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Ancient Greeks Traveled a Lot, Even Used Clay ‘Passports’
The Ancient Greeks were active travelers, despite the dangers of land travel and the fear of highwaymen. Sea travel required ample supplies and means.
A fascinating archaeological find exhibited in the Agora Museum in Athens is rectangular clay tablets with inscribed names and occupations that purportedly served as travel documents in antiquity.
Most travelers were aristocrats and well-to-do citizens who traveled to witness and experience the wonders of the ancient world, and other famous places and sights.
Others traveled for pilgrimage; healing in sanctuaries such as the Sanctuary of Asclepius in Olympia, the Sanctuary of Apollo on Delos Island, or to attend religious festivals and monumental athletic events like the Olympic Games at Olympia or the Panathenaic Games in Athens.
Merchants also traveled to other parts of Greece, or across the Mediterranean and beyond to promote and sell their goods to destinations such as Egypt, Asia Minor, the Middle East, and the Black Sea.
The Ancient Greeks were curious about the world and had a great desire to learn. For that reason, they held travel in high regard. The most famous epic journeys, such as Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey or Jason’s expedition to retrieve the Golden Fleece, had protagonists who had to travel far and undergo trials to achieve their goals.
In their long journeys. They experienced great adventures, encountered grave dangers, and saw things and, above all, places they would never see if confined in their birthplace all their lives. These epics celebrated heroic adventures through travel.
Then people from all over Greece and beyond would travel far to consult the oracle at Delphi and plan their future.
Also, it was through travel that ancient Greeks discovered places worth exploring and exploiting, such as uninhabited fertile lands or seaside areas with great potential, where they established trading colonies.
Overall, the accounts of travelers provided valuable information about the contemporary world. In modern day, these accounts help us understand the world during that period.
Practical issues of traveling in antiquity
Travel in ancient times required means that not all people could afford. Travelling by land meant using carriages and horses for people with means and walking for the rest. Pack animals, like mules and donkeys, were necessary. Greece had a widespread road network connecting even remote settlements, but there was always the danger of being robbed by highwaymen.
Traveling by sea was considered a safer and more comfortable means. Most major cities were located near a shore. Yet, there were no passenger ships back then, so those willing to travel by boat had to be next to the cargo, and at a price, too.
To take long journeys, overall, required a lot of money. Baggage porters and other attendants were necessary, along with armed bodyguards. The presence of security was important because the traveler could face highway robbers who could also abduct them. Similarly, when traveling by sea, there was the danger of being attacked by pirate ships.
Since there were no maps, natural landmarks such as mountains and rivers were used. In sea travel, similar landmarks across the shoreline served as guides to the destination.
Friends or social peers usually provided hospitality at the destinations for free. However, there were specific businesses that provided basic food and accommodation, especially in the larger cities, and for significant events such as the Olympic Games or religious festivals.
In the Archaic period, there was the additional legal danger of unknowingly being in another city-state territory without permission while trying to arrive at one’s destination. However, by the Classical period, relations between states were more regulated, and interstate travel was facilitated. In addition, systems of communication had improved by then. Nevertheless, the travel hazards remained.
There is ample evidence that ancient Greeks traveled. Archaeological finds show contacts with other peoples and civilizations. Greek coins and goods such as amphorae have been found all over the Mediterranean. Artifacts emulating artistic styles and evidence of the adoption of rituals originating in Ancient Greece also indicate long and close contact with different peoples and cultures.
In addition, Greeks who traveled frequently brought back new ideas, Eastern tastes in clothing, jewelry, and foods, as well as architectural trends.
The ancient Greeks discovered new lands and established trading colonies across the Mediterranean, Asia Minor, and the Black Sea from the 8th through the 6th centuries. Many of these have evolved into the great cities that still stand today.
The most famous of the colonies were those in Magna Graecia, in today’s southern Italy and Sicily (Calabria, Apulia, Basilicata, Campania, Syracuse, Tarentum, Sybaris, and Croton), where the Greek element is still alive today, especially in the language.
Other important ancient Greek colonies were Massalia (modern-day Marseilles in France), Cyrene in Libya, and Byzantium on the Bosporus Strait, which later became Constantinople.
Greek philosophers on travelling
Several ancient Greek philosophers valued travelling as a means to gain knowledge and experience. Encountering different cultures and experiencing new environments broadens one’s perspective. Great figures like Thales and Pythagoras traveled to Egypt and other regions to study and acquire knowledge.
Aristotle believed that empirical observation and practical experience are good sources of knowledge. Provided, though, that one had the foundations in reason and virtue through formal education. Otherwise, one could not learn simply by travelling. The philosopher is known as saying, not in the exact words, that travel is education for the young and experience for the old.
For those who are older, Aristotle believed that they accumulate experience and wisdom by travelling. They reflect on their lives, gain new insights into the world, and may appreciate life more profoundly.
“Those who wish to know about the world must learn about it in its particular details,” said Heraclitus, the Greek philosopher from Ephesus. The quote implies that a man should travel to learn about the world with his own eyes. Heraclitus believed that the world is constantly changing: “The only thing that is constant is change,” is one of his famous quotes.
With his phrase “τα πάντα ρεί” (everything flows), Heraclitus said that the world is in perpetual motion; therefore, man should be constantly moving as well.
Plato is known for having traveled extensively, visiting Italy, Sicily, Egypt, and Libya. The reason he traveled so much was his disappointment with Athenian society. He was exposed to new cultures and ideas during his travels, which influenced his philosophical development and his Theory of Forms.
Other philosophers who traveled extensively were Thales of Miletus, who visited Egypt to study science and mathematics. Pythagoras traveled to Egypt, Israel, Babylonia, and possibly India. Democritus traveled in Asia, Egypt, and possibly India and Ethiopia.
Socrates, on the other hand, was against travelling and he never left Athens, his hometown. The father of philosophy, for many, believed that man should only make internal journeys. He emphasized self-knowledge and ethical development, which he believed were best pursued through internal reflection and dialogue.
