who became the greatest colonisers of antiquity. The nature of their country with its numerous bays, inlets, and adjacent islands predisposed them to commerce and navigation from early times; and when, about 900 B.C., the Dorian invasion caused a general rearrangement of the Grecian peninsula, large numbers of the other Greek races, the Ionians and Æolians, migrated to the islands of the Ægean Sea, and from thence betook themselves still more definitely to maritime trade. Some of them also settled upon the coast of Asia Minor, and soon this coast and the islands too were filled with flourishing commercial cities. The Æolians founded on the Asiatic coast twelve cities, of which Smyrna and Cyme were the most important; they also founded Mitylene in Lesbos, and colonised Tenedos. The Ionians settled chiefly in Lydia, their most important cities being Miletus, Colophon, and Ephesus, besides numerous others. The Dorians went to the coast opposite Rhodes and Samos, and founded Halicarnassus and Cnidus, and also the town of Rhodes.

13. Their Trade and Manufactures.-Now many of these colonies became not only important maritime cities, but also carried on many manufactures. Miletus reared sheep, and from their wool made fine clothing and carpets, while her trade extended into the interior of Asia in the east, and to the Straits of Gibraltar in the west; and especially did she win a large share of the Black Sea trade, exporting thither wine and manufactured cloth, and importing skins, hides, wool, and slaves. The Phocæans- -a colony of Miletus —were, together with the Samians, the first Greeks who sailed to Spain and the south coast of France, where they founded Massilia, now Marseilles. The Samians, who dwelt in the city and island of Samos, carried on their trade chiefly with the coast of Africa, and even sailed beyond the Pillars of Hercules (Gibraltar). They were famous, moreover,—just as Florence, another great commercial city, also became,for their artistic skill and taste, for many famous sculptors and artists came from Samos.

Of the cities on the coast of Asia Minor, Smyrna, which is still a flourishing emporium, deserves mention, as also

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does Ephesus, famous for the skill of its goldsmiths and silversmiths. These were Æolian colonies; as also were the island towns of Mitylene, noted for its wine and vineyards and its extensive general trade; and Chios, which made wine and built ships. The Dorian colony of Rhodes was very active in navigation, its ships going as far as Spain, where the Rhodians founded colonies.

14. The Greeks in the Black Sea.-The Greek colonies spread also along the shores of the Black Sea, and many of them are even to-day important commercial centres or ports-as, for instance, Sinope, Amisos, and Trebizond (Trapezus); on the south shore, Phasis (now Poti), and Dioskurias (now Iskurieh), on the east shore. From these centres the Greek traders could communicate with the peoples of the Caucasus and the caravans coming from the interior of Asia. On the north coast of the Black Sea, south of Russia, the Milesians founded other colonies, including Pantikopaion (now Kertsch) in the Crimea, Tanais at the mouth of the Don, and Olbia at the confluence of the Bug and the Dnieper; on the western side Odessus (now Varna). The colonies on the northern and eastern shores exported from the interior corn, slaves, skins, and wool, in exchange for wine and manufactured cloth. There were also two very flourishing cities on the Bosphorus: Chalcedon on the Asiatic, and Byzantium on the European side, the centres for the products of Asia Minor and the Black Sea-namely, corn, fish, timber, slaves, salt, honey, wax, leather, wool, skins-especially goat skins and hair. But of all articles of trade the most important was corn, which came from the south of Russia, as it does to the present day, and supplied food to Athens and Corinth, and many another Grecian town whose territory did not produce enough to feed its numerous inhabitants.

The most important trading cities on the north coast of the Ægean Sea were Amphipolis, founded by the Athenians, Potidea, founded by the Corinthians, and Olynthus. The island of Thasos, also in the north of this sea, was noted for its gold and silver mines, and was connected chiefly with the Egyptian trade. We should also mention

as maritime and commercial centres the towns of Chalcis and Eretria in Euboea, and Ægina, the centre of the district between Attica and Argolis. Of Corinth and Athens we must speak separately.

15. The Greeks in Italy.-We must now, however, glance at Greek colonies in the west and south of the Mediterranean Sea. The earliest settlement in Italy was probably Cumae in Campania, near Cape Misenum, said to have been founded as early as 850 B.C. For a long time it was the most flourishing city in Campania, till at length its importance was overshadowed by its younger rival Capua in the fifth century B.C. Many other colonies followed Cumae, and in course of time the whole southern coast of Italy was lined with Grecian cities, who conducted nearly the whole of Italian trade, and so flourishing were they that Southern Italy was called Magna Græcia, just as to-day we often speak of our own English colonies as Greater Britain. The earliest of these cities were Sybaris (720 B.C.) and Croton (710 B.C.), the former of which attained by its commerce to such a pitch of wealth and luxury that the name of its inhabitants, Sybarites, is synonymous with luxurious voluptuaries. Indeed most of these Grecian colonies were distinguished for their love of pleasure and general wealth. Locri, Rhegium and Tarentum, Elea, Posidonia, and Metapontum remain to be mentioned in Italy, while in Sicily, where the richness and fertility of the soil attracted many settlers, Syracuse (B.C. 734) and Agrigentum were the richest and most powerful. Naxos, Messana, Himera, Selinus, Gela, Leontini, Catana, Megara, and Camarina were the most notable after these. These towns exported from Sicily large quantities of corn and fruit, wine and oil, besides doing a considerable carrying trade between Italy and Egypt and the East. From Italy they exported wine and cattle, importing articles of Greek manufacture such as pottery, metal wares, and clothing.

16. The Greeks in Africa.-Along the north coast of Africa the Greeks planted various colonies between the territories of Carthage and Egypt. The head of these