Editing Greeks (section)

====Ancient====
{{See also|Colonies in antiquity}}
[[File:Griechischen und phönizischen Kolonien.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|right|Greek colonization in antiquity]]

In ancient times, the trading and colonizing activities of the Greek tribes and city states spread the Greek culture, religion and language around the Mediterranean and Black Sea basins, especially in [[Southern Italy]] (the so-called "[[Magna Graecia]]"), Spain, the [[History of Marseille|south of France]] and the [[Pontian Greeks|Black sea coasts]].<ref name=Apoikiai>{{harvnb|Boardman|1984|pp=199–289}}.</ref> Under Alexander the Great's empire and successor states, Greek and Hellenizing ruling classes were established in the [[Seleucid Kingdom|Middle East]], [[Indo-Greek Kingdom|India]] and in [[Ptolemaic dynasty|Egypt]].<ref name=Apoikiai/> The [[Hellenistic period]] is characterized by a new wave of Greek colonization that established Greek cities and kingdoms in [[Dayuan|Asia]] and [[Cyrene, Libya|Africa]].<ref>{{harvnb|Horden|Purcell|2000|pp=111, 128}}.</ref> Under the Roman Empire, easier movement of people spread Greeks across the Empire and in the eastern territories, Greek became the [[lingua franca]] rather than [[Latin]].<ref name=Haldon50/> The modern-day [[Griko people|Griko community]] of southern Italy, numbering about 60,000,<ref name="Grecia-Salentina"/><ref name=Bellinello/> may represent a living remnant of the ancient Greek populations of Italy.