List of historical Greek countries and regions


This is a list of Greek countries and regions throughout history. It includes empires, countries, states, regions and territories that have or had in the past one of the following characteristics:

Antiquity (to 330 AD)

Bronze Age

During the Bronze Age a number of entities were formed in Mycenean Greece, each of them was ruled by a Wanax, including:
Knossos, a Minoan palace centre, was later occupied by the Mycenaeans

City states

During the history of Ancient Greece a total of 1,500 to 2,000 city-states were established. These included:

Kingdoms, Empires and countries

Middle Ages (330–1453)

The Greek Middle Ages are coterminous with the duration of the Byzantine Empire.
After 395 the Roman Empire split in two. In the East, Greeks were the predominant national group and their language was the lingua franca of the region. Christianity was the official religion of this new Empire, spread through the region by the Greek language, the language in which the first gospels were written. The language of the aristocracy however remained Latin, until gradually replaced by Greek by 7th century. The East Roman Empire retained its status as the power at least in the Mediterranean world until the 12th century. Amongst its impacts was the spread of Christianity to Eastern Europe and the Slavs, the halting of the Persian, Slavic and Arab expansions towards Europe and the preservation of a significant body of the cultural heritage of Greek-Roman Antiquity. In 1204, after a civil struggle over the succession of throne among the members of ruling Angelid(Angeloi), the Fourth Crusade conquered the capital, Constantinople. The Empire was subject to partitions and crises from which it never recovered.

Byzantine Greek successor states

Crusader states

Other states

  • Cretan Republic

Modern era (after 1453)

Independent states

Autonomous, secessionist or unrecognised entities