Early Greek unification-colonies?

[wiking]

What if the Greeks were united pre-Alexander and took a more active role in colonizing modern day turkey? Obviously this would mean fighting the Persians, but would it be possible to have modern day (or at least modern era) Greece include much of modern Turkey?

[Atreus]

IOTL the ancient Greeks had a pretty extensive list of colonies. You could find Greek cities in Spain, southern France, Corsica, Southern Italy, Sicily, Cyrenaica, Cyprus, the Crimea, and along pretty much the entire coastline of Anatolia and the Black Sea. In fact, the original conflict between the Greeks and Persians which stretched from Marathon to Guagamela began because the Athenians aided the Ionian greeks in an abortive revolt against the Persians.

Now, more and more powerful inland colonies is a different question, but the coast of modern turkey, especially along the Aegean and Black seas, was home to large numbers of greek polis.

[Lysandros Aikiedes]

Which of the Greek city-states from the Classical Era would have the best chance of uniting the Hellenes across the Mediterranean under one flag? Corinth, Athens, or a reformed Sparta?

[Atreus]

Originally Posted by Lysandros Aikiedes

Which of the Greek city-states from the Classical Era would have the best chance of uniting the Hellenes across the Mediterranean under one flag? Corinth, Athens, or a reformed Sparta?

Athens, followed by Corinth. Sparta was inhibited from this sort of power projection if for no other reason than its insanely vulnerable strategic position and limited demographic base. Thebes lacked any interest in this sort of expansion (generally didnt act outside of mainland greece), and there are not very many other alternatives. Athens is a better option, simply because it tended to be more powerful than corinth (alliances with Sparta excluded).

But the idea of an united classical greece is a little far-fetched. The polis were so fractured that any one state which tries to exert true hegemony is going to be resented and, sooner or later, challenged. Athens, Sparta, and Thebes all rose and fell in the course of a century. One possible option would be a far less successful Alexander, who establishes some broad pan-Hellenic ideals but then dies, leaving Macedon in disarray.
Athens steps into the power vaccumn caused by the destruction of Thebes, and reestablishes itself as the leading city-state.

However, a more divided greek speaking world is more likely to occur, regardless of POD. Probably the best that you could realistically expect would be for a multipolar greek world, with several polis each having their own spheres of influence. Syracuse dominates Sicily, Italy, and the western Mediterranean, Sparta reigns supreme in the Pelleponese, Corinth holds the isthmus, Argolis, and perhaps some colonies on the gulf of Tarentum/Adriatic coastline, Athens controls Attica and the Aegean, Thebes dominates Boeotia, etc...

[Dathi THorfinnsson]

If the Delian league had actually been run as a confederation, rather than an Athenian Empire (although I don't have any clue how you'd manage that), then it could serve as a basis for a united Greece.

I think anyone conquering by force is going to have REAL problems - even Macedon (which was overwhelmingly stronger than any other polis) suffered revolts from time to time.

I think a body like the US Congress where everyone could practice their oratory and let off steam, and where everyone had 'fair' representation, would be the most likely to work, although I don't know how to get such a thing established.