Introduction: Travel and the Exchange of Ideas

Travel for intellectual and political pursuit became frequent during the Archaic and Classical periods of Greek history. This module is a representation of some of the travels made by a select group of individuals identified in the prior section. The Sophists were known to have travelled throughout the Eastern Mediterranean to profile themselves and to respond to students. Other intellectuals made journeys as well, some because of political persecution, or at the invitation of a tyrant - benefactor, or to participate in a festival, or to facilitate his craft. The travels of only a few intellectuals have been represented here, but they have been chosen from a variety of disciplines and are indicative of the general patterns of movement during the various time periods.