Iron Age Greek migrations

Movements within mainland Greece

During the 13th century BCE the Dorians, likely originating from Epirus and southern Macedonia, moved south into Central Greece, centering in Doris. They knew ironworking, a new technology, and grew into a great power, then expanded into areas of the Aetolians and Locrians. According to Herodotus, the Dorians displaced the Dryopes, who fled to Euboea, the Cyclades, and southern Argolis, founding Carystus in Euboea and the cities of Hermione, Asine, Heiones, and Mases in southern Argolis. After consolidating rule in Stereas, the Dorians, joined by the Aetolians and Boeotians, campaigned against the Achaean kings in the Peloponnese. In the mid-12th century BCE they attacked the Peloponnese, crossing the Strait of Rion with a fleet; according to Pausanias, this crossing at the Rion-Antirion narrows gave the city of Naupactus its name (naus meaning 'ship'). Upon arrival, the Dorians split into four groups: Cresphontes took Messenia and the kingdom of Pylos; Aristodemus took Laconia and established Sparta; Temenos took Argos and Mycenae (Mycenae was destroyed around 1150 BCE); and Aletes, son of Hippotes, took the area around Corinth.

Settlement of Asia Minor and the Aegean

While the Dorians were moving into the Peloponnese, the Thessalians left Thesprotia for Thessaly, pushing out the earlier Aeolophone group living there. This movement then forced the Boeotians south into Boeotia. People displaced from Thessaly and Boeotia escaped to the northeastern Aegean islands, including Lesbos, Tenedos, and the Moschonesi, or Fragrant Isles. These settlers later became known as the Aeolians, named after a Thessalic tribe that took part in the migration. From there, the Aeolians settled the western coast of Asia Minor, an area called Aeolis. According to Herodotus, they founded twelve cities there: Aegae, Aegiroessa, Gryneion, Cilla, Cyme, Larissa, Myrina, Neonteichos, Notion, Pitane, Smyrna, and Temnos. In the 700s BCE, they also moved into the Troad, establishing Gargara, Assos, Antandros, Cebre, Scepsis, Neandreia, and Pitya. Achaeans from the Peloponnese who followed the Aeolic speakers joined this resettlement. The myth says Orestes started the Aeolian relocation, and the royal Penthilides family on Mytilene traced their line back to him.

Before the Dorians arrived, the Ionians lived in the northern Peloponnese, Megaris, and Attica. After losing those lands to the Dorians and the Achaeans of Argolis, they moved east into Euboea, displacing the Abantes who lived there. Around the middle of the 1000s BCE, they settled the northern Cyclades and, together with Ionians from Attica, also settled Samos and Chios. The central part of the Asia Minor coast was named Ionia after them. The Ionians founded twelve cities that stayed together in one political body, the Ionian League. These cities were Miletus, Myus, Priene, Ephesus, Colophon, Lebedus, Teos, Clazomenae, Erythrae, Phocaea, and the island states of Chios and Samos. A temple to Poseidon near Mycale served as their religious center.