As far back as 600 B.C., long before the Romans, cities such as Marseilles, Antibes, Nice, and Monte Carlo were founded by settlers who emigrated from mainland Greece and the older Greek colonies of the Ionian coast in Asia Minor. Tracing the history of Provence and the French Riviera back to its earliest roots, Trevor Hodge gathers together the evidence for this far-flung outpost of ancient Greek civilization.
Starting with a survey of Phocaea, the Ionian metropolis, Ancient Greek France follows the settlers' fleet overseas to Provence and the foundation there of Massalia-modern Marseilles. Subsequent chapters outline Massalia's topography, archaeology, history, economy, politics, and culture. The book provides site-by-site commentary on the other, later Greek colonies along the Mediterranean coast between Ampurias, in Spain, and Monaco, and a study of the Celts of inland Gaul and their relations, both commercial and cultural, with the Greek colonists. Hodge assesses the characteristics and achievements of Massalia, and considers the place it held in the Greek imagination.
A readable, original contribution, this book will appeal to scholars and students of ancient history, archaeologists, general readers, and travelers interested in the south of France.
- ISBN10 0812234820
- ISBN13 9780812234824
- Publish Date 29 January 1998
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 30 October 2010
- Publish Country US
- Imprint University of Pennsylvania Press
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 320
- Language English