Page:The history of Rome. Translated with the author's sanction and additions.djvu/161

Rh nation "Græci," will be inclined to refer the earliest intercourse of the Italians with the Greeks to an age considerably more remote.

The history of the Italian and Sicilian Greeks forms no part of the history of Italy; the Hellenic colonists of the west always retained the closest connection with their original home, and participated in the national festivals and rights of Hellenes. But it is of importance even as bearing on Italy, that we should indicate the diversities of character that prevailed in the Greek settlements there, or at least exhibit certain of their leading features—the features which enabled the Greek colonization to exercise so varied an influence on Italy.

Of all the Greek settlements, that which retained most thoroughly its distinctive character, and was as least affected by influences from without, was the settlement which gave birth to the league of the Achæan cities composed of the towns of Siris, Pandosia, Metabus or Metapontum, Sybaris with its offsets, Posidonia and Laus, Croton, Caulonia, Temesa, Terina, and Pyxus. These colonists, taken as a whole, belonged to a Greek stock, which steadfastly adhered to its own peculiar dialect (distinguished from Doric, with which in other respects it had most affinity, e. g. by the want of the h), and retained no less steadfastly the old national Hellenic mode of writing instead of adopting the more recent alphabet which had elsewhere come into general use; and which preserved its own national standing distinct from the bar-