Existe la idea tradicional de que las poblaciones antiguas estaban firmemente arraigadas en su tierra natal y de que eran poco propensas al cambio. No obstante, estudios recientes han demostrado que el mundo antiguo experimentó un alto nivel de movilidad humana; concretamente, en la Antigüedad griega, las migraciones coordinadas por los propios estados, conocidas como "colonizaciones", constituyen probablemente el ejemplo más evidente de este tipo de desplazamientos. El análisis de estos movimientos, tanto grupales como individuales (comerciantes, refugiados, peregrinos, científicos, viajeros, guerreros y exiliados), conforma el objetivo principal de esta obra, que adopta una perspectiva multidisciplinar y ofrece una recopilación de casos de estudio concretos.

Movement has always been part of daily life and, as such, it has taken on different forms. ?People on the move across the Greek World? provides a selection of approaches, themes and contexts that reflect the importance of being on the move in Ancient Greece. It does not aim to provide an exhaustive treatment of ?movement around the Ancient Greek world?; rather, its goal is to be representative, offering readers the opportunity to delve into the variety of activities that motivated Ancient Greeks to move from one place to another. It also offers a set of considerations regarding the purposes, causes and consequences of these movements.
The book is composed of 22 chapters divided into four thematic sections: (1) Society, economy and knowledge; (2) Travellers and borders; (3) ?Colonisation? and politics; and (4) Religion and mythology. Each contribution examines a case study united by a common factor: ?people on the move?. Its chronology spans the whole of Greek Antiquity, from the Late Bronze Age to the period of the Roman conquest. As for its geographical scope, this book is not limited to the Greek peninsula, but also includes those territories beyond the mainland that attracted the Greeks, resulting in their presence in those regions.