SEPARATING FACT FROM FICTION IN THE AIOLIAN MIGRATION

Iron Age settlements in the northeast Aegean are usually attributed to Aiolian colonists who journeyed across the Aegean from mainland Greece. This article reviews the literary accounts of the migration and presents the relevant archaeological evidence, with a focus on new material from Troy. No one area played a dominant role in colonizing Aiolis, nor is such a widespread colonization supported by the archaeological record. But the aggressive promotion of migration accounts after the Persian Wars proved mutually beneficial to both sides of the Aegean and justified the composition of the Delian League.