Map of Ancient Greece
Major Places of Ancient Greece
This is a relatively large file so be patient while it downloads.
The map above displays the ancient Greek cities, places of interest, and centers of influence within and without the borders of the modern country.
This map is divided into smaller areas to facilitate easier viewing over the internet. Click on each orange square to see each area.
The individual files are large (1300x1200px, ~50-100KB each, JPG)
The following version is availabe via Google Maps. It contains just about the same data, except the maps above are updated and will continue to be updated.
View Ancient Greece in Larger Map
How to use the above map
Legend
| Symbol | Era* | |
  |
Spans multiple eras | Major/Minor site |
  |
Paleolithic/Mesolithic/Neolithic 8000-3000 BCE |
Major/Minor site |
  |
Bronze age site 3000-1000 BCE |
Major/Minor site |
  |
Dark age/Archaic 1000-480 BCE |
Major/Minor site |
|
Classical 480-323 BCE |
Major/Minor site |
  |
Hellenistic 323-146 BCE |
Major/Minor site |
  |
Late Hellenistic/Roman 146+ BCE |
Major/Minor site |
*please note that not all sites have been identified in terms of "era". This is a long, ongoing process and the map will be updated as time allows.
- Map: See a simplified map version
- Sat: View the placemarks on terrain generated from satellite photos
- Ter: A map view with terrain features
- Earth: Allows you to use Google Earth-like interface and buttons.
- Earth view allows you to zoom using your mouse controls
- Offers oblique views of the satellite images
- Reveals the place names next to the placemarks
- Disables the hyperlinks in placemarks
- You might need to install the Google Earth plug-in for this functionality
The list on the left of the map is sorted A-Z. Use the pages at the bottom of the list to find the place you are looking for. Be aware that several places have names that are transliterated in alternative ways. While every effort was made to include as many name variants as possible you might find that some names are missing from the place marks.
- Open this map in a full browser window
- Go to the top of your screen and select Edit>Find
- In the "Find" window type the location you are looking for
- The result of the find will be highlighted on the names on the left
- Click the highlighted place to reveal it on the map
Please be aware that this method only allows searches up to the letter "S" during to some technical issues that should be resolved soon.
- MORE INFORMATION ABOUT EACH PLACE
Clicking on each placemark will invoke a "pop-up" window that contains the name and more information about each ancient Greek place on the map.
About this Map
This map takes advantage of Google Maps architecture, and it is growing over time. I put it together for my own research purposes, but soon realized that it could be a useful tool for others.
In this map I have identified as many of the major and minor cities, and places of interest of Ancient Greece. To complete the task, I consulted multiple resources, original research papers, old and modern maps, online hints, and ancient texts relevant to each place on the map.
I have identified each site as either approximate, or accurate. You will find these designations on the pop-up window after clicking on each map place:
Accurate Placemarks: If neither "approximate" nor "general" appear in the pop-up window, the placemark indicates the exact location on the map of the ancient Greek place. Most often, the ruins of the place are visible in "Satellite" view under or near the placemark after zooming in. By "accurate" is meant "as accurately as possible". While the placemark is located on the ancient excavations, the excavated ruins could be a small part of the actual ancient location that might have relocated several times in the area during the past 4 millennia.
"Approximate Location" means that despite all my efforts I was unable to locate the exact ancient place on the map. The placemark is on the most commonly accepted location and should be considered accurate within the vicinity of the pin on the map.
"General Location" means that the particular ancient Greek place cannot be pinpointed specifically, but instead it spans the general area around the placemark. Most often in this case a modern city covers the ancient site.
"Probable Location" means that the exact location of a known place could not be accurately pinpointed on the map. The placemark is placed on the most likely location.
While satellite imagery offers extraordinary accuracy of the contemporary topography, the reader should be cautioned that ancient landscape, and especially the coastline might have been considerably different than today. Good examples of this fact are the locations of Troy, Miletos, and Thermopylae. The ancient places existed next to the coast or a large harbor while today they appear landlocked. In several such cases, I have drawn the ancient coastline after considerable research, and I hope to add more in the future.
Help improve this map
Did you see an error or an omission? Do you have have more accurate information about a place on the map?
Send me an email and help me improve the accuracy of this map.
