Mediterranean whereas to the north Greeks and Etruscans struggled to deter-
mine commercial supremacy in the northwest. The colony of Massilia, which
soon became a thriving city, must have been of considerable annoyance to
both Etruscans and Phoenicians. Located near the mouth of the Rhone River,
it could tap into the huge hinterland of Gaul (France and Belgium).
In Gaul goods moved across well developed exchange networks using river
valleys, one running from the Seine to the Saone to the Rhone, another up
the Loire to the Rhone. The Greeks of Massilia became middlemen in the
flow of goods between northwestern Europe and the eastern Mediterranean.
A much desired commodity on this route was tin, some of which came from
Brittany on the northwestern coast of Gaul, but the major source was across
the English Channel in the British Isles. This system was still active in thefirst
century as noted by the historian Diodorus Siculus, who observed that British
tin was transported by packhorse across Brittany by a tribe called the Veneti, who
had become very wealthy from this. Along with tin came perishables such as
hides, salted meats, grain, slaves, and, from farther north, furs.
The Greeks brought the grape vine and olive tree to southern France, and
Massilia sent much of its own wine and oil inland as well as related products
such as goblets, cups, jugs, and kraters (bowls used for mixing wine and
water). Iron Age princely graves and votive deposits in western and northern
Europe contained many elite goods of Greek and Etruscan manufacture,
some of which were quite exquisite, including bronze swords; cauldrons and
feasting equipment; coral beads, amulets, and brooches; furniture sometimes
with ivory inlay; and wheeled carts and wagons. Initially many of the
imports were still distributed through prestige chains but, as time went on,
more and more entered the nascent market system as exchange moved away
from social relationships to profit-making. Economies in the interior became
more geared to the production of goods desired in Mediterranean markets in
order to obtain Mediterranean goods.
Massilia’s interests were not confined to the northern interior. It also came
to control the overland trade routes between Spain and Italy and established
its own colony at Emporiae (Ampurias) and smaller outposts down the
Spanish coast, challenging Carthage’s monopoly. One source mentions a
maritime route originating in Ireland or Britain, crossing to Brittany, then
moving down the Atlantic coast to Tartessia, through Gibraltar and north
along the Mediterranean coast to Massilia. This was made possible by the
recent introduction of the sail into northwestern Europe, the earliest of
which were made of leather. Prior to this, boats had to be paddled or rowed.
A trader from Massilia named Pytheas searching for tin claimed to have
sailed beyond Britain in the fourth centuryBCEto a place he called Thule,
which modern speculation has as either Iceland, Norway, or the Shetland
Islands, then continued on, eventually reaching the Arctic ice. On the way
back he picked up a load of amber on an island off Denmark, which must
have made the trip worthwhile.
Of purple men and oil merchants 69