Magna Graecia

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/magna-graecia

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. When was Magna Graecia built?Beginning in the 8th century BC by colonists from mainland Greece
2. What does "Magna Graecia" mean and where was it located?"Magna Graecia" means "Great Greece" and refers to Greek-speaking cities in southern Italy and Sicily.
3. Why did Greeks build cities in Italy?They left because of overpopulation, trade chances, and problems back home, so they founded new towns.

Metropoleis: The 'mother cities' in Greece from which colonists departed to found new settlements.
Poleis: The fundamental political unit of ancient Greece, independent city-states that formed the core of Magna Graecian society.
Italiotes and Siceliotes: Collective terms for the inhabitants of Magna Graecia and Greek Sicily, respectively, denoting their distinct cultural identities.