Phocaea

Phocaea fōsēˈə [key], ancient city, W Asia Minor, N of Smyrna (Izmir), in present Turkey. It was northernmost of the Greek Ionian cities. In the 7th cent. b.c. it grew into a maritime state; its chief colony was Massilia (now Marseilles). In 540 b.c., after a siege by the Persians, most of the inhabitants left, going mainly to Elea in Italy. The city never recovered from the loss. The modern Foça is on the site.

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