A cleruchy, in Hellenic Greece, was a specialised type of colony established by Athens. The term comes from the Greek word klēroūkhos, literally "lot-holder". Ancient Greece is the term used to describe the Greek-speaking world in ancient times. ... Colonies in antiquity were city-states founded from a mother-city, not from a territory-at-large. ... Athens (Greek: Αθήνα, Athína (IPA: )) is the capital of Greece and one of the most famous cities in the world, named after goddess Athena. ...

Normally, Greek colonies were politically independent; they would have a special relationship with the mother city, metropolis, but would otherwise be independent entities. Cleruchies were significantly different. The settlers or cleruchs would retain their Athenian citizenship and the community remained a political dependency of Athens. A metropolis (in Greek metera = mother and polis = city/town) is a major city, which is an economical and cultural center for some country or larger region, and usually an important hub for international connections. ...

Cleruchies were established as a means of exporting excess and generally impoverished populations to conveniently distant localities, such as the Thracian Chersonese on the far side of the Aegean Sea. Under the cleruchy arrangement, the participating citizen received a plot (or kleros) of agricultural land, hence a means to earn his livelihood. This elevated the citizen to the property class of zeugitai. The cleruch would be obliged to defend his colony by serving it as a hoplite. Map of the Thracian Chersonese The Thracian Chersonese (in Greek Χερσoνησoς Θραικια) was the ancient name of the Gallipoli peninsula, in the part of historic Thrace that is now part of modern Turkey. ... The Aegean Sea. ... A hoplite armed with a spear. ...

This arrangement benefited Athens in three principal ways:

• It reduced population pressure in Athens itself;
• It increased Athenian military power, as the cleruchs formed military garrisons;
• It increased the economic power of Athens, as it enabled more of its citizens to become property holders.

The first known cleruchy is thought to have been Salamis, captured by Athens from Megara in the 6th century BC. Other clerucies were established on the Thracian Chersonese following its recapture from the Persian Empire after the Greco-Persian Wars of the 5th century BC, and at Chalcis following that city's defeat in a war with Athens. During the period of the Delian League and the Second Athenian League (5th–4th century BC), many more cleruchies were created by Athens such as on Samos Island proved worthy in the Social War. The institution fell into disuse following the rise of the Macedonian kingdom, which brought an effective end to Athenian independence. Salamis may refer to Salamis Island in the Saronic Gulf of the Aegean Sea, near Athens, Greece, where the Battle of Salamis was fought in 480 B.C.. Salamis, Cyprus, an ancient city on the east coast of Cyprus. ... Megara (Greek: Μέγαρα; see also List of traditional Greek place names) is an ancient city in Attica, Greece. ... (2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC - 1st millennium) // Overview The 5th and 6th centuries BC were a time of empires, but more importantly, a time of learning and philosophy. ... The term Persian Empire refers to a series of historical empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau. ... The Greco-Persian Wars or Persian Wars were a series of conflicts between the Greek world and the Persian Empire that started about 500 BC and lasted until 448 BC. // Origins Persian Empire in 500 BC At the end of the 6th century BC, Darius the Great ruled over an... (6th century BC - 5th century BC - 4th century BC - other centuries) (2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC - 1st millennium AD) The 5th and 6th centuries BC are a period of philosophical brilliance among advanced civilizations. ... Chalcis or Chalkida, Halkida, Halkis or Chalkis (Greek, Modern: Χαλκίδα, Ancient/Katharevousa: -is), the chief town of the island of Euboea in Greece, situated on the strait of the Euripus at its narrowest point. ... The Delian League was an association of Greek city-states in the 5th century BC. It was led by Athens. ... Samos (Greek Σάμος; Turkish Sisam; see also List of traditional Greek place names) is a Greek island situated in the Eastern Aegean Sea, off the coast of Turkey, on what formerly was Ionia. ... Combatants Athens and its Second Athenian Empire Chios Rhodes Cos Byzantium Commanders Chares Chabrias Timotheus Iphicrates Numerous The Social War, also known as the War of the Allies, was fought from 357 BC to 355 BC between Athens and its Second Athenian Empire and between the allies of Chios, Rhodes...