Magna Graecia
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Magna Graecia (Latin meaning "Great Greece", Template:Lang-el, Megálē Hellás) was the name given by the Romans to the coastal areas of Southern Italy in the present-day regions of Campania, Apulia, Basilicata, Calabria and Sicily that were extensively populated by Greek settlers; particularly the Achaean settlements of Croton, and Sybaris, and to the north, the settlements of Cumae and Neapolis.<ref>The Oxford Companion to Classical Literature, Paul Harvey, 1927,1955, p258</ref> The settlers who began arriving in the 8th century BC brought with them their Hellenic civilization, which was to leave a lasting imprint in Italy, such as in the culture of ancient Rome. Most notably the Roman poet Ovid referred to the south of Italy as Magna Graecia in his poem Fasti.
See also
- Ancient Greek dialects
- Greeks in Italy
- Italiotes
- Graia
- Graïke
- Graecus
- Griko people
- Griko language
- Hellenic civilization
- Names of the Greeks