Migrations and Mobilities - Ancient Mediterranean History

urbanization

Big feature of the ancient mediterranean world

Southern Mesopotamia

Sumer

irrigation systems

big feature of urbanization (more food = bigger population)

Egypt

Mastery of the flooding of the Nile waters enabled farmers to produce more

cities in antiquity

Distinguished from the countryside because they are built up, monumentalized, there is availability of service

The bigger the city

the further the field with the food is

Opportunistic Mobilities

inmigration, pastoralism, colonization, service in a conquering army, service in imperial administration, tourism, pilgrimage

Greek colonies (750-580 BCE)

Driven in part by a huge upsurge in the population of the Greek world in the 8th and 7th centuries BC, Every Greek city-state is sending out colonies

Athens and Sparta

What two Greek city-states did not have colonies?

580 BCE

Greek colonization ends because all the good spots are taken (No more harbors, fertile lands, and defensible areas, Mostly in competition for other Greek colonies with other Greek colonists in the Mediterranean)

Service in conquering army

Could get sent to battles very far away (Ex: Alexander the Great’s Empire, 334-323 BCE)

Alexander the Greats Spread caused 

Many soldiers to settle in areas conquered by Alexander, The generals who ruled over the conquered areas lived there, Since these were Greek territories ran by Greeks many Greeks moved around into these new areas

Ptolemaic Egypt

In effect the Ptolemys dressed up as Egyptian pharaohs to make their rule more valid in the eyes of the Egyptians, Macedonians and Greeks are at the top of the social pyramid, Egyptians are systematically excluded from government positions

Service in imperial administration

could lead people to far away places possibly thousands of miles away where they’ll settle and collect taxes

inmigration

Voluntary migration from countryside to cities, Very common, People didn't want to be farmers

pastoralism

people moving animals for farming purposes

Pilgrimage

ex: Christian pilgrimage (Pilgrimage complexes bring inns specifically for pilgrimaging Christians)

Involuntary Movements

Escape from natural disaster, Escape from violence, Exile, Forced population transfers, Enslavement

Escape from violence

Israelites start to create their own state in the early first millennium, A lot of violence and forced movement inflicted on them

exile

Conquest of Babylonians, Israelites exiled to Babylon