How Did Megara Hyblaia Influence Greek Culture

Unlike other civilizations, when the Greeks founded a colony, that colony became independent from its motherland. This independence in a foreign land may have led to divergences in culture, due to native influences and spacial remoteness from the Greek mainland. It seems, though, these colonies retained their Greek heritage, demonstrated by their styles of pottery, their burial customs, and construction of the polis. In addition, literary works help explain the nature of colonization and the motivation for colonization. While the accepted opinion on why the Greeks colonized provides the simplified answer of trade and overpopulation, it does not take into account the colonists themselves. While the Iliad and Odyssey are poetic works, and do not possess credibility, they give an insight on Greek attitudes about travel

Particularly interesting, Osborne accounts that “Megara Hybalaia was clearly tied in from the first to networks which Megara was not” (Osborne 1998, 260). While new trade networks supports Megara Hyblaia’s independence, it does not show that it retained Greek culture. The best example of pottery from Megara Hyblaia, is from the burial of their oikist, Lamis. According to Coldstream, “his grave may well be solitary eighth-century in a re-used Bronze Age chamber tomb, acompanied by the two Corithian LG skyphoi in the style to which Thapsos has given its name” (Coldstream 2004, 235). Since Megara Hyblaia, at the time, did not have a permanent settlement, their trade opportunities were limited, but they still choice Corinthian style pottery. In addition, they most likely had few options for burials and decided to re-use the Bronze Age tomb. Regardless, this shows an attempt to maintain cultural practices by burying Lamis with pottery, and specifically with the popular style pottery at the time, even though it was made in