Why didn't ancient Greece expand into a big country?

The reason why ancient Greece did not expand into a big country is that it is different from ancient Asian-African river civilization, and ancient Greek civilization belongs to marine civilization. To the east of the Aegean Sea, the coastline is tortuous, and many natural harbors and islands are scattered all over the place, so the conditions for navigation and overseas trade are unique. The geographical environment near the mountains and the sea provides Greece with a convenient passage to the world; There are no fertile river basins and vast plains in the Greek peninsula. Mountains and criss-crossing rivers divide the Greeks into relatively isolated valleys and islands, forming many small countries.

"Ancient Greece" is an exciting name, which created unprecedented glory in the ancient world, thus making it a well-deserved cradle of civilization in the whole western world. However, ancient Greece was never the name of a country, but the name of a nation, which was the general name of the ancient Greeks for their living areas. At first, it refers to the north-central part of the Greek peninsula where the legendary Greek ancestors lived. Later, the scope gradually expanded to the Greek peninsula and Aegean islands, so it was used to refer to all Greek settlements.

The Greek world mainly includes the Greek Peninsula, Aegean Islands and the west coast of Asia Minor Peninsula, and is located at the crossroads of non-ancient civilizations in Europe and Asia. The beautiful Aegean Sea is in the east of ancient Greece, and many islands are isomorphic with Asia Minor Peninsula, forming a vast area in the east of Greece. Greece is located in the center of the Greek world, bordering the Aegean Sea in the east and the Ionian Sea and Adriatic Sea in the west. . Geographically, the striking features of Greece are continuous mountains, winding coasts and dense islands. In terms of climatic conditions, it is warm and humid in winter and cool and dry in summer, which is very pleasant and belongs to a typical Mediterranean climate. Asia Minor in the eastern Mediterranean, Syria and Egypt, Italy, France and Spain in the western Mediterranean all belong to the Mediterranean climate, which is very similar to the natural environment of Greece, so it has become an ideal colony for the Greeks.

The whole history of ancient Greece can be roughly divided into several periods: Aegean civilization (bronze age, early polis age), Homer age (iron age, heroic age), the rise of polis in the colonial era, the classical age (polis prosperity) and the Hellenistic age (polis decline). Among them, Aegean civilization is the starting point of all Greek history. Around 2000 BC, Cretes established the kingdom of Nossas in the Mediterranean, thus starting the earliest sailing career of Greeks. They built a cypress boat with wooden oars and sails, which sailed by two rudder slots. This boat is characterized by a high bow, a small cabin in the middle deck and an angle of attack at the stern. According to different purposes, the paddle-sail combined ship can be roughly divided into two types: heavy-duty ship for loading and light-duty ship engaged in naval warfare. At that time, the maritime trade in Crete was very popular, and the scope of trade had expanded to the whole Mediterranean region, from the Pyrenees Peninsula in the westernmost part of Europe to Kneniki on the east coast of the western Mediterranean. Around 1450 BC, Crete civilization suddenly declined for unknown reasons.

Ancient Greek civilization developed from south to north. Since the decline of Crete civilization, Aegean civilization developed northward, and Mycenae city-state rose in Greece with the help of navigation activities. Greek navigation has a long history and great influence. In the second stage of Aegean civilization, the wise Mycenae explored the Trojans at the western end of Asia Minor Peninsula by using mature navigation technology, and these Trojans had long competed with them for maritime hegemony. After the retrogression of Homer's era, ancient Greece entered ancient times in the 8th century BC, which was an era of large-scale exploration and colonization by the Greeks and the re-establishment of the city-state. There have been two great migrations and colonial movements in Greek history. The first one happened at the end of the second millennium BC, mainly because the northern Dorian tribe moved south. The second time happened during the formation of the Greek city-state, and overseas colonial cities became the birthplace of the Greek city-state system.

The early overseas exploration and colonization of Greece were different from the general migration of ancient nationalities, and even more different from the familiar modern capitalist colonial expansion. The overseas colonization of ancient Greeks was often initiated by a city-state, which was called the "mother country". The mother country moved some citizens to a certain place overseas and set up another home to form a new colonial city-state, which is a "sub-country"; Then Zibang founded "Sun Zibang", and more city-states were formed. They maintain an independent and equal relationship with each other. There is no question of who belongs to whom politically. Because of this relationship, the economic and trade exchanges between the mother country, the daughter country and Guo Sun are more frequent, and both sides can benefit from the goods that the other side needs. Extensive colonial city-states have further expanded overseas markets, connecting the Greek world to eastern civilized areas such as Egypt, Syria and Babylon in the east, Nantong to the interior of Africa, the Black Sea in the north and Central Europe in the west, forming an unprecedented economic and trade circle in the Mediterranean world, interwoven with the mainland, with close ties between east and west, far exceeding.

Generally speaking, the colonial expansion of Greece is an organized process of city-state-building. Migrants are often provided with leaders, ships and various means of production by their home countries, so as to carry out agricultural, industrial and commercial activities smoothly after arriving at colonial sites. The main purpose of establishing a city-state through colonization is to solve various problems existing in the home country. Among them, the most common reasons are the prominent contradiction between population growth and limited arable land, the livelihood problems of some farmers caused by land merger and bankruptcy, the raw materials needed for commercial development and market opening, and the way out for the losers in domestic political struggles. All these constitute the reason why the early Greeks established a new city-state on the basis of geographical discovery.

In the colonial era, the geographical expansion of the Greeks was mainly in three directions: first, in the East, Thrace established trading posts along the Black Sea through the Daniil Strait and the Bosporus Strait, and gradually developed into a colonial city by attracting a large number of immigrants; Second, westward, to the south of Italy, Sicily, to the south of France and the coast of Spain to open up colonial places. Third, the south mainly colonized Libya and Egypt in North Africa. Around 750 BC, Ubeia Island first began to colonize. The Greeks on the island sailed westward to Piticu Sa Island near Naples in southern Italy, where they established colonies and formed the earliest colonial city-state. Soon after, the city of Chumi was established on the Italian land opposite the island of Piticu. From this point of view, until the 6th century BC, the exploration, colonization and nation-building activities of Greek colonists in the vast Mediterranean world were in full swing for more than 200 years.

In addition to the existence of eastern countries, the East has only established several trading posts in Egypt and Syria. Greek exploration and colonial forces spread from Libya in Africa to the coastal areas of Tunisia in the south, into the coastal areas of Italy, Illyria (now Yugoslavia and Albania), Spain and France in the west, into Thrace in the north, into the Promentis Sea through the Gulf of Hellers, and then through the Bosphorus. Direct access to the vast areas of the Black Sea (including today's Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Russia and the Caucasus), in these coastal areas many times larger than Greece, many colonial city-states have been established. According to statistics, there were 44 Greek city-states (including mother state, child state and Bang Sun) in this period, and more than 200 new city-states were built in these places, just like frogs around the pond echoed each other after the rain. Facing a large number of Greek city-states distributed in the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea, Cicero, an ancient Roman politician, vividly said that they were like a lace sewn on the tapestry of the barbarian country's Lantern Festival. "

Pythias (about 360 BC-290 BC), the most famous explorer in ancient Greek history, was born in a merchant's family in Marcia colony (now Marseille, France). He is not only a sailor and businessman, but also an astronomer and geographer. He wrote two books, Ocean and Earth, which are now lost. Around 325 BC, he equipped a ship, led 25 sailors and 1 pilot hired at a high price, and embarked on a significant voyage. His purpose is to find a commercial road, through which you can reach the legendary Tin Island. His voyage may have started after being funded by a group of businessmen, with a total voyage of about 7000 nautical miles, but the time spent on this expedition is not recorded. There is a saying that because nutritionists blocked the Strait of Gibraltar, Pythias chose a route starting from Marseille, crossing the Aegean Sea to the east, entering the Black Sea to the north, and then turning back to the Dnieper and Visva rivers to sail for the Baltic Sea. Another way of saying it is that he left the Strait of Gibraltar, entered the Atlantic Ocean and went north along the west coast of Europe. Then cross Jutland to the west, sail northwest in the North Sea, reach shetland islands and Faroe Islands, cross the British Isles and the Bay of Biscay to the south, and finally return smoothly.

Although the famous ancient scholars Aristotle, Strappo, Polybius, Arato Doni and Pliny Sr all described this voyage, there are many controversies about the route and discovery of Pythias. But his main contribution seems to dispel people's doubts: he arrived at 63' north latitude, which proved that there were people living there. Before that, the northernmost latitude people reached was 540. He recorded a month-long white night, which obviously refers to the polar regions around the summer solstice. He also recorded a "frozen sea", saying that the sea was so thick that ships could not pass or walk, so they had to sail around. This "frozen sea" probably refers to a vague landscape that can't distinguish the earth, the sky and the ocean. He reported that the overall outline of the British Island is triangular, and the length of a circle is about 40,000 Greek miles (about 7,000 kilometers). The triangle shape of the British Island is more realistic, but the actual length of a circle is about 5000 kilometers, which is too different from his record. He observed the tides in the Atlantic Ocean, and for the first time in human history, he explained the tidal phenomenon with the laws of the moon's motion. He also described the shape of the Bay of Biscay and drew it on the map for the first time. He recorded the products and customs of Thule Island, Fengsang Island and Kasiwilid Islands, including plants growing in permafrost and the lives of local people. He also calculated that the inclination between the ecliptic and the equator is 23049' and the angle is 43. The north latitude of Neila (actually 430 17'52 "). Although his records are absurd and exaggerated, which has misled many people for a long time, this voyage has updated people's understanding of the world and further expanded people's horizons. Therefore, Pythias is known as the first polar geographical explorer and the first marine explorer who made a scientific expedition to the ocean.

The achievements of Greece's later maritime exploration are also remarkable. In the winter of 338 BC, King Paley II of North Macedonia (reigned in 359-336 BC) held a Pan-Greek Congress in Corinth, and the dominance of the Kingdom of Macedonia in all Greece was established. Two years later, Knee Force II was stabbed to death at his daughter's wedding banquet, and his 20-year-old son Prince Alexander succeeded to the throne. In 334 BC, Alexander the Great (reigned in 336-323 BC) led 30,000 infantry and 5,000 cavalry and began his earth-shattering expedition. Alexander led Macedonian troops to cross the Black Sea Strait eastward, and soon occupied vast areas of West Asia, Central Asia, Egypt and northwest India. Through military conquest, he quickly established a huge empire across Europe, Asia and Africa in less than ten years, that is, the ancient world-famous Alexander Empire or Macedonian Empire. In 327 BC, after Alexander occupied India, he appointed NiAlcaz as the commander of the fleet, hoping to inspect the sea route from the mouth of India to the northern shore of the Persian Gulf. This is the most fruitful geographical exploration during Macedonia's rule.

After offering sacrifices to Zeus, the Macedonian fleet set out as planned. At first, the fleet went well. After sailing for some time, it came to a big and nice harbor, which Achatz named "Alexandria". It's windy here. Macedonian soldiers set up stone walls around the camp in order to avoid the wind and guard against robbery by natives. The fleet is anchored here. They lived here for 33 days, living with snails, mussels and swordfish in the sea. After the wind weakened, Achatz left Alexandria with his fleet and soon came to a dangerous place. The waterway in this place lies between two extremely narrow cliffs. When the fleet passed by, the paddles on the left and right sides could almost touch the rocks on both sides of the cliff. A few days later, the fleet sailed into a round port. The population is very small, but the port itself is vast and open, deep and calm. It is said that a queen was the first king in this area, and the locals called this harbor "Niangniang Port". After the Macedonian fleet left the port, it was caught in a big storm. Alcaz's fleet can only sail carefully between the island and the coast. The film crew found that the local island was covered with jungle, and there were many dense trees growing on the coast. Later, the fleet docked at another port. Due to the lack of necessary fresh water supply, the crew had to go inland to find drinking water. Finally, they took some fresh water from the puddle and brought it back to the boat.

When Ni Arcaz led the fleet to Kabbah, strong winds and huge waves hit the coast. Bad weather conditions caused them to lose two warships and a sailboat. Fortunately, the dry fleet is close to the coast and has not caused any serious problems to the safety of the dry crew. The rest of the crew moved on, and then came to Kaukala. The crew felt very tired because of living at sea for a long time, so Achatz ordered them to camp on land to save their strength. After a period of rest, the fleet set sail again and soon arrived in Mallasz. They found many huts on the shore, where the natives were half naked. When they saw the fleet and the uninvited guests, the aborigines were very shocked, so they took the bulky Shi Mao in their hands and prepared to beat back the invading enemies. However, compared with the civilized world, the aborigines are very backward. They wear animal skins, have long hair and are full of beards. Although their nails are hard and can tear apart food such as fish and meat, they are in the Stone Age and are no match for trained Macedonians at all. So in the battle, some were killed, some were captured alive, and only a small part escaped and hid in the mountains.

Achatz commanded the fleet to continue sailing along the coast and anchored ashore at a place called Kaliba. There is a village near the shore, where date palms grow. The date is green and immature. The villagers are very hospitable. They sent food such as sheep and fish to the Macedonian crew. Here is close to the coast, sheep have no grass to eat, so they can only eat fish, so mutton is different from other places and tastes fishy. After leaving Kaliba, the fleet sailed for Dasuiza. At this time, the food on board was almost finished, so the crew had to go ashore to find something to eat. There is a small town on the shore near Dasuiza. Residents in the town will give tuna, pancakes and dates cooked in clay pots to guests from afar to show their hospitality. However, Arcaz turned around and ordered the crew to surround the town, forcing local residents to hand over their main food-fish meal.

Achatz's fleet sailed day and night along the north shore of the Sea of Alayo. Lack of food has become a common occurrence for them, and they even eat date palm leaves. After landing in Troya, the crew were so hungry that they robbed the villagers of their food and seven camels. When the fleet passed the "Fish Eaters" area, the crew not only saw the big whales here for the first time, but also got to know the "Fish Eaters" to some extent: "Fish Eaters" fished at low tide and caught the fish stranded in the depression after low tide. They pulled the net out of the puddle and fished up many fish, large and small. For those small and tender fish, "fish eaters" eat them raw on the spot. For those big fish that can't bite, they dry them, mash them in the sun, grind them into fish powder and make fish noodle cakes. Things in the world are really amazing. It is said that the house where the "fish eater" lives is paved with fish bones, the beams are also the bones of big fish washed ashore, and the doors are made of flat fish bones.

Achatz led the fleet through the the Strait of Hormuz between the Persian Gulf and Oman and entered the beautiful Persian Gulf. The east coast of the Persian Gulf is brand-new, with green mountains and green waters and numerous fruit trees. Achatz asked the fleet to rest at Anamis. He learned that it was close to Alexander the Great, who was marching inland, so he led some sailors to find their king. When the two armies joined forces, Alexander hardly recognized Ni Alcaz and his party: they were long-haired, ragged, sallow and emaciated, and covered in salt. After the Macedonian sea and land team set off again, NiAlcaz led the fleet through the middle of the east coast of the Persian Gulf and sailed to Lake Ka Tardell Bis at the northern end. There is a lot of silt in the shallow part of the lake, which is deep and dry. In order to prevent the ship from running aground, the sailors inserted stakes in shallow water and tried to sail to deep water. Soon, when the fleet arrived at the mouth of the Euphrates River, NiAlcaz learned that Alexander was leading an army to Susa, the capital of Persia. So Achatz ordered the fleet to change course and sail for the Tigris River, and joined forces with Alexander's army again near a pontoon bridge. At this point, the expedition is over.

Later, Achatz recorded his overseas adventures in detail in his book Coastal Navigation. After Alexander returned to Babylon, he sent several teams to investigate the Persian Gulf. He also sent a box from Arabian Peninsula to check the sea route from Persian Gulf to Red Sea. Macedonian exploration broadened the horizons of the Greeks, increased their knowledge and promoted the economic and cultural exchanges between the inland areas of Alexander the Great.