Why did the Greeks colonise so much of the world in ancient times? and how were they so advanced compared to other ancient peoples in technology, philosphy ?

by CannibalCowboy

While I'm aware of the impact Alexander the Great's conquest had on the greek world, allowing settlers to live as far East as modern day Afghanistan and India; how did they expand so far in the Mediterranean and other areas in Ancient times? Such as the Greek colonies in Spain, parts of Northern Africa and parts of the Black Sea. Why were they so much more advanced than other peoples of the ancient world? In terms of philosophy, technology and expansionism.

Dinocrocodile

I'm no expert but you'd probably have a hard time finding an ancient historian who'd say the Greeks were more advanced than the other peoples of the Mediterranean. Maybe check out these older posts

When people think of colonisation, they typically mean the Age of Colonisation. How different was Greek Colonisation, such as Massilia?

A quote from an essay by Nietzsche: " The Greeks never lived in proud isolation; their “culture” was for a long time much more a chaos of foreign, Semitic, Babylonian, Lydian, and Egyptian forms and ideas." Could someone elaborate on this?

If I were a middle class man born around 6th century BC: would it have been better for me to live in one of the Greek City states, or somewhere in the Persian empire?

Preceding the Persian invasion of Greece, what factors prepared them to stave off and conquer such an overwhelming threat.

How historically accurate is the film 300?

All by /u/Iphikrates

If there are any specific regions you're interested in (Persia, Egypt, Sub Saharan Africa, Gaul/Western Europe) I can link some posts about those.