This is an incomplete list of ancient Greek cities, including colonies outside Greece, and including settlements that were not sovereign poleis . Many colonies outside Greece were soon assimilated to some other language but a city is included here if at any time its population or the dominant stratum within it spoke Greek. Also included are some cities that were not Greek-speaking or Hellenic, but contributed to the Hellenic culture of the region.
Ancient name | Location | Modern name | Also known as |
Abdera | Thrace (near Xanthi), Greece | Avdira | |
Abila | 13 km north-northeast of Irbid, Jordan | Harta or Hartha | Abila Dekapoleos, Abila (Greek: Ἄβιλα), Seleucia (Greek: Σελεύκεια), Seleuceia, Seleukeia, Seleukheia, Ancient Raphana |
Abydos | North of Çanakkale, East Bank of Hellespont | Nağara, pronounced Nara | Abydus |
Acanthus | Athos | Ierissos | Erisso |
Acharnae | near Acharnes and Ano Liosia, about 10 km north of Athens | Acharnes | Menidi |
Actium | mouth of the Ambracian Gulf | Punta, abandoned | |
Adramyttium | Edremit (Town), Balıkesir | Edremit (Town) | Adramyttion, Adramytteion, Atramyttion |
Aegae | Central Macedonia, near modern Vergina, Greece | abandoned | Aigai |
Aegina | island in the Saronic Gulf, 27 km (17 mi) from Athens | Aegina | |
Aegium | Achaea, Greece | Aigio (Αίγιο) | Egio, Egion |
Aenea | Chalcidice, northern Greece | abandoned | Ainea |
Aenus | Turkish Thrace | Enez | Poltyobria, Poltymbria |
Agrinion | Aetolia-Acarnania, 3 km south-west of modern Agrinio | abandoned | Agrinium |
Aigosthena | Attica | abandoned | Egosthena |
Akragas (Akragasta) | Sicily (Italio) | Agrigento | Agrigentum, Kerkent, Girgenti |
Akrai | Sicily | Palazzolo Acreide | Acrae |
Akrillai | Hyblaean Mountains, south-eastern Sicily | Chiaramonte Gulfi | Acrillae, Gulfi |
Akroinon | western Turkey | Afyonkarahisar | Hapanuwa, Nicopolis, Kara Hissar, Afyon, Karahisar-i Sahip, Afium-Kara-hissar, Afyon Karahisar |
Akrotiri (Ακρωτήρι) | Thera/Santorini, Greece | Akrotiri | |
Alalcomenae | Ithaca | abandoned | |
Alalia | Corsica | Aléria | Aleria, Alaliē (Ἀλαλίη) |
Alexándreia (Ἀλεξάνδρεια) | northern Egypt | Alexandria | al-Iskandariyya, Rakotə, Eskendereyya (اسكندريه) |
Alexandretta | southern Turkey | İskenderun | al-'İskandarūn (الإسكندرون) |
Alexandria Arachosia | southern Afghanistan | Qandahar | |
Alexandria Ariana | western Afghanistan | Herat | |
Alexandria Asiana | Iran | ||
Alexandria Bucephalous | Pakistan | Jhelum, or more likely Phalia | |
Alexandria in the Caucasus | near modern Bagram, Afghanistan | Kapisa | |
Alexandria Eschate | Fergana Valley | Khujand | Alexandria the Furthest, Khüjand, Khodzhent, Khudchand, Chodjend, Ispisar, Leninabad, Leninobod |
Alexandria on the Indus | at the confluence of the Indus and Chenab rivers, Pakistan, 13 km from modern Uch | abandoned | Uch, Uch Sharif, Alexandria at the Head of the Punjab |
Alexandria on the Oxus | near Kunduz, northern Afghanistan | abandoned | Ai-Khanoum, Ay Khanum, possibly Eucratidia |
Alexandria Troas | Troad region of Turkey | Alexandria of the Troad, Sigia, Antigonia Troas, | |
Alinda | near Karpuzlu, Turkey | abandoned | possibly Alexandria by the Latmos |
Amarynthos | Euboea, Greece | Amarynthos | Vathia (Médiéval name) |
Amaseia | Yeşilırmak River, northern Turkey | Amasya | Amáseia (Αμάσεια) |
Ambracia | Epirus | ||
Amida | banks of the River Tigris, south-eastern Turkey | Diyarbakır | Diyâr-ı Bekr, Amed, Āmîḏ (ܐܡܝܕ) |
Amisos | Black Sea coast, Turkey | Samsun | Amisus, Eis Amison, Samsunta, Samsus, Samson, Samsounta |
Amnisos | Crete, Greece | Phocis, Greece | |
Amphicaea | Boeotia, Greece | Amfikleia | Amphicleia |
Amphigeneia | Peloponnese, southern Greece | abandoned | |
Amphipolis | Central Macedonia, Greece | Amfipoli | |
Amphissa | Phocis, Greece | Amfissa | Salona |
Ankon (Ἀγκών) | Adriatic coast of central Italy | Ancona | |
Antigonea | Chaonia, southern Albania | abandoned | |
Antipatrea | Illyria, southern Albania | Berat | Beligrad |
Antioch on the Maeander | south western Turkey, near Kuyucak | abandoned | Antiochia on the Maeander, Antiochia ad Mæandrum, Pythopolis |
Antioch, Mygdonia | south eastern Turkey | Nusaybin | Soba, Nisibis |
Antioch on the Orontes | eastern side of the Orontes River, near modern Antakya, Turkey | Antiochia ad Orontem, Great Antioch, Syrian Antioch | |
Antioch, Pisidia | 1 km northeast of Yalvaç, Isparta Province, Turkey | Antiochia in Pisidia, Pisidian Antioch (Greek: Ἀντιόχεια τῆς Πισιδίας), Antiochia Caesareia, Antiochia Caesaria, Antiochia in Phrygia | |
Antiochia ad Taurum | near Gaziantep, Turkey | abandoned | Antiochia in the Taurus |
Andros | Cyclades, approximately 10 km (6.2 mi) south east of Euboea | ||
Apamea | on the Orontes River, about 55 km northwest of Hama, Syria | abandoned | Apameia (Απάμεια), Afamia (أفاميا or آفاميا) |
Apamea | near the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates, in Iraq | abandoned | Apameia (Απάμεια) |
Apamea | Sittacene, Iraq, surrounded by the Tigris | abandoned | Apameia (Απάμεια) |
Apamea | near Nahavand, Iran | abandoned | Apameia (Απάμεια) |
Apamea Myrlea | on the Sea of Marmara, south of Mudanya, Turkey | abandoned | Apamea Myrleon, Apameia Myrleanos, Brylleion, Myrlea (Μύρλεια), Murleia, Myrleia, Colonia Iulia Concordia, Apamena. |
Apamea | lake formed by the Birecik Dam, Şanlıurfa Province, Turkey | abandoned | Apameia (Απάμεια) |
Apamea | Phrygia, Turkey | Dinar | Apameia (Απάμεια), Kibotos (κιβωτός), hê Kibôtos, Cibotus |
Apamea Ragiana | Media, Iran | abandoned | Apamea Rhagiana, Apamea Raphiana, Apameia Rhagiane, Arsace, Khuvar, Choara |
Aphidnae | Attica, Greece, about 28 km north of Athens | Afidnes (Αφιδνές, Αφίδναι) | Afidnai |
Apollonia | Illyria, southernAlbania | abandoned | |
Apollonia | Mygdonia, northern Greece | abandoned | |
Apollonia | Pirgos Apollonias, northern Greece, opposite Thasos | abandoned | |
Apollonia | Chalcidice, northern Greece | abandoned | |
Apollonia | Aetolia, north western Greece | abandoned | |
Apollonia | Acte peninsular, northern Greece | abandoned | |
Apollonia | north coast of Crete, near Knossos | abandoned | |
Apollonia | south coast of Crete | abandoned | |
Apollonia | Sicily | possibly Pollina | |
Apollonia | Cyrenaica, Libya | abandoned | |
Apollonia | Mysia, western Turkey | abandoned | |
Apollonia ad Rhyndacum | Mysia, western Turkey | abandoned | |
Apollonia Pontica | Black Sea coast of Bulgaria | Sozopol | Antheia, Apollonia, Apollonia Magna |
Apsaros | Autonomous Republic of Adjara, Georgia | Gonio | Apsyrtos (Ἄψυρτος) |
Argos | Peloponnese, Greece | ||
Arsuf | 15 km north of Tel al-Rabeea, Palestine | abandoned | Arsur, Apollonia |
Artanes | on the Danube, north west Bulgaria | Lom | Almus, Lom Palanka |
Artemita | Babylonia, in the district of Apolloniatis (modern Iraq) | abandoned | Ἀρτεμίτα |
Argyroupoli | northern Turkey | Gümüşhane | |
Asine | Argolis, Greece | destroyed | |
Asine | Messenia, Greece | ||
Asine | Laconia, southern Greece | Skoutari | |
Asine | Cyprus | Asinou (Ασίνου) | |
Asklepios | northern Turkey | Iskilip | Iskila, Aesculapius, Andrapa, Andrapolis, Blocium, Bloacium, Neoclaudiopolis, Neopolis, İmad, Iskelib, İskelib, Direklibel |
Aspendos | Antalya, southern Turkey | abandoned | |
Assus | Çanakkale, Turkey | Behramkale | Assos |
Astacus | western Turkey | İzmit | Nicomedea, Olbia |
Athens | Attica, southern Greece | Athenai, Athena (Αθήνα) | |
Athmonia | 11 km (7 mi) north of Athens, Greece | abandoned | |
Aulon | Illyria, southern Albania | Vlore | Aulona, Vlona, Valona |
Aytos | eastern Bulgaria | Aitos | Aetos, Ajtos, Astos, Idos, Akvilia |
Ancient name | Location | Modern name | Also known as |
Baris | south western Turkey | Isparta | |
Bhrytos | Lebanon | Beirut | |
Borysthenes | Ukrainian Black Sea coast | Berezan Island | Berezan' |
Berge | Serres, Greece | Berge | Bergi |
Boura | Achaea, Greece | ||
Bouthroton (Βουθρωτόν) | southern Albania | abandoned | Butrint, Bouthrotios (Βουθρώτιος), Buthrotum |
Brauron | Attica, Greece | abandoned | Vravrona, Vravronas |
Byblos | Lebanon | Byblos | Byblos, Gubla, Gebal, Jbeil |
Byzantium | Bosphorus Strait, western Turkey | Istanbul | Constantinople, Byzantion |
Bithynium | western Turkey | Bolu | Vithinion (Βιθύνιον), Bithynium, Claudiopolis |
Ancient name | Location | Modern name | Also known as |
Callipolis | Canakkale, Hellespont | Gelibolu | Kallipolis, Gallipoli |
Calydon | Aetolia, Greece | ||
Caphyae | Arkadia, Greece | Chotoussa el:Χωτούσσα Αρκαδίας | Kaphyai |
Carystus | near modern Karystos, Euboea, Greece | ||
Cassandreia | Central Macedonia, Greece | Kassandreia | |
Cebrene | Troad region of Turkey | Kebrene, Kevrin, Alexandria (Greek: Αλεξάνδρεια), Antiochia in Troad (Greek: Αντιόχεια της Τρωάδας) | |
Celenderis | Ancient Cilicia | Aydıncık | Kalenderis, Kelenderis |
Chalcedon | opposite Byzantium, south of Scutari (modern Üsküdar) | Kadıköy | Chalkedon, Calchedon (Καλχήδων) |
Chalcis | Euboea, Greece | Chalkida, Halkida, Halkis, Chalkis | |
Chamaizi | Crete, Greece | [Chamaizi is later Turkish name; ancient name unknown] | [Hill is known locally as Souvloto Mouri, ancient Minoan site but possibly not a city] |
Chersonesos | near Sevastopol, Crimea | Korsun, Khersones, Chersonese, Chersonesos, Cherson | |
Chimaira | Chaonia, southern Albania | Himara, Himare | Cheimara, Cheimaera, Chimaera |
Chios | in the island with the same name, Greece | ||
Chytri | Cyprus | Kythrea | Chytroi (Χύτροι) |
Clazomenae | near İzmir, in Turkey | Kilizman | Clazomenae (Κλαζομεναί) |
Cleonae | Argolis, Greece | Archaies Kleones | Kontostavlos |
Cnidus | situated on Datça peninsula, southwestern Turkey | Tekir | Knidos (Κνίδος) |
Colosse | Phrygia, Asia Minor (modern Turkey) | abandoned | Κολλοσσαί, Colossae, Chonae, Kona |
Corcyra | Corfu island, Greece | Corfu | Κέρκυρα, Κόρκυρα, Corcyra, Corfu, Corfù, Kérkyra |
Corcyra Melaena | Korčula island, Dalmatia (part of modern Croatia) | Korčula | Κόρκυρα Μέλαινα, Kórkyra Mélaina, Corcyra Nigra |
Corcyra | Kirkuk Gοvernorate, Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) | Kirkuk | Kórkura, Kirkoúk |
Corinth | Corinthia | Corinth | |
Croton | Calabria, southern Italy | Crotone | Crotona, Cotrone |
Cyme | Aeolis, Turkey | Namurt | Kymi, Phriconis |
Cyrene | near Shahhat, Cyrenaica, Libya | abandoned | |
Cythera | Ionian Islands, Greece |
Ancient name | Location | Modern name | Also known as |
Decelea (Δεκέλεια) | Attica, Greece | Dekeleia, Dekelia, Deceleia, Decelia, Tatoi | |
Delos | Cyclades, Greece | Dhilos (Δήλος) | |
Delphi | Mount Parnassus, Greece | ||
Demetrias | Magnesia, northern Greece | abandoned | Dimitrias |
Dicaea | Chalcidice, northern Greece | abandoned | |
Dicaea | Thrace | abandoned | |
Dicaearchia | Campania, Italy | Pozzuoli | Pezzulo, Puteoli, Pozzuoli |
Didyma | western Turkey | Didim | |
Dion | Mount Olympus, Pieria, northern Greece | Dio (Δίο) | Dium |
Dioscurias | Black Sea coast of Abkhazia, Georgia | Sukhumi | |
Dodona | Epirus, Greece | abandoned | Dòdònè (Δωδώνη) |
Dorylaion | near Eskişehir, Turkey | abandoned | Dorylaeum |
Dyme | Achaea, Greece | abandoned |
Ancient name | Location | Modern name | Also known as |
Edessa | Pella, northern Greece | Voden, Vodine, Vodina, Vudena, Vodena | |
Edessa | Mesopotamia, southern Turkey | Şanlıurfa | Orrha, Orrhoa, Orhāy, Ourhoï, Urha, Ourha, Er Roha, Ar-Ruha, Orfa, Urfa, Ourfa, Sanli Urfa |
Elateia | Phocis, Greece | ||
Eleusis | Attica, Greece | ||
Eleutherna | 25 km southeast of Rethymno, Crete | Apollonia (Ἀπολλωνία) | |
Emporion | Catalonia, Spain | Empúries | Palaiapolis, Neapolis |
Ephesus | Ionia, western Turkey | Efes | |
Ephyra | Thesprotia, Greece | Kichyros - Κίχυρος | |
Epidamnos | coastal Albania | Durres | Epidamnos (Επίδαμνος), Dyrhacchion (Δυρράχιον), Dyrrachium, Drach, Drač (Драч), Dıraç. Durazzo |
Epidauros | Argolis, Greece | Epidavros | |
Eresos | Lesbos, Greece | Skala Eresou | |
Eretria | Euboea, Greece | Eretria | Nea Psara (1823-1960) |
Erythrae | Ionia, western Turkey | Ildiri | Erythrai (Ἐρυθραί), Litri |
Eubea | Sicily | Licodia Eubea |
Ancient name | Location | Modern name | Also known as |
Gangra | Çankırı, Turkey | Çankırı | Germanicopolis (Γερμανικόπολις), Germanopolis (Γερμανόπολις), Changra, Kandari, Kanghari |
Gaza | Gaza Strip, Palestine | Gaza | |
Gela | southern Sicily, Italy | Gela | Terranova di Sicilia |
Golgi | Cyprus | Athienou | Golgoi (Γόλγοι) |
Gonnos | Larissa regional unit, Greece | Gonnoi | Gonni (Γόννοι), Gonnus |
Gorgippia | Black Sea coast of Krasnodar Krai, Russia | Anapa (Ана́па) | Sinda |
Gournia | Crete, Greece | ||
Gortyn | Crete | destroyed | Gortyna (Γόρτυνα, Γόρτυς, or Γόρτυν) |
Gythium | Laconia, Greece | Gytheio | Gýtheion (Γύθειον), Gythio, Githio, Yithion |
Ancient name | Location | Modern name | Also known as |
Hagios Onouphrios | Crete, Greece | ||
Hagia Triada | Crete, Greece | Ayias Triadha | |
Halicarnassus | Caria, Turkey | Bodrum | Halikarnassós, Alikarnassós (Ἁλικαρνασσός), Halikarnas, Petronium (Πετρώνιον) |
Halieis | Porto Heli, Argolis | abandoned | |
Helike | Achaea, Greece | submerged | |
Heliopolis | Lebanon | Baalbek | Heliopolis, Baalbek, Ἡλιούπολις |
Hellespontos | Turkey | Dardanelles | |
Helorus | south-east coast of Sicily | abandoned | Heloros, Helorum, Elorus, Ἔλωρος, Ἕλωρος, Eloro |
Hēmeroskopeion | Province of Alicante, Spain | Dénia | Ἡμεροσκοπεῖον, Dianium |
Heraclea Perinthus | western Turkey | Marmara Ereğli | Heraclea Thraciae, Heraclea (Ἡράκλεια), Heraclea |
Heraclea | Lucania, Italy | abandoned | Anglona |
Heraclea | Dalmatian Coast, Hvar | Hvar | Heraclea, Heracleia, Heraclia |
Heraclea by Latmus | near Lake Bafa, Muğla Province, Turkey | Kapıkırı | Latmus, Λάτμος |
Heraclea Cybistra | near Ereğli, Turkey | abandoned | |
Heraclea Lyncestis | Pelagonia, near modern Bitola, North Macedonia | abandoned | Herakleia Lynkestis |
Heraclea Minoa | near Montallegro, south coast of Sicily | abandoned | Hêrakleia Minôia, Rhachlôtês, Heracliensis |
Heraclea Pontica | Bithynia, Turkey | Karadeniz Ereğli | |
Heraclea Sintica | Rupite, Bulgaria | abandoned | |
Heraclea Trachis | Central Greece, Greece | Heraclea | Trachis, Heraclea Trachinia |
Hermione | Peloponnese, Greece | Ermioni (Ερμιόνη) | |
Hermonassa | Taman peninsula, Krasnodar Krai, Russia | Tmutarakan (Тмутаракань) | |
Hierapetra | Southern Crete, Greece | ||
Hierapolis | Pamukkale, western Turkey | abandoned | Hierapolis (Ἱεράπολις) |
Himera | northern coast of Sicily | abandoned, site subsequently re-settled | Thermae, Therma, Thermae Himerenses |
Histria | Black Sea coast of Romania | abandoned | Istros (Ιστριη) |
Hubla Minor | Sicily, Italy | abandoned | |
Hubla Gereatis | southern slope of Mount Etna, Sicily | abandoned | |
Hubla Heraea | Hyblaean Mountains, south-eastern Sicily | Ragusa | Hibla, Heresium, Rogos, Rakkusa |
Hyele | Campania, Italy | Velia | Elea |
Ancient name | Location | Modern name | Also known as |
Ialysos | Rhodes | ||
Iasus | Caria, south-west Turkey | abandoned | Iassus (Iασoς, Iασσoς), Askem, Asýn Kalessi |
Idalium | Cyprus | Dali | Idalion (Ιδάλιον) |
Imbros | Greek island in northern Aegean Sea | Gökçeada | İmroz, Imvros (Ίμβρος) |
Iolcus | Thessaly, eastern Greece | Iolkos (Ιωλκός) | |
Issa | Vis, Croatia | Vis | Vis, Lissa, Issa (Ἴσσα) |
Itanos | North-eastern Crete | Erimopolis | |
Ithaca | island in the Ionian Sea | Ithaka, Ithaki, (Ιθάκη) |
Ancient name | Location | Modern name | Also known as |
Juktas | Crete, Greece |
Ancient name | Location | Modern name | Also known as |
Kaiete | Campania, Italy | Gaeta | Caiete, Caieta, Kaieta |
Kallipolis | Caria, south-western Turkey | ||
Kallipolis | Hellespont, north-western Turkey | Gelibolu | Gallipoli |
Kallipolis | Apulia, southern Italy | Gallipoli | Callipolis |
Kamares | Crete, Greece | ||
Kameiros | Rhodes, Greece | ||
Kannia | Crete, Greece | ||
Kamarina | south-eastern coast of Sicily | abandoned | Camarina, Kamerina |
Kasmenai | Hyblaean Mountains, south-eastern Sicily | abandoned (Buscemi) | Casmenae, Casmene, Kasmenai, Kasmene, Κασμέναι (Kasménai), Κασμένη (Kasménē) |
Katane | east coast of Sicily | Catania | Katánē (Κατάνη), Catăna, Catĭna, Balad-al-Fil, Medinat-al-Fil, Wadi Musa, Qataniyah |
Kerkinitida | Crimea, Ukraine | Yevpatoria | Eupatoria (Євпаторія, Евпатория), Kezlev, Kerkinitis, Gözleve |
Kepoi | Taman Peninsula, Krasnodar Krai, Russia | abandoned, submerged | Cepoi (Κήποι, Кепы) |
Kimmerikon | Kerch Peninsula, Crimea | abandoned | Cimmericum Crimea |
Kios | Sea of Marmara, Bithynia, north-western Turkey | abandoned | Cius-Kios (Kίος, Kείος), Keios, Prusa, Prusias, Prusias ad Mare |
Klazomenai | Ionia, Western Turkey | Urla | Clazomenae |
Knidos | Caria | ||
Knossos | Crete | abandoned | Knossus, Cnossus (Κνωσός) |
Kommos | Crete, Greece | Kommos is the modern name; ancient name unknown | Komos, Komo |
Korinthos | Korinthia, Greece | Archea Korinthos | |
Kos | island of the Dodecanese, off Bodrum | Cos (Κως), İstanköy, Coo, Stanchio | |
Kourion | Cyprus | Curium, Curias (Κούριον) | |
Kúmē | Campania, Italy | abandoned | |
Kydonia | Crete, Greece | Chania | Cydonia |
Kynos | Boeotia, Greece | Livanates | Cynus, Kunos |
Kyrenia | Cyprus | Girne |
Ancient name | Location | Modern name | Also known as |
Lamia | central Greece | Zetounion (Ζητούνιον), Zitouni (Ζητούνι), Zirtounion, Zitonion, Girton, El Cito | |
Lampsacus | Troad, Turkey | Lapseki | Lampsakos (Λάμψακος), Pityusa, Pityussa, Pituousa (Πιτυουσα), Pituoussa (Πιτυουσσα) |
Laodicea in Syria | Syrian coast | Latakia | Laodicea ad Mare, Latakiyah, Al-Ladhiqiyah, Laodikeia, Laodiceia, Lazkiye, Laodicea ad Mare |
Laodicea on the Lycus | Lydia, Turkey | destroyed | Diospolis, Rhoas, Claudiolaodicea, Laodicea ad Lycum, Laodiceia, Laodikeia |
Laodicea in Media | western Iran | Nahavand | Laodicea in Persis, Antiochia Nahavand, Nahāvand (نهاوند), Nahavend, Nahawand, Nehavand, Nihavand, Nehavend, Mah-Nahavand, Laodicea (Λαοδικεια), Ladhiqiyya, Laodiceia, Laodikeia, Laodicea in Media, Antiochia in Persis, Antiochia of Chosroes (Αντιόχεια του Χοσρόη), Antiochia in Media (Αντιόχεια της Μηδίας), Nemavand, Niphaunda |
Laodicea Combusta | Lycaonia, Turkey | abandoned | Laodicea Catacecaumene, Laodiceia, Laodikeia, Laodikeia Katakekaumenê, Claudiolaodicea |
Laodicea ad Libanum | Coele-Syria | abandoned | Laodiceia, Laodikeia, Cabrosa, Scabrosa, Cabiosa Laodiceia |
Laodicea | Arcadia, Greece | Laodiceia, Laodikeia | |
Laodicea Pontica | Pontus, north-eastern Turkey | Laodiceia and Laodikeia | |
Laodicea | Mesopotamia, Iraq | lost | Laodikeia, Laodiceia |
Laodicea in Phoenicia | Lebanon | Beirut | Laodicea in Canaan, Berytus |
Lapithos | Cyprus | Lapta | |
Larissa | Thessaly, Greece | Yenişehr-i Fenar, Lárisa | |
Larissa | Troad, Turkey | abandoned | |
Lato | Crete, Greece | ||
Laüs | Lucania, southern Italy | abandoned | Laus, Laos (Λᾶος) |
Lebena | Crete, Greece | ||
Lefkada | island in the Ionian Sea | ||
Lekhaion | Corinthia, Greece | ||
Leibethra | Central Macedonia, near modern Skotina, Greece | ||
Leontinoi | southeastern Sicily | Lentini | Lintini, Leontinoi, Leontini and Leontium |
Lepreum | Elis, Greece | abandoned | Lepreon, Lepreus |
Lessa | Epidauria, Greece | abandoned | |
Lilaea | Boeotia, Greece | Lilaea | |
Lindus | Rhodes | Lindos | |
Lissus | Crete, Greece | abandoned | |
Lychnidos | Southwestern Region, North Macedonia | Ohrid | |
Epizephyrian Locris | Calabria, southern Italy | destroyed | Locri |
Ancient name | Location | Modern name | Also known as |
Madytos | Eceabat (Town) | abandoned | Maitos, Madyta, |
Magnesia on the Maeander | Ionia, western Turkey, on the Maeander river | abandoned | Magnesia ad Maeandrum |
Magnesia ad Sipylum | Lydia, western Turkey | Manisa | Magnesia on the Sipylum |
Malia | Crete, Greece | ||
Mantineia | Arcadia, Greece | abandoned | Mantinea, Antigonia (Αντιγόνεια) |
Marathon | Attica, Greece | Marathónas (Μαραθώνας), Marathōn (Μαραθών) | |
Marmara | Balıkesir, Western Turkey | Marmara | |
Maroneia | Maroneia, Eastern Thrace | Maroneia | Maronya |
Masis | Epidauria, Greece | Kranidi | |
Massalia | southern France | Marseille | Massilia |
Megalopolis | Arcadia, Greece | Sinanou (Σινάνο) | |
Megara | Attica, Greece | ||
Megara Hublaea | near Augusta, eastern Sicily | destroyed | |
Mesembria | Black Sea coast of Bulgaria | Nesebar | Menebria, Mesimvria (Μεσήμβρια), Mesimvria |
Messene | southern Greece | ||
Metapontum | Lucania, southern Italy | abandoned | Metapontium (Μεταπόντιον) |
Methana | Epidauria, Greece | Vathy | |
Methone | Central Macedonia, Greece | abandoned | |
Methone | Messenia, southern Greece | Mothoni (Μοθώνη), Modon | |
Methumna | Lesbos, in the Aegean Sea | Mithymna (Μήθυμνα), Molyvos, Molivos | |
Miletos | Aydin, Turkey, Balat | abandoned | Milētos, Millawanda, Milawata, Miletus, Milet |
Misenum | Campania, Italy | Miseno | |
Mochlos | Crete, Greece | ||
Monastiraki | Crete, Greece | abandoned | |
Morgantina | central Sicily | abandoned | Murgantia, Morgantium, Μοργάντιον, Μοργαντίνη, Murgentia, Morgentia |
Mulai | Sicily, Italy | Milazzo | |
Mukenai | north-eastern Argolis, near Mykines | abandoned | Mykēnē, Mykēnai |
Mylasa | Caria, south-western Turkey | Milas | |
Myndus | Caria, western Turkey | Gümüşlük | Myndos (Μύνδος) |
Myonia | Phocis, Greece | Agia Efthymia | Myania, Mynia |
Myra | Lycia, Turkey | Demre | Kale |
Myrmekion | Crimea, Ukraine | abandoned | Myrmēkion (Μυρμηκιων, Мирмекий) |
Mutilene | Lesbos, in the Aegean Sea | ||
Myos | Ionia, Anatolia | abandoned |
Ancient name | Location | Modern name | Also known as |
Nauplíos | Nafplio, Argolis | Nafpion | Nafpio, Nauplia, Navplion, Naupliē, Nauplia, Náfplion, Anáplion, Anáplia, Napoli di Romania, Mora Yenişehir, Anabolı, Yeni şehir, Náfplion |
Naucratis | Nile Delta, Egypt | Naukratis (Ναύκρατις) | |
Naupactus | Aetolia-Acarnania, Greece | Nafpaktos (Ναύπακτος, Έπαχτος), Naupactos, İnebahtı, Lepanto | |
Naxos | Crete | abandoned | |
Naxos | Sicily | Giardini Naxos | Giaddini |
Neapoli | northern Greece | Kavala | Christoupolis, Morunets |
Neapolis | Pallene, Chalcidice, Greece | Polychrono | Polyhrono, Polichrono, Polihrono (Πολύχρονο), Polyhronon, Polihronon |
Neapolis | Apulia, Italy | Polignano a Mare | |
Neapolis | Campania, Italy | Naples | Napoli, Napule |
Nemea | Archaia Nemea, Argolis | abandoned | |
Nicaea | Bithynia, north-western Turkey | Iznik | Ancore, Helicore, Antigoneia (Αντιγόνεια), Nikaia, Nicæa |
Nicaea | southern France | Nice | Niça, Nissa, Nizza, Nizza Marittima |
Nicopolis | Epirus, Greece | abandoned | Actia Nicopolis, Palaia Preveza |
Nirou Hani | Crete, Greece | Minoan city | |
Nymphaion | Crimea, Ukraine | Nymphaeum | |
Nymphaion | Illyria, Albania | Nymphaeum | |
Nysa | western Turkey | abandoned |
Ancient name | Location | Modern name | Also known as |
Oenoe (Οινόη) | northern Turkey | Ünye | Oene |
Oenoe | Argolis, Greece | Oene | |
Oenoe | Attica, Greece | Oene | |
Oenus | Laconia, Greece | ||
Odessos | coastal Ukraine | Odesa | Khadjibey, Khadjibei, Khacdjibei, Hacıbey, Hocabey, Gadzhibei, Chadžibėjus, Hacıbey |
Odessos | coastal Bulgaria | Varna | |
Olbia | Sardinia | Civita, Terranova Pausania | |
Olbia | Ukrainian Black Sea coast | abandoned | Pontic Olbia, Olvia |
Olous | near Elounda, Crete | drowned | Olus (Ὄλους, Ὄλουλις) |
Olympia | Elis, Greece | abandoned | Olympí'a (Ολυμπία), Olýmpia (Ολύμπια), Olimpia, Olimbia |
Olynthus | Chalcidice, northern Greece | destroyed | |
Opus | Boeotia, Greece | Atalanti | Opous |
Orchomenus | Arcadia, Greece | Orchomenos near Levidi | Kalpaki (Médiéval name) |
Orchomenus | Boeotia, Greece | ||
Oricos | Illyria/Epirus, near Vlorë, Albania | abandoned | |
Orestias | Turkish Thrace | abandoned | |
Oreus | northern Euboea | ||
Oropus | Attica, Greece | Oropos (Ωρωπός) | |
Onchesmos | Epirus, southern Albania | Sarandë | Anchiasmos, Άγιοι Σαράντα, Agioi Saranda, Turkish: Aya Sarandi |
Ancient name | Location | Modern name | Also known as |
Pactye | Thracian Chersonesos, Turkey | abandoned | |
Pagasae | Magnesia, central Greece | Platanos, central Greece | |
Palaikastro | Crete, Greece | Minoan city | |
Pandosia | Epirus, Greece | abandoned | |
Pandosia | Bruttium, Italy | castellibero | castrofranco |
Pandosia | Lucania, Italy | abandoned | |
Panticapaeum | Taurica, eastern Crimea, Ukraine | Kerch | Παντικάπαιον |
Paphos | Cyprus | ||
Parium | Mysia, Hellespont | Kemer (Town) | Parion, Adrasteia, Adrastea |
Paros | Greek island in Aegean Sea | Paros | Plateia, Pactia, Demetrias, Strongyli, Hyria, Hyleessa, Minoa, Cabarnis |
Parthenope | Port of Neapolis, Campania | Naples | |
Patrae | Achaea, Greece | Patrai | Pátra (Πάτρα) Patrae |
Pavlopetri | Laconia, Greece | submerged | |
Pegai | Megaris, Greece | abandoned | |
Peiraieús | Attica, Greece | Piraeus | Peiraiás, Peiraieús (Πειραιεύς) |
Pella | Central Macedonia, Greece | abandoned | |
Percote | Asian Hellespont, Northeast of Troy | abandoned | Percope |
Perga | 15 km east of Antalya, Turkey | abandoned | |
Pergamum | Mysia, Turkey | Bergama | Pergamon (Πέργαμος) |
Petsofas | Crete, Greece | Minoan city | |
Phaistos | Crete, Greece | ||
Phálēron | Attica, Greece | Palaio Faliro | Phaleron, Phalerum |
Phanagoria | Cimmerian Bosporus, Ukraine | abandoned | Matrega |
Pharae | |||
Pharnacia | northern Turkey | Giresun | |
Pharos | Croatian island | Hvar | Hvor, For, Pharina, Lesina |
Phaselis | Lycia, Turkey | abandoned | |
Phasis | Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti, Georgia | Poti | |
Philippi | Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, near Kavala, Greece | Filippoi | |
Pithekussa | island in Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy | Ischia | |
Philippopolis | southern Bulgaria | Plovdiv | Pulpudeva (reconstructed Thracian, uncertain), Eumolpias, Philippoupoli, Philippoupolis (Φιλιππούπολη, Φιλιππούπολις), Trimontium, Paldin (Пълдин). Plavdiv (Плъвдив), Filibe |
Platanos | Crete, Greece | Minoan city | |
Phlius | Argolid, Greece | abandoned | |
Pherae | Thessaly, Greece | abandoned | |
Phocaea | western Turkey | Foça | Phokaia (Φώκαια) |
Phoenice | Chaonia, southern Albania | Finiq | |
Pinara | Lycia, Turkey | abandoned | Pilleñni (τὰ Πίναρα) |
Pisa | Elis, Greece | ||
Pitane | Çandarlı, Turkey | abandoned | |
Pitiunt | Abkhazia, Black Sea coast | Pitsunda | Bichvinta, Pezonda |
Pixous | Campania, Italy | Policastro Bussentino | Pixunte |
Plataea | Boeotia, Greece | destroyed | Plataeae |
Poseidonia | Campania, Italy | Paestum | Paestum |
Potidaea | Chalcidice, Greece | Nea Poteidaia | Potidaia (Ποτίδαια), Potidea |
Priapus | Canakkale, western Turkey | Karabiga | |
Priene | Ionia, western Turkey | abandoned | |
Prousa | north-western Turkey | Bursa | Prussa (Προύσα), Brusa |
Pseira | Crete, Greece | Minoan city | |
Psychro | Crete, Greece | Minoan city | |
Pteleum | Thessaly, Greece | destroyed | |
Pydna | Central Macedonia, Greece | Pydna | Púdna (Πύδνα) |
Pylos | western Peloponnese, Greece | Pílos (Πύλος), Navarino, Avarino (Αβαρίνος), Zonklon, Anavarin, Neokastron, Avarmus, Abarinus, Albarinos, Albaxinus, Avarinos, Coryphasium, Iverin, Nelea, Port de Jonc, Porto Giunco, Zunchio. | |
Pyrgos | Black Sea coast of Bulgaria | Burgas | |
Pyrgos | Northern Crete, Greece | Minoan city |
Ancient name | Location | Modern name | Also known as |
Rhamnus | northern Attica, Greece | abandoned | Rhamnous |
Rhegion (Ρήγιoν) | "toe of Italy", Calabria, southern Italy | Reggio Calabria | Erythrà (Ερυθρά), Rhegium Julium |
Rhithymna | Northern Crete, Greece | Rethymon | |
Rhode | Catalonia, Spain | Roses, Girona | |
Rhodes | Rhodes, Greece | Ródos (Ρόδος), | |
Rhypes, (Ῥύπες) | Achaia, Greece | destroyed | |
Rizinia | Crete | abandoned | Prinias, Rize, Rhizenia |
Ancient name | Location | Modern name | Also known as | |
Salamis | Cyprus | abandoned | ||
Same (Σάμη) | island in the Ionian Sea, Greece | |||
Samos | in the island with the same name, Greece | |||
Scyllaeum | Calabria, Italy | Scilla | ||
Scolacium (Σκυλλήτιον) | near Catanzaro, Calabria, Italy | Squillace | ||
Selinus | south-west coast of Sicily, Italy | abandoned-Marinella di Selinunte | Selinunte | |
Seleucia Pieria (Σελεύκεια Πιερία) | south-eastern Turkey | Çevlik [1] | Seleukia Pieria, Seleukia | |
Semasus | Paphlagonia, northern Turkey | Amasra | Cromna, Amastris | |
Sestos | Eceabat, Turkey, North of Abydos | Sestus | ||
Scidrus (Σκίδρος) | Lucania, Italy | location uncertain | ||
Sicyon (Σικυών) | northern Peloponnese, Greece | abandoned | ||
Side | Pamphylia, Turkey | abandoned | Eski Adalia, Old Antalya | |
Sidon | Lebanon | Sidon | Σιδών, Sidon, Saïda | |
Siteia | Crete, Greece | |||
Sinope (Σινώπη) | Paphlagonia, northern Turkey | Sinop | ||
Siris | Central Macedonia, Greece | Serres | Serrai (Katharevousa), Serras (local dialect, archaic form), Sirra (Roman era and Theopompus), Serez or Siroz (in Turkish), Ser (in Serbian and Bulgarian), Syar (in Bulgarian) | |
Sklavokampos | Crete, Greece | |||
Smyrna | near İzmir, western Turkey | abandoned | Old Smyrna | |
Soli | Cyprus | abandoned | Soloi | |
Sozopolis | Pisidia, Turkey | abandoned | Apollonia | |
Sparta | southern part of the Peloponnese, Greece | Sparti | Lakedaimon (Λακεδαίμων), Lakedaimonia (Λακεδαιμωνία), Σπάρτα, Σπάρτη, Spartē. | |
Stagirus | Chalcidice, Greece | abandoned | Stageira (Στάγειρα), Stagira (Στάγιρα), Stagiros (Στάγιρος), Stageiros (Στάγειρος) | |
Stratos | Western Greece | Stratos | ||
Stymphalos | Corinthia, Greece | Stymfalia | ||
Sybaris | near Sibari, Gulf of Taranto, Italy | destroyed | ||
Syrakousai | east-coast of Sicily, Italy | Syracuse | Siracusai, Aretusa. |
Ancient name | Location | Modern name | Also known as |
Taras (Τάρᾱς) | southern Italy | Taranto | Tarentum, Tarantas (Τάραντας) |
Tanagra | Boeotia, Greece | Poimandria | |
Tanais | north-eastern Sea of Azov, Russia | Tánaïs (Τάναϊς) | |
Tauromenion (Ταυρομένιον) | east coast of Sicily | Taormina | Taurmina, Tauromenium |
Tegea | Arcadia, Greece | Alea | |
Temnos | Aeolis, Turkey | abandoned | |
Tenedos | Turkish island in northern Aegean Sea | Bozcaada | Bozca ada, Tenedhos (Τένεδος) |
Tenea | Corinthia, Peloponnese | Municipal unit of Tenea | |
Teos (Τέως) | Ionia, western Turkey | abandoned | Teo |
Termessos (Τερμησσός) | Ionia, western Turkey | abandoned | Termissós |
Thapsos | Sicily, Italy | abandoned | |
Thassos (Θάσος) | Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, Greece | Thassos | Limenas, Λιμένας |
Thebes | Boeotia, Greece | Thēbai (Θῆβαι), Thiva (Θήβα) | |
Theodosia (Θεοδοσία) | Crimea, Ukraine | Feodosiya (Феодосія, Феодосия) | Kefe, Feodosia |
Therma | Mygdonia, Central Macedonia, Greece | Thessaloniki | Therme (Θέρμα, Θέρμη) |
Thespiae | Boeotia, Greece | abandoned | Thespiai (Θεσπιαι) |
Thronium | Illyria/Epirus, near Vlorë, Albania | abandoned | Thronium |
Thoricus | southern Attica, Greece | abandoned | Thorico |
Thurii (Θούριοι) | Magna Graecia, southern Italy | abandoned | Thurium (Θούριον), Copia, Copiae, Turios, Thurio Magna Graecia |
Thyreum | |||
Thyria | South of İzmir, Turkey | Tire | |
Tiruns | Argolis, Peloponnese | abandoned | |
Tithoraea | Boeotia, Greece | Kato Tithorea | |
Tomis | Black Sea coast of Romania | Constanţa | Konstantia, Köstence |
Toróne | Chalcidice, Greece | Toroni | |
Tragurion | Dalmatian coast, Croatia | Trogir | Traù, Tragurium, Trau |
Trapeze | Crete, Greece | ||
Trapezus, Arcadia | Black Sea coast of north-eastern Turkey | Trabzon | Trapezounta (Τραπεζούντα) |
Tripolis (Τρίπολις) | Lebanon | Tripoli | |
Tripolis (Τρίπολις) | Libya | Tripoli | |
Tripolis (Τρίπολις) | Pontus, north-eastern Turkey | Tirebolu | Ischopolis |
Tripolis (Τρίπολις) | Thessaly, Greece | Tripolis Larisaia | |
Tripolis (Τρίπολις) | Phrygia | abandoned | Neapolis, Apollonia, Antoninopolis |
Troizen (Τροιζήν) | northeastern Peloponnese, Greece | abandoned | Troizina, Trizina |
Troliton | Sicily, Italy | abandoned | |
Troy | Dardanelles, north-eastern Turkey | Truva | Troia (Τροία), Ilion (Ἴλιον), Īlium, Wilusa, Truwisa, Hisarlık |
Tylissos | Crete, Greece | ||
Tyras | Ukrainian Black Sea coast | Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi [2] | Cetatea Albă |
Tyros | Lebanon | Tyre | Τύρος, Tyre, Sur |
Tyritake (Τυριτάκη) | Crimea, Cimmerian Bosporus | abandoned |
Ancient name | Location | Modern name | Also known as |
Vasiliki | Minoan city in Crete, Greece | ||
Vathypetros | Minoan city in Crete, Greece |
Ancient name | Location | Modern name | Also known as |
Zakynthos | Zante | ||
Zakros | Crete, Greece | Minoan city | Zakro |
Zankle | Strait of Messina, Sicily, Italy | Messina | Messene, Messana |
The Dorians were one of the four major ethnic groups into which the Hellenes of Classical Greece divided themselves. They are almost always referred to as just "the Dorians", as they are called in the earliest literary mention of them in the Odyssey, where they already can be found inhabiting the island of Crete.
Magna Graecia is a term that was used for the Greek-speaking areas of Southern Italy, in the present-day Italian regions of Calabria, Apulia, Basilicata, Campania and Sicily; these regions were extensively populated by Greek settlers starting from the 8th century BC.
Ancient Greece was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity, that comprised a loose collection of culturally and linguistically related city-states and other territories. Prior to the Roman period, most of these regions were officially unified once under the Kingdom of Macedon from 338 to 323 BC. In Western history, the era of classical antiquity was immediately followed by the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine period.
Polis, plural poleis, means ‘city’ in ancient Greek. The modern Greek word πόλη (polē) is a direct descendant of the ancient word and roughly means "city" or an urban place. However, the Ancient Greek term that specifically meant the totality of urban buildings and spaces was asty (ἄστυ), rather than polis.
Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek, Dark Ages, the Archaic or Epic period, and the Classical period.
Tourism in Greece has been a key element of the economic activity in the country, and is one of the country's most important sectors. Greece has been a major tourist destination and attraction in Europe since the 1970s for its rich culture and history, which is reflected in large part by its 18 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, among the most in Europe and the world as well as for its long coastline, many islands, and beaches.
Religious practices in ancient Greece encompassed a collection of beliefs, rituals, and mythology, in the form of both popular public religion and cult practices. The application of the modern concept of "religion" to ancient cultures has been questioned as anachronistic. The ancient Greeks did not have a word for 'religion' in the modern sense. Likewise, no Greek writer known to us classifies either the gods or the cult practices into separate 'religions'. Instead, for example, Herodotus speaks of the Hellenes as having "common shrines of the gods and sacrifices, and the same kinds of customs."
Colonies in antiquity were post-Iron Age city-states founded from a mother-city or metropolis rather than a territory-at-large. Bonds between a colony and its metropolis often remained close, and took specific forms during the period of classical antiquity. Generally, colonies founded by the ancient Phoenicians, Carthage, Rome, Alexander the Great and his successors remained tied to their metropolis, though Greek colonies of the Archaic and Classical eras were sovereign and self-governing from their inception. While Greek colonies were often founded to solve social unrest in the mother-city by expelling a part of the population, Hellenistic, Roman, Carthaginian, and Han Chinese colonies were used for trade, expansion and empire-building.
The Greek diaspora, also known as Omogenia, are the communities of Greeks living outside of Greece and Cyprus.
The Molossians were a group of ancient Greek tribes which inhabited the region of Epirus in classical antiquity. Together with the Chaonians and the Thesprotians, they formed the main tribal groupings of the northwestern Greek group. On their northern frontier, they neighbored the Chaonians and on their southern frontier neighbored the kingdom of the Thesprotians. They formed their own state around 370 BC and were part of the League of Epirus. The most famous Molossian ruler was Pyrrhus of Epirus, considered one of the greatest generals of antiquity. The Molossians sided against Rome in the Third Macedonian War and were defeated. Following the war, the region witnessed devastation while a considerable number of Molossians and other Epirotes were enslaved and transported to the Roman Republic, overwhelmingly in the Italian Peninsula itself.
Macedonia is a geographic and former administrative region of Greece, in the southern Balkans. Macedonia is the largest and second-most-populous geographic region in Greece, with a population of 2.36 million. It is highly mountainous, with major urban centres such as Thessaloniki and Kavala being concentrated on its southern coastline. Together with Thrace, along with Thessaly and Epirus occasionally, it is part of Northern Greece. Greek Macedonia encompasses entirely the southern part of the wider region of Macedonia, making up 51% of the total area of that region. Additionally, it widely constitutes Greece's borders with three countries: Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia to the north, and Bulgaria to the northeast.
Greeks in Italy have been present since the migrations of traders and colonial foundations in the 8th century BC, continuing down to the present time. Nowadays, there is an ethnic minority known as the Griko people, who live in the Southern Italian regions of Calabria and Apulia, especially the peninsula of Salento, within the ancient Magna Graecia region, who speak a distinctive dialect of Greek called Griko. They are believed to be remnants of the ancient and medieval Greek communities, who have lived in the south of Italy for centuries. A Greek community has long existed in Venice as well, the current centre of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Italy and Malta, which in addition was a Byzantine province until the 10th century and held territory in Morea and Crete until the 17th century. Alongside this group, a smaller number of more recent migrants from Greece lives in Italy, forming an expatriate community in the country. Today many Greeks in Southern Italy follow Italian customs and culture, experiencing assimilation.
Ethiopian Greeks, or Greeks in Ethiopia, are ethnic Greeks from Ethiopia. Today they number about 500 persons and can be traced back to ancient times. They are mainly located in the capital, Addis Ababa, and the city of Dire Dawa.
Greek colonisation refers to the expansion of Archaic Greeks, particularly during the 8th–6th centuries BC, across the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea.
Epirus was an ancient Greek kingdom, and later republic, located in the geographical region of Epirus, in parts of north-western Greece and southern Albania. Home to the ancient Epirotes, the state was bordered by the Aetolian League to the south, Ancient Thessaly and Ancient Macedonia to the east, and Illyrian tribes to the north. The Greek king Pyrrhus is known to have made Epirus a powerful state in the Greek realm that was comparable to the likes of Ancient Macedonia and Ancient Rome. Pyrrhus' armies also attempted an assault against the state of Ancient Rome during their unsuccessful campaign in what is now modern-day Italy.
The regions of ancient Greece were sub-divisions of the Hellenic world as conceived by the Ancient Greeks of antiquity, shown by their presence in the works of ancient historians and geographers or in surviving legends and myths.
The Roman people was the body of Roman citizens (Latin: Rōmānī; Ancient Greek: Ῥωμαῖοι Rhōmaîoi) during the Roman Kingdom, the Roman Republic, and the Roman Empire. This concept underwent considerable changes throughout the long history of the Roman civilisation, as its borders expanded and contracted. Originally only including the Latins of Rome itself, Roman citizenship was extended to the rest of the Italic peoples by the 1st century BC and to nearly every subject of the Roman empire in late antiquity. At their peak, the Romans ruled large parts of Europe, the Near East, and North Africa through conquests made during the Roman Republic and the subsequent Roman Empire. Although defined primarily as a citizenship, "Roman-ness" has also and variously been described as a cultural identity, a nationality, or a multi-ethnicity that eventually encompassed a vast regional diversity.
The Romanization of Anatolia saw the spread of Roman political and administrative influence throughout the region of Anatolia after its Roman acquisition. The aim of Romanization in Anatolia included the change from the previously dominant cultures, such as Persian and Greek, to a more dominantly Roman presence in any one region. Romanization usually included forcing the local populaces to adopt a Roman way of life – ranging from the local laws to its political system and the impact it had on the peoples living in the region. Anatolia was largely to completely resistant to the entire overhaul of culture as its systems of government were largely Hellenic. It already had local laws and customs that were similar to the Romans thus it was impractical Romanizing it. A more complete overhaul of culture can be seen in its more western provinces which were majority Latin after the success the Romans had at Romanizing places such as Gaul.