When a Greek polis chose to settle a new colony (apoikia), an individual - the oikistes (οἰκιστής)- was chosen as leader and invested with the power of selecting a settling place, directing the initial labors of the colonists and guiding the fledgling colony through its hard early years.

When a Greek polis chose to settle a new colony (apoikia), an individual - the oikistes (οἰκιστής)- was chosen as leader and invested with the power of selecting a settling place, directing the initial labors of the colonists and guiding the fledgling colony through its hard early years.