Cultures of the Mountains and the Sea part 3 Greek Colonies

Easy access to the sea allowed the Greeks to become good sailors. Trade became important because Greece had few natural resources.

The Greeks’ choice of foods was somewhat limited. Their diet included fish, grains, grapes, and olives.

The reason for their diet was limited was that arable land (good farmland) covered only about one fifth of Greece and could not support many people. Only certain crops could be grown.

The need for more living space and the lack of arable land influenced the Greeks to find new colonies.

In fact, the name Greece comes from one of its colonies, Neapolis (Naples), in Italy. The people in Italy would call the people that lived there, Graii, because of a town, Graia, they had left in Hellas as they went to start the new colony. From:

The expansion of Greek Civilization, through trade and colonization, led to the spread of Hellenic culture across the Mediterranean and Black Seas.