The organization of the khora in southeastern Greek Sicily: Syracuse and its hinterland (733 -598 BC)

Founded by Corinthians in Sicily in the 8th century, Syracuse soon became one of the biggest and more powerful poleis of the Greek world. During the first century of life in Sicily, the Syracusans founded in the hinterland four other settlements: Heloros, Akrai, Kasmene and Kamarina. This article intends to demonstrate, through the description of material data, that: 1. These foundations were enabled thanks to negotiation with local people and that Syracusan expansion was not exclusively a military/violent one; 2. Through these foundations, Syracuse established boundaries for its initial territorial expansion; 3. The empty space between Syracuse and these boundaries were filled up by degrees and in different conditions; 4. That this movement made by Syracuse allows us to better understand an inherent characteristic of the Greek ‘way of being’, i.e., territorial control