels: Poseidonia, Paestum temples

    Around 600 BCE, Greek settlers founded Poseidonia (later called Paestum) on the Tyrrhenian side of southern Italy. The foundation shows that Greek colonization was not limited to the Ionian coast and Sicily, but could also reach the western coastline. Over time, the city’s monumental temples reflected the wealth and stability some colonies achieved.

  4. Locri Epizephyrii founded in southern Calabria

    Labels: Locri Epizephyrii, Zaleucus

    Around 680 BCE, settlers founded Locri Epizephyrii on the Ionian coast of Calabria. The city is noted for developing an early written law code associated with Zaleucus, showing how colonies created new institutions while adapting to local conditions. Locri’s alliances and rivalries also became part of the wider political web of Magna Graecia.

  5. Taras (Tarentum) founded as a Spartan colony

    Labels: Taras, Sparta

    In 706 BCE, Sparta founded Taras (Tarentum) on the Gulf of Taranto, an unusual case of a major colony from Sparta rather than from cities like Corinth or Chalcis. Its strong harbor supported trade and naval activity, helping it become one of Magna Graecia’s leading cities. Taras also became a focal point for interactions—both conflict and cooperation—with neighboring Italic groups.

  6. Croton founded as an Achaean colony

    Labels: Croton, Achaea

    Around the late 8th century BCE, Achaean settlers founded Croton (Kroton) in Calabria. The city became a prominent Greek center in southern Italy, known in later tradition for athletic success and for attracting thinkers such as Pythagoras. Its growth also illustrates how colonies could become powerful city-states in their own right.

  7. Sybaris founded on the Gulf of Taranto

    Labels: Sybaris

    Around 720 BCE, Greek settlers founded Sybaris on the Ionian coast of southern Italy. The colony benefited from fertile land and maritime connections, helping it grow wealthy and influential. Sybaris later played a role in spreading Greek settlement farther along the Italian coast.

  8. Greek settlement spreads to the Strait of Messina

    Labels: Zancle, Strait of

    Greek colonists established communities around the Strait of Messina, including Zancle (later Messene/Messina), in the 8th century BCE. Control of this narrow passage mattered for shipping between the Tyrrhenian and Ionian Seas. These sites helped tie together Greek Sicily and Greek southern Italy into a connected region.

  9. Naxos founded as first Greek colony in Sicily

    Labels: Naxos Sicily, Chalcidians

    In 734 BCE, Chalcidian settlers founded Naxos on Sicily’s east coast, commonly described as the earliest Greek colony on the island. This helped extend Greek settlement from the Italian mainland into Sicily, a region that soon became central to western Greek politics and trade. Naxos also served as a starting point for additional nearby foundations.

  10. Syracuse founded by Corinthians on Ortygia

    Labels: Syracuse, Corinth

    In 734 BCE, Corinthians founded Syracuse on the small island of Ortygia on Sicily’s east coast. With strong harbors and access to fresh water, Syracuse quickly grew into one of the most important Greek cities in the western Mediterranean. Its later power would shape the balance between Greek cities, indigenous peoples, and Carthage.

  11. Cumae founded as a mainland base in Campania

    Labels: Cumae

    Soon after Pithekoussai, Greeks founded Cumae on the mainland near modern Naples. Cumae became a major bridgehead for Greek language, goods, and political models in Italy. Its success showed that permanent Greek-style city-states could take root beyond the Aegean world.

  12. Euboean traders establish Pithekoussai on Ischia

    Labels: Pithekoussai, Euboea

    In the mid-to-late 8th century BCE, settlers from Euboea (especially Chalcis and Eretria) founded Pithekoussai on the island of Ischia in the Bay of Naples. It is often treated as the earliest Greek settlement in the western Mediterranean and a key stepping-stone for expansion into southern Italy. The site’s position on sea routes toward Etruria helped connect Greek merchants and craftsmen to wider trade networks.

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Last Updated:Jan 1, 1980
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Greek colonization of Magna Graecia (8th–5th centuries BCE)