New settlements and population identity. Remembrance and memory.

Another question is that of the formation of the identity of the inhabitants of a new polis. From the outset, a sense of community was created by social practices, i.e., by the festivals and rituals with which the inhabitants were associated. These practices reinforced the legitimacy of the foundations of the new social order, including that of different social groups, areas and stages of life, and territoriality. This is not to say that such rituals played no role in the metropolises - quite the contrary; in fact, the point is that they did not play such a fundamental role there. Nevertheless, in the new colonies, as we can analyze them in the western Mediterranean or the Black Sea, we understand at least in part how these rites and festivities are reflected in a sacred topography that changed rapidly, but appeared from the very beginning of the colonies. The veneration of theoikiste, to whom the foundation was attributed, was an integral part of these practices from the outset. Within the framework of these rites and festivals, the myths and divinities that had existed since the dawn of time served as a general framework for the first norms of community life. The emphasis placed on antiquity and its representation could explain the architecture of buildings and monuments, as well as the marked recourse to certain votive practices. Myths also enabled Greeks to situate themselves in relation to those living outside the poleis, helping them to position themselves as specific groups.