\f1 \fs22 The need to develop trade in order to supplement scanty agricultural resources induced many noblemen to set sail
for far-off lands. By the tenth and ninth century BC, Greek ships had already reached Cyprus and the coasts of Syria and southwestern Anatolia, where they purchased copper and precious objects made by goldsmiths. From the beginning of the eighth century
onward, Greek merchants sailed westward as well, reaching the coasts of southern Italy and Sicily. The absence of charts and compasses made navigation at night extremely dangerous, and so they sailed only in the daytime and during good weather, trying n
ever to lose sight of land. Very soon, however, Greek ships were plying the Tyrrhenian Sea as well, and thus established trade links with the Latins and Etruscans. From the latter in particular, they imported iron extracted from the mines on the island o
