The Greeks began to colonize the Italian Peninsula around the second half of the eighth century B.C. Those early settlements were agricultural communities, built by Greeks looking for a better life. Trade was also a factor, as they moved north to create contact with the Etruscans, who eventually became great trading partners.
The Italian Greek cities, called Magna Graecia, shared the great accomplishments of the motherland including town planning, art, coinage, science, and philosophy, but remained closed off from the rest of Italy. They quarreled among themselves often leading to civil war within the cities, and lacked the power to expand their area of dominance. Not able to stimulate the Latins to significant imitation, the Greeks had to be content to see their gods absorbed into the religion of Etruria and Rome.
A list of the leading cities of Magna Graecia would include:
Syracuse – a powerful city-state aligned with Sparta and Corinth
Tarantum – a wealthy and powerful seaport, center of trade with Greece, powerful enough to pursue expansion
Neopolis (Naples) – seaport and ally of the Romans against Carthage
Cumae – early Greek settlement, defeated by the Oscans in 421 BC, survivors founded Neopolis
Paestum – also defeated by the Oscans, stayed loyal to Rome against Hannibal
Rhegium – ally of Syracuse, occupied by the Romans during the First Punic War
Thurii – late Greek colony, constantly under attack from neighbors, defended by Rome
During the fourth and fifth centuries B.C, the Greek cities came under pressure from native Italian tribes. The most notable, the Lucanians, pushed into the foot of Italy and encroached on the land of the Greeks. Many times the Greek cities appealed for help from the motherland against them. Many times Athens or Sparta sent an army, but the cities never realized a permanent peace.
The Romans were not interested in the Greek cities during this period because they were distracted by invasions from the north and Samnite Wars, which lasted until 290 B.C. In 285 B.C, Thurii and Rhegium appealed to Rome for help against the Lucanians. These appeals forced Rome to create a policy for southern Italy designed to prevent the involvement of outsiders, and signaled the end of Magna Graecia as an independent entity.