Ionians
Ionians
one of the main ancient Greek tribes. The Ionians received their name from the legendary hero Ion, who was considered the founder of the tribe. They inhabited the territory of Attica, part of the island of Euboea, and Chios, Samos, Naxos, and other islands. In the 11th to the ninth centuries B.C., they colonized the central part of the west coast of Asia Minor (the region of Ionia) and later, the shores of the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara. Much literature (for example, the works of Homer and Herodotus) and a significant collection of epigraphs have been preserved in the widespread Ionian dialect.