WI: Athenians settle in Italy?

Hi AHers,

In my Ancient Greek History lecture today, our lecturer mentioned that during the Persian Wars, the Athenians forced the Spartans into marching away from their prepared fortifications at Corinth into Attica to free Athens. Apparently the Athenians said they would resettle in Italy if the Spartans didn't accept (taking their navy with them and leaving the Spartans defenseless). So what would've happened if the Spartans assumed they were bluffing and refused, and the Athenians made good on their promise and settled in Italy? Where would they settle, how would it affect the Mediterranean (I'm sure that the Persians would've most likely defeated the Spartans, but what would the map of Greece look like?)
 
I don't know what year that threat was made but Athens actually founded a colony in Italy during that period. Thurii, near modern Sibari, Italy. That likely would have been their first stop.
 
I seem to remember reading in Herodotus' 'Histories', that before the battle of Salamis, Themistocles informed one of the other Athenian commanders that oracles had been consulted, and that if the Greeks lost the battle, the Athenians would make for southern Italy.
 
Running some back of the envelope calculations, it looks like it'd take 6 months to a year to transport all ~250,000 Athenians to somewhere in Magna Graecia, using the entire ~300 ship navy. So it's definitely possible, though extremely difficult. If they took just the male citizens that'd be a one way trip of maybe 2 weeks or a bit longer.

Once the Athenians get to Italy, they're either going to found themselves a new polis, or conquer one that's already there, since Thurii wasn't founded until after the Persian War. Either way if it's with all or even a substantial part of their initial population they're the big kids on the block, especially if the fleet is still intact.

If/When the Persian Navy is dealt with in some form or other, I could see an alt-Peloponnesian War developing between an Athenian League and a league formed around Syracuse, since Syracuse would be the natural counterweight in the region.
 
Running some back of the envelope calculations, it looks like it'd take 6 months to a year to transport all ~250,000 Athenians to somewhere in Magna Graecia, using the entire ~300 ship navy. So it's definitely possible, though extremely difficult. If they took just the male citizens that'd be a one way trip of maybe 2 weeks or a bit longer.

Once the Athenians get to Italy, they're either going to found themselves a new polis, or conquer one that's already there, since Thurii wasn't founded until after the Persian War. Either way if it's with all or even a substantial part of their initial population they're the big kids on the block, especially if the fleet is still intact.

If/When the Persian Navy is dealt with in some form or other, I could see an alt-Peloponnesian War developing between an Athenian League and a league formed around Syracuse, since Syracuse would be the natural counterweight in the region.

I think creating a colony at the same location Thurii was created OTL is the likeliest scenario: Thurii was built on the ruins of the Greek colony of Sybaris, which had been the leading Magna Graecian colony until it was destroyed by Kroton-so there's incentive to settle there. It would also show some intent on their part to form their own dominance of the region.
 
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