Massilia (Black Sea Colonies)

Due to its geographical position and resource-rich surroundings, there have been settlements around Massilia for thousands of years. The Greeks occupied it for precisely the same reasons, forming their first colony on the Gallic coast there around 600BC. Coming from Phocaea, on the southeastern coast of Asia Minor, in two waves over around fifty years, the settlers intended to harvest the region’s resources and trade from Massilia’s natural harbour.

By the beginning of the 4th century BC, the former trading post had sprouted into a city with one of the busiest ports in the Mediterranean, its tendrils even reaching up into Gaul along the Rhone and Durance rivers. Fish are a major export for the Massilians, along with wine, cured meats, and a plethora of herbs and roots used in medicine. Although its government is run ostensibly following Greek democracy, Massilia’s assembly is headed by the noblest – and wealthiest - families in the city. The population at large are a hybrid of descendants of the original Greek settlers, Gallic locals and a cornucopia of other races, pulled in by trade.

Despite this level of integration with the Gallic tribes, there are many who still see the city as a prize. Carthage, too, wants to control or destroy their trading rival. Both want to test the Greeks’ formidable military machine with military muscle of their own; they want Massilia’s great wealth for themselves, and will stop at nothing to take it.