Phoenician Colonies: Map & History
Colonies in antiquity were post-Iron Age city-states founded from a mother-city or metropolis rather than from a territory-at-large.
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Colonies in antiquity were post-Iron Age city-states founded from a mother-city or metropolis rather than from 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 earlier 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 served as centres for trade (entrepôts), expansion and empire-building.
Modern Countries Once Part of Phoenician Colonies
At its mapped extent, Phoenician Colonies covered territory in 2 present-day countries. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside Phoenician Colonies's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
Phoenician Colonies Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Expansion to peak recorded area of 14,878 km² in 623 BCE.
Phoenician Colonies: Frequently Asked Questions
When did Phoenician Colonies exist?
Phoenician Colonies is dated to 700 BCE – 616 BCE, in the Bronze & Iron Age Civilizations era.
How large was Phoenician Colonies at its peak?
At its peak in 623 BC Phoenician Colonies covered about 14,878 km².
Other Sovereign Realms
Classical Antiquity • Capital: Persepolis, Pasargadae, Susa, Babylon
Bronze Age Civilizations • Capital: Memphis
Classical Antiquity • Capital: Pataliputra
Classical Antiquity • Capital: Pella, Babylon