Magna Graecia, meaning "Greater Greece", was a region of southern Italy (in the present-day coastal regions of Campania, Apulia, Basilicata, Calabria, and Sicily) that were extensively populated by Greek settlers from the 8th to 3rd centuries BC. The Greeks began arriving in the 8th century BC, and they brought with them their Hellenic civilization, founding the Achaean settlements of Croton (Crotone) and Sybaris (Sybari) and the northern settlements of Cumae (Cuma) and Neapolis. Other major cities included Syracuse, Acragas (Agrigento), Paestum, Taras (Taranto), Locri, Rhegium (Reggio Calabria), Thurii, Elea (Velia), Nola, Ancona, Syessa (Sessa Cilento), and Bari. Following the Pyrrhic War of the 3rd century BC, Magna Graecia was absorbed into the Roman Republic, but southern Italy continued to have a strong Greek influence for centuries. Today, the Griko people of southern Italy claim descent from the Magna Graecian colonists, as well as from Byzantine refugees from the 15th century.
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