In such circumstances it was natural that, as soon as thepopulation of any community grew too great for its internal resources, those who could not live on the land should take to seafaring.
——Bertrand Russell, A History of Western Philosophy, Chapter I
希臘本土多山，山谷小而分散，臨海又易於出入。土地承載有限，人口一多，年輕人便乘船外出，在愛琴諸島、小亞細亞沿岸、西西里與南義大利建立殖民城。這些城往往比母城富裕，靠海運、工藝與轉口貿易維生，並把制度與發明來回帶動。
