They had limited farmland, and with a burgeoning population which even endless internal wars could not control, they sent their surplus people by ship to sieze new land and establish their own city-states, resulting in over 2,000 Greek cities around the Mediterranean and Black Seas.
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They started colonies because they wanted more villages, food, and water.
They were very prolific and as most farms were very small, they could not be divided between multiple male children. So the city-states periodically sent out their surplus populations to seize new land around the Mediterranean and Black Sea littorals and establish new cities, resulting in over 2,000 new cities.
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They started colonies for more villages , food , and water , so that the Greeks could survive in smaller areas of land . They also did it because they could be together , spread information faster , but they all believed in the same gods , same myths , and more !!
The began exporting surplus populations from about 900 CE onwards. Eventually there were about 2000 cities established around the Mediterrana and Black Seas, from today's Spain in the west to Asia Minor in the east.
For example Naples (in Greek nea polis = New City) in Italy was a Greek city, as was Tripoli in Libya (tri polis= three cities), Miletus in Asia Minor.