Gods at work between mother cities and colonies

This contribution examines the central role of religion in the Greek colonization process between the Archaic and Roman period. It highlights how religious practices, cults, and divine figures were mobilized to legitimize and structure colonial ventures, offering security and continuity with the metropolis. The establishment of apoikiai involved both fidelity to ancestral religious traditions and pragmatic adaptation to new environments, often leading to hybridization with local cultures. The gods, through their epithets and spatial associations, played key roles in shaping the civic and religious identity of the colonies, reinforcing collective memory and anchoring the presence of Greek settlers in new territories.