The Greek migrations from 1000 BC to date.

A (VERY) BRIEF HISTORY OF MIGRATION OF THE GREEK PEOPLE.

The phenomenon of migration is interlinked with the Greek psyche. It was not only the hard land they inhabited but also the political turmoil that forced Greek people from a very early age to seek new life in other places. Starting from 1100 BC several migratory waves took Greeks to the Aegean coasts, around the Mediterranean sea and later into new continents.


THE EARLY YEARS

The first massive migration of Greek people, around 1100 -1000 BC was the result of the descent of the Dorians who displaced the earlier inhabitants of Greece, the Mycenaeans. The colonists established new cities in the eastern coasts of the Aegean sea, in Asia Minor. These colonies flourished and later became vibrant Greek cities such as Smyrna. The end of these colonies came tragically in 1922 when the Turkish army under Kemal Ataturk defeated the Greek army and destroyed the Greek cities and villages forcing the Greek inhabitants to flee to Greece and to the Soviet Union. This is still remembered by the Greeks as "The destruction of Smyrna".

In 800 BC a new migration wave caused by political turmoil in Greece brought thousands of Greek people to the coast of Italy and Sicily. The influence of the Greeks upon the Italian indigenous population is significant. The Greek colonists from the city of KYMI, in Evia, brought with them their alphabet which was later adopted by the Romans and today is known as the Latin alphabet.

The colonies of Italy known as the "Great Hellas" or Greater Greece survived for centuries and ancient Greek city ruins still stand as proof of their wealth and strength. Elements of Greek civilisation and culture still survive in Southern Italy, in the villages of Imera, where the locals still speak a Greek dialect.

Other colonies were established in the coasts of the Black sea, the coasts of Adriatica sea, the northern coast of Africa, in Corsica, in the Eastern coasts of Spain and a small trading post in England. After the victorious campaigns of Alexander the Great numerous trading and military posts were established throughout the Empire but they can not considered as colonies.
THE YEARS OF DARKNESS

During the Byzantine era Greeks continued to travel around the world (as they knew it at the time) but after the occupation of Constantinople and the Greek lands by the Othoman Turks, Greeks migrated once again to the West, mainly to Italy and the East, the orthodox Russia. This migration continued for 400 years, whilst Greece was still under the Othoman rule.

The Greek migrants joined other Greeks in the European cities and from there they worked continuously towards the liberation of Greece that became reality after the Greek revolution of 1821.

THE 19TH CENTURY

Following the liberation of Greece, the focus of Greek migration shifted from the Old to the New World, to the United States of America.Thousands of Greeks migrated to America at the end of the 19th century and large Greek communities were
established in the major centres of the United States. Despite the distance, the Greek migrants never forgot their motherland and on several occasions assisted either financially or politically, a tradition that continues todate.

The economic situation during the years between the two world wars slowed down the Greek migration despite the fact that 1,5 million Greek refugees arrived from Turkey following the destruction of Smyrna.

AFTER WORLD WAR II

The end of World War II and the Civil War had left Greece without industrial infrastructure, primitive agriculture and thousands of displaced people. In addition people who sympathised the defeated communists, or other people with centre-left or leftist ideology were oppressed by a totalitarian regime even if a parliamentary facade still existed in the country.

Thousands of Greeks left the country in the 50s and 60s and the major destinations this time were the countries of Europe (mainly Germany) and Australia. For a large number of Greeks the migration to Germany was only temporary and they have now returned to Greece. On the other hand the Greek migrants in Australia have remained in that country permanently and the Greek communities in Australia have become "a small Greece" down under.

Aknowledgments  .   The author . The Greek migration . The Greek Australians
 Darwin and the NT   Kastelorizo   . Where they came from .  The first divers in Australia
The Greek presence in Darwin  The pearls & the Greek connection .
The community in the 60s & 70s  Today . Gallery . 


If you have comments or suggestions, email me at konv@octa4.net.au