Why did the Greek city state never form an empire?
Last Updated: 22.06.2025 04:44
A restored Roman domus in Aix-en-Provence.
They did. Athens or Syracuse were the heads of confederation of cities. But the Greeks never had a heavy interest in territorial domination, what structured their action were business network. This was clearly illustrated by the history of Massiglia. The Greeks acquired lands in what is now Marseille, and a few places where their farms mixed with local farmers. The cities were just places in which authorized citizens made decisions and worshiped the gods. They mostly traded goods and artifacts, some of which were very expensive. For controlling the navigation on the Rhone river, they only set a few military positions at the critical points. When the Romans allied with Marseille, the traded items become in the major part slaves whose travel couldn’t be differed because the traffickers had to feed them. So the Romans created three colonies Aquea Sextia (Aix-en-Provence), Arelate (Arles) and Nimosis (Nime) where they settled military retired veterans to secure the area.
Ortigia, the heart of Syracuse.
Why do many Hong Kong Chinese look different from the Han Chinese in mainland China?
The Greek theater in Syracuse
Massilia in the ancient times.
The temple of the imperial family in Nimes.
MongoDB (NASDAQ:MDB) Reports Strong Q1, Stock Jumps 14.3% - Yahoo Finance
The circus in Arles
Vestiges of the Greek city of Oblia (Hyeres) which isn’t very far from Marseille.