Women in...
Greek colonies
Greek people founded over three hundred years (between the 8th and the 8thcentury BC), some 500 settlements distributed along the Mediterranean, from the Black Sea to southern France and the northeastern Iberia.
This process, which mobilized thousands of people from archaic Greek communities, created networks of economic and cultural exchange on a scale not previously known and which decisively transformed the way of interaction between the various regions of the ancient Mediterranean.
Greek settlements located in the westernmost part of the basin, Emporion (Empúries) and Rhode (Roses), settled in the southern limit of the expansion area (from Phocaea, polis located on the western coast of Asia Minor), of which main enclave was Massalia (Marseille).
The first permanent Greek settlement in Emporien was located on a small promontory that jutted into the sea (now Sant Martí d'Empúries) that closed and allowed to control a natural depression that became the port. In that place there was previously an indigenous village from the mid-7thcentury BC, on which was founded the Greek enclave. The close relationship between Greeks and indigenous remained part of the history of Empúries after the creation of a second settlement, Neapolis, south of the port area.
Colonias griegas del Mediterráneo occidental. Ilustración: Francesc Ràfols
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PASTWOMEN CALENDAR
Happy 2026!
As every year, the Pastwomen calendar is here. For now, it's only available in Spanish; we'll be uploading versions in other languages in the coming days.
DOCUMENTARY AWARD
The documentary Off the Archeological Record, produced by the UAB and the Pastwomen network, has been awarded the EITB prize for gender perspective at the 25th edition of the Bidasoa International Archaeological Film Festival (FICAB), held in November 2025. To watch the documentary trailer, click here.
