Introduction
This article will cover Magana Graecia. Also known as greater Greece, the article will cover Magna Graecia’s early Greek colonies, the Greek temples, Greater Greece’s name, and Magna Graecia’s coin minting.
The Greek Colonies
Starting around 800 BCE, Greek settlers began showing up on the shores of what we know today as Sicily. These travelers were mostly driven by the need for fertile land and new resources. Just like the Greeks from mainland Greece these Greek travelers and settlements brought Hellenistic culture with them.
The colonies eventually started mixing in with the indigenous population. This would be one of the ways the Etruscan people would learn about and eventually adopt the greek alphabet.
Some of these colonies were built into decent-sized cities and remain in use today, such as Naples, Syracuse, Akragas, Taras, Rhegion, and Kroton.
Greek Temples
Like anywhere the Greeks went, they would build temples for their various gods and goddesses or for various other/secondary uses within the community. While you can travel to Athens and other areas of Greece, people are unaware that some of the most intact Greek temples actually reside in Sicily.
One famous example is the Temple of Hera at the Paestum UNESCO world heritage site. The archaeological site is located in the Italian Province of Salerno Campania.
Greek temples in Magna Graecia most likely served a similar purpose to those in ancient mainland Greece. They were also built similarly when compared to their mainland greek counterparts.
Greater Greece
Magna Graecia was actually a name given to the area by the Romans. As stated above, it originally referred to the coastal Greek settlements. The original greek name for the area was Megálē Hellás. We get Magna Graecia from the Romans translating the Greek version of the name into Latin.
Sicily would become an important center for many different cultures over the centuries. This is one of the reasons southern Italy is considered so distinct compared to its Northern Italian neighbors.
However, even in modern times, this period’s influence remains. Throughout southern Italy, there are still pockets of proud ethnically greek people who claim descent from the original Greek settlers.
Magna Graecia Coinage
Coin minting began in Magna Graecia around the same time other Greeks cities did. Like everything else, the coins minted within Magna Graecia by the greek colonies were based on Hellenistic culture. This means many of their coins had a similar weight and or size to mainland Greece’s coinage.
There’s a myth/theory about Pythagoras, who likely died while living within Magna Gracia. Many Magna Graecia coins are minted with logos remaining centered on the obverse and reverse throughout the minting process.
It is believed that Pythagoras either gave advice or developed the minting technique that allowed the coins to be struck with the images and writing remaining centered, but this theory cant be confirmed.
Greek Silver Coins
Within Magna Graecia, there were many cities, and many of these cities minted their own Greek coinage. Below is the link to the ancient Greek silver coins we currently have in stock.
Greek Silver Coins
These are all of the Non-Certified and Certified Greek silver coins we currently have for sale.
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