What if the ancient greeks settled in Britain.

[BrightHeart]

This idea came about after watching a documentary on Pytheas of Massalia and his journey northwards and sailed all the way past the british isles to Thule which could have been either the Faroe islands, Shetlands, Iceland or Norway. What if after he had returned those in power or even just merchants were intriqued to the point of wanting to settle there which in the merchants case could have been down to wanting a grip on the tin that came from that region.

Due to the value of tin in the ancient world, I feel the colonies of the Prettanike Greeks would be focused mainly in Cornwall and Devon, with temples potentially dedicated to Plutus and Hephaestus of sandstone and Granite due to the colonies potential focus on tin mining. I also feel greek style shrines and temples to gods of the native Pretani could be errected either by the greeks or by Pretani who adopt a grecian way of life.

Centuries later, this could also changed Roman Britannia simply from their potentially being records or stories of ancient greek civilisation on the islands south-west coast. With Rome potentially starting its british settlement from Cornwall. However if no records did survive and the Romans conquer britain from the south east, when they first reach contact with the Dumnonii or whatever takes their place in this new timeline, if the greek settlers had taken deep route within their culture and language, the romans may find it easy to absorb them into Britannia.

 

[Gargoturcos]

Well I'm not even sure the greeks would go this far north ! Colonies were founded with people wanting to settle in search of a better life by getting close to resources and trading with locals. Pytheas would need to be very persuasive to convince the very conservative minded people of Massilia to implant a colony on a far northern Island filled with potentialy hostile celts (the city state was perpetually woried by the local celtic nations that lived outside it's border) for a resource they already get through the very effective commercial system of gaul. A system already very well known by the greeks but It is true that the voyage of Pytheas was the first time a greek wrote about the origin of tin but it is pretty much suspected that he knew through the many gallic and britonic merchants (who spoke greek as reported by ancient sources) where to look.

But let's say he manage to get an expedition going ! Who will acompany and finance him ? Maybe some of the most adventurous greek merchants but not enough to conquer one of the most critical mine of the Western world at the time (This region was mined for tin since the Bronze age and it's production was found all over the ancient world) so it must have been well defended ! What could hapen is maybe negotiations with the locals wich is a possibility in the mind of a massilian whose city was founded with the myth of the wedding of the gallic Princess Petta/Gyptis of the Segobriges and Protis the Phocaean sailor. The expedition could found an emporium/emprion basically a merchant outpost but it's alreay prety plausible that they already were such things in gaul and it's through them that the medditeranean world traded with brittania. But let's say they found one in Cornwall or Devon ! Even if It's done through peacefull ways there would still be many dangers !

One could be the Phenicians wich held an iron grip of the atlantic market with the control of the Pillars of Hercules and where aggresive in the protection of the sphere of influence (just look at the oriental coast of spain with all the cities an ports of greek an carthaginian origins competing for each centimeter of coastline) wich forced the massilian to use the very well traveled Rhone valley. An other danger would be the Belgian migration wich is atested during the III century BCE (and maybe earlier) wich could pose a threat to the settlement if the local celts didn't destroy it before.

One wild and very fun scenario (for me atleast) could maybe be if the Massilian explorer try to convinces a powerfull galic state to sponsor him (like some sort of Chrisotpher Colombus of antiquity). Maybe the Arvernian Kingdom one of the main power in gaul or a more minor but still powerfull coastal state like the Veneti (they where powerful during the gallic wars some centuries after the time of Pytheas but maybe they where already a prominent player in the region ?) could be interested to conquer directly the tin mines and actually have the projection and network of alies and clients to launch such a campaign. But then again they would need a good reason to go there but maybe Pytheas in this alternate world is very good at selling his idea !

So is it impossible ? I guess nothing is impossible in history but that's seems to me quite imporbable ! But maybe I'm missing something?