Okay, FINALLY I found time between my finals, and finished this chapter before getting to study for ANOTHER final. And it's a long one! I put some pictures to make it easier on the eyes while I work in new maps. Enjoy! (yes, I know it starts a bit silly)
Chapter 4: The Hellenic Diaspora
The term Diaspora (derived from the ancient Hellene for “dispersion”) refers to both Hellenic colonies established before the Persian invasion of Hellas and those established after it: thus it is somewhat misleading.
As other maritime civilizations like the Phoenicians, the Hellenes established several colonies along the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. These colonies operated independently from the cities that spawned them, with only cultural and commercial links with their motherlands, in most cases.
When news of the Hellenic Campaign reached the colonies, the reaction was mixed.
The symbol of Conatus the Cimmerian: Two Snakes Facing Each Other.
The colonies of the Black Sea suddenly found themselves suddenly isolated. Mostly of Milesian descent, they were already under a deep economic crisis with the crushing of Miletus during the Ionian Revolt, which severed most of their trade routes. Many colonies held little love for the Persians, and a small population of Milesian refugees with the memories of the Revolt fresh in their minds only exacerbated tensions. The Achaeminid invasion of Hellas meant a permanent Persian control of both sides of the Bosporus. Thus the cities of the Black sea formed the Euxeinos League* in 481 to foment trade and defense between themselves. The cities of the Black Sea were constantly raided by Scythian war-bands who were apparently aware of the situation in Ionia and took their chances to plunder the cities' wealth. In one of these raids, a chieftain named Conatus the Cimmerian [1] invaded the city of Olbia and proclaimed it capital of Cimmeria, with himself as king. The Euxeinos League's reaction was delayed by trade disputes between Olbia and other cities [2]. Some refugees of Olbia asked Miletus for help, and Miletus agreed to send a fleet in 477... under Persian leadership. The league was torn. They already were debating to send a fleet by themselves; but the Milesian/Persian contingent was to be much larger.
Some members argued that Olbia had the right to petition for help. Others acussed the Olbian refugees of selling their city to the Persians, and demanded the immediate expulsion of the city from the league. During their deliberations, the fleet reached Olbia and overthrew Conatus, who escaped with many of his followers inland. As expected, Olbia's government was replaced with a pro-Persian one. Olbia requested to rejoin the league: many members disagreed. Some even argued to retake the city by force; this was never seriously considered due to the size of the Persian fleet and the possibility of retribution. The league was never dissolved, but most members left and by 461 it only remained as a loose alliance of the cities in Taurica**. Southern colonies became part of the Satrapy of Thrace.
Model of a Carthaginian ship. Carthaginian pirates were often equipped as the fleet itself
The situation was hardly better for Italia and Sicily. The colonies there had a larger population than others in the Hellenic world, but they confronted the rising power of Carthage on their doorstep. Suddenly the cities of Manga Graecia found themselves economically isolated and harassed by Carthage, the Etruscans and local tribes such as the Sammnites; it seemed that everybody knew about the situation of Hellas (due in no small part to Carthaginian influence) The Etruscans in particular tried to expand to the southern Hellenic colonies. Aristodemus of Cumae confronted the Rasna League's fleet in 474; the Battle of Cumae was a stalemate***. While the Etruscans did not manage to conquer the city they cemented their dominion over the Latin city-states and tribes across the Tiber, and their trade monopoly in Northern Italy for a longer while. Carthage's intentions of increasing influence on Italia were very clear. In Sicily, the cities quickly rallied around the largest colony of Syracuse, which was the largest and amongst the richest of Hellene colonies. The northern colonies of Ionian origin had certain issues about the league, but after the rise of Carthaginian piracy and harrasment, and the Battle of Cumae, they decided that a certain measure of unification was necessary. The Magna League, was a meeting of all the leaders of the cities forming part of it every 3 months. The meetings were mostly symbolic at first. However, that all changed when Themistocles arrived in Syracuse in 470. [3]
Themistocles, probably based on his experience during the Hellenic Campaings [4] realized that a divided Sicily had no chances of standing to Carthage's might. He passionately pleaded for the reform and centralization of the League. He was elected as Archon of Syracuse in 468 (3 years after his arrival, and after a heated political campaign [4]). His voice quickly became the loudest of the league, not only because of the prestige and wealth that his city commanded, but by the the charisma and political wit of his person. During his rule, Themistocles made the League's council permanent: he established a treasure paid by every member to provide to common defense: the fleet of Syracuse tripled its size during the administration of Themistocles, and other cities also built up their military. His most controversial achievement was to proclaim a League Charter that could overrule the cities' current constitutions: this led to a huge backlash and his famous assassination attempt by Thilesipus**** in 464 [6].
“
Themistocles Strategos” a bust recovered from the wreck of an ancient Syracusian ship.
The assassination attempt only made Themistocles more popular. His reforms became bolder and bolder. He upgraded Syracuse's and other cities' defenses. He encouraged immigrants from Hellas to come to Magna Graecia and help with its industry and defense. He promoted Magna Greacia, and Syracuse in particular, as the last great bastion of Hellenic civilization, and at the same time petitioned Persian satraps for diplomatic and economic help. Under Themistocles' rule, the Magna League expanded, covering all Hellene Sicily, and most cities of Magna Graecia. Several cities such as Neapolis, Cumae, Massilia and Taras had close links to it, despite forming no part of it. In effect, joining the League was to join a rising centralized state, something virtually unknown in Hellenic colonies. Carthage was of course not oblivious to the Magna League's rise; while never directly confronting them, it financed its rivals, promoted piracy, and threatened military actions at a last resource. Despite Themistocles' passionate personality, the wounds of his assassination never healed and he died in 461, leaving the young Itosphanes in command. Itosphanes, descendant of a Corinthian family, was a huge admirer of Themistocles, and he continued his reforms keeping a harsh line against Carthage and promoting the ideal of Syracuse and the Magna League as the last bastions of Hellenism. Despite flashpoints in Sicily and Italia, the true test of the League would come later, when Carthage attempted to expand its influence over Taras, starting the Italian Wars.
While some cities of Italia (Syracuse prominently) had sent their loyalty to the Great King during the Hellenic Campaigns, it was a half-hearted gesture at best: the Persians had no interest in enforcing tribute by now, and Italia was even farther than Hellas. However, they did have trade interests in the Mediterranean. The Carthaginians now controlled a big part of it, and a monopoly by them would be economically dangerous to Persia. Thus Persia found itself in the awkward situation of keeping warm trade relations with Carthage, while at the same time encouraging its rivals to prevent their monopoly. They were as of yet free of compromise, aiding Carthage, Syracuse and Eturia as convenient, but the satraps were aware of the tangling net of alliances developing.
Other colonies had different destinies. The colonies on North Africa and Iberia were absorbed by Carthage during the next century. Massilia and other colonies in southern Gallia prospered after strengthening their relations with the local Gauls and Celts despite Etruscan and Carthaginian influence. Over time, they became more and more Celticized, but the tribes of southern Gallia also had a large Hellenic influence even as far as Aquitaine.
City of Philadelphia. Unlike inland cities with Illyrian influence, Hellenes can be clearly seen as the primary source of the architectures of the Adriatic sea.
It is difficult to estimate how many Hellenes emigrated after the Hellenic campaigns. Dagutu puts the figure as low as 100.000 during Xerxes' and Artaxerxes' reign. Modern historians estimate it to be much larger. It is also difficult to say if Persians encouraged or curtailed this emigration: perhaps the most accurate way to put is that they encourage the “inconvenient” emigrants, but few records are kept from Hellenic migrations. Most of these emigrants went to Magna Graecia. Few did establish new cities, preferring to join the already existing ones. Others established colonies in the Adriatic sea, across the coast of Illyria and Italia; cities such as Philadelphia, Adriapolis, Aristopolis, Venetia***** and others. Few new colonies were established elsewhere. However the Persian satraps encouraged Hellene merchants to establish trading outposts and ports under the Satrap's administration. Some of these ports eventually grew to become cities of their own [7].
Also of note are the Hellenic immigrants to Persia. Mostly merchants, they established themselves in cities all over the Achaeminid empire; some in Ionia, others as sea merchants across Phoenicia and Egypt, and a few others overland in Babylon, Susa and even as far as Bactria. The “micropoleis”: Hellenic communities became sizable in Persian cities during Artaxerxes' reign. Hellene luminaries such as Pythagoras, Heraclitus, Phemistos and Esmanoxos****** lived across the empire and debated their ideas with contemporary Persian magians and philosophers. Some even formed part of the Great King's court: Aristophanes is known to have lived in Susa for several years (surely inspiring his play The Silver Cup) and even today he is considered the man who introduced the theater to Persia.
[1] Conatus prided himself to be the descendant of the last kings of the Cimmerians, a culture who invaded the Assyrians and the Lydians in the 7th century BCE, before dissapearing, apparently driven to Anatolia by the Scythians. Very few records are known of them, and it seems that Conatus' tribe adopted that history after its union under him during a clan war. The Scythian of the region apparently considered Cimmerians to be a legend at this point. Most records point him to by Scythian: Dagutu writes of him as a “...giant, black haired with sullen eyes, wearing naught but fur, his golden crown and a formidable sword, crushing the treasures and skulls of the kings of Earth under his sandalled feet”. Historical Cimmerians probably settled Katpatuka and mixed with the local population; Some are know to live near Thrace at this period, but they are probably unrelated to the original who invaded Lydia. Hellene settlers may have confused both.
[2] Caused by several reasons, among them the economic depression due to Hellas conquest and increasing piracy meant fewer income to the cities. Some members felt that the money was misspent in the richest cities of the league; amongst those members was Olbia.
[3] After his exile, Themistocles lived in Argos a few years before moving to Corinth, where he became an influential speaker, despite never holding the title of Citizen. He is most famously feature in the comedy
The Silver Cup, where the two brothers who owned said cup confront him in Corinth, and he responds with the famous monologue: “Well, you should have voted for the other guy”.
[4] Themistocles lead the fleet at the Battle of Chalcis, and was present in many negotiations between Persians and Hellenes. It is said that he was an acquittance of Mardiyuna himself during his years in Corinth.
[5] The campaign was mostly focused on Themistocles' status as a foreigner. Themistocles had the support of many Syracusian families and the new inmigrants to Syracuse from Hellas. His famous “Stars on the night” speech, where he compared all Hellenes to be stars on the night of barbarism, is considered to be one of the first examples of Pan-Hellenism.
[6] Thilesipus was a merchant from Syracuse, who claimed that immigrants were leading the city to ruin, and Themistocles was selling it to the Persians. He attempted a coup against Themistocles with his hired mercenaries: Themistocles confronted them and was hurt in the lower chest, famously still cursing and lecturing his adversaries even lying on the floor. Thilesipus was reduced, judged and later executed.
[7] Evidence of Hellenic architecture is found as far away as northern Gallia, but wherever they actually made colonies that far is unknown. Strangely for the Achaeminids, they kept few records of Hellene Colonies.
*From the Greek name for the Black Sea: Euxenios Pontos, the Hospitable Sea. Named after Greek colonization; before that it was the Inhospitable Sea.

**Crimea
*** In OTL, the Battle of Cumae was a decisive victory for the Greeks. Syracuse did not intervene due to Carthaginian piracy and butterflies, so the Etruscans will keep their dominance... for now.
****Not a person from OTL
*****OTL cities of Dubvronik, Zadar, Ravenna, and well, Venice.
******The last two are not from our OTL, and will be detailed later. Also, sorry for all the asterisks
Well, it has been certainly fun detailing the lives of some historical personages! I hope to add more details in the next updates; unfortunately Persian history is sorely lacking on personal anecdotes.