Massalia
Massalia (
History
Massalia was established ca. 600 BC by
After the middle of the 6th century BC, Massalia became an important trading post of the western Mediterranean area. It grew into creating colonies of its own on the sea coast of Gallia Narbonensis during the 4th and 3rd centuries BC, including Agathe (late 5th–early 4th c. BC), Olbia (ca. 325), Tauroentium (early 3rd c.), Antipolis and Nikaia (ca. mid-3rd c.).[6][4] Massalia was known in ancient times for its explorers: Euthymenes travelled to the west African coast in the late 6th century BC, and Pytheas explored northwestern Europe in the late 4th century BC.[3]
The colony remained a faithful ally of Rome during all of the Punic Wars (264–146 BC). The retreat of Carthage from the Iberian coast after its defeat in the Second Punic War (218–201) gave Massalia the dominancy over the Gulf of Lion, and the fall of Carthage in 146 probably led to the intensification of trade between the Greek colony and the Celtiberians.[7] Archaeological evidence, in the form of amphora fragments, indicate that the Greeks were producing wine in the region (Provence) soon after they settled. By the time the Romans reached the area in 125 BC, the wine produced there had a reputation across the Mediterranean for high quality.[citation needed]
Massalia initially chose neutrality during the
During the
Political system
Massalia was ruled as an oligarchic republic by a closed aristocracy initially descending from the original settlers. An assembly of 600 timouchoi, whose membership was conditioned to the involvement in trading activities, elected 15 magistrates, 3 of them with executive power.[8][4]
Reputation
The Greeks used the proverbs Ἐκ Μασσαλίας ἥκεις ("you are coming out of Massalia") and Ἐς Μασσαλίαν πλεύσειας ("you might sail to Massalia") in reference to those living an
The Romans on the other hand had a more positive view of the city as a bastion of Greek civilisation in barbarian lands,[12][13] and as a loyal ally of Rome.[14][15]
Legacy
A genetic study conducted in 2011 found that 4% of the inhabitants of
See also
References
- ^ Duchêne 1998.
- ^ Lafond 2006.
- ^ a b Rivet & Drinkwater 2016.
- ^ a b c d e Guyon 2012.
- ^ Bouffier & Garcia 2021, pp. 25–28.
- ^ Bouffier 2009, p. 38.
- ^ Bouffier 2009, pp. 38–39.
- ^ Bouffier 2009, pp. 36–37.
- ^ Suda, epsilon, 499 (in Greek and in English)
- ^ Suda, epsilon, 3161 (in Greek and in English)
- ^ Athenaeus, Deipnosophistae 12.25
- Ab Urbe Condita 37.54
- ^ Cicero, Pro Flacco 63
- Epitome 43.5.3
- ISBN 9781501503986.
- ^ King et al. 2011.
- Bibliography
- Bouffier, Sophie (2009). "Marseille et la Gaule Méditerranéenne avant la Conquête Romaine". In Cabouret, Bernadette (ed.). Rome et l'occident: du IIe s. av. J.-C au IIe s. apr. J.-C. Presses Universitaire du Mirail. pp. 35–60. )
- Bouffier, Sophie; Garcia, Dominique (2021). "Variations territoriales: indigènes et Grecs en Celtique méditerranéenne". Les territoires de Marseille antique. Errance. ISBN 978-2-87772-848-5.
- Duchêne, Roger (1998). Marseille: 2600 ans d'histoire. Fayard. ISBN 978-2-7028-2422-1.
- Guyon, Jean (2012). "Massilia (Marseilles)". The Encyclopedia of Ancient History. Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 978-1-4443-3838-6.
- King, Roy J.; Di Cristofaro, Julie; Kouvatsi, Anastasia; Triantaphyllidis, Costas; Scheidel, Walter; Myres, Natalie M.; Lin, Alice A.; Eissautier, Alexandre; Mitchell, Michael; Binder, Didier; Semino, Ornella (2011). "The coming of the Greeks to Provence and Corsica: Y-chromosome models of archaic Greek colonization of the western Mediterranean". BMC Evolutionary Biology. 11 (1): 69. PMID 21401952.
- Lafond, Yves (2006). "Massalia". Brill's New Pauly. .
- Rivet, A. L. F.; Drinkwater, John F. (2016). "Massalia". Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Classics. ISBN 9780199381135.
Further reading
- Bizot, Bruno (2007). Marseille antique. Guides archéologiques de la France. Éd. du Patrimoine. ISBN 978-2-85822-931-4.
- Bouffier, Sophie; Garcia, Dominique (2017). Greek Marseille and Mediterranean Celtic Region. Peter Lang. ISBN 978-1-4331-3204-9.
- Bouiron, Marc; Mellinand, Philippe (2013). Quand les archéologues redécouvrent Marseille. Gallimard. ISBN 978-2-07-014213-2.
- Loseby, S. T. (1992). "Marseille: A Late Antique Success Story?". The Journal of Roman Studies. 82: 165–185. S2CID 163966936.