In this passage from Herodotus, Dorieus, the son of one of the Spartan kings, cannot stand the thought of staying in Sparta and seeing his unworthy half brother Cleomenes take over the throne. He therefore leaves Sparta and establishes a new colony on the African coast. This passage illustrates how colonization could be used to avoid political trouble at home, and how it was not always undertaken as a result of sober strategic and economic calculation. Note the emphasis on the observance of religious formalities (or lack thereof). This excerpt also suggests that by the time Dorieus set out on his ill-fated expeditions (circa 520 B.C.E.), the number of places one could lay claim to in the Mediterranean without serious opposition were exceedingly rare.

Dorieus was the finest young man of his generation and confident that his merits would assure his...