Today an hour was spent reading and making a few notes on Durant's chapter 6: The Great Migration.

My knowledge of Greek geography is still suspect. Where is Ionia? Thrace? Rhodes?

Ionia is the western coast of Turkey, Rhodes a fairly large island off the south west corner of Turkey. Thrace is north east of present day Greece.

Greek settlements throughout the Mediterranean became, in many cases, more vibrant than the cities on the Greek mainland. Thus the Greek culture often referred to areas outside of Greece! The interaction of these city-states with their nearby neighbors helped contribute to the complex culture of Greece.

Durant identifies 5 areas of migration:

1. Aeolian [northern mainland -> area near Troy
2. Ionian [Peloponnesia -> western Turkey] (Thales, Anaximander)
3. Dorian [Peloponnesia -> Crete, Cyprus, Rhodes
4. Euxine [mainland -> Thrace
5. Italian [mainland -> Italy, Sicily, Spain, Gaul

Thus Greece really was a loose association of city-states around the Mediterranean.

The section on the Ionian Cyclades, mention is made of Thales, Anaximander, Simonides (great poet and writer) and Pythagorus (born in Damos). I would like to find out a little bit more about these men.