This article investigates the legacy of ancient Phoenician, Greek and Etruscan colonialism in shaping the economic geography of the Mediterranean region. Utilising historical data on ancient colonies and current data on population density and night light emissions (as a proxy for economic activity), we find that geographical areas colonised by these ancient civilisations have higher population density and economic activity in the present day. We also find that ancient colonialism affected the origin and evolution of the urban system of cities and settlements prevalent in the Mediterranean region.

中文翻译：

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古代殖民主义与地中海的经济地理

本文探讨了古代腓尼基人，希腊人和伊特鲁里亚人的殖民主义在塑造地中海地区经济地理学方面的传承。利用有关古代殖民地的历史数据以及有关人口密度和夜光排放的当前数据（作为经济活动的代表），我们发现这些古代文明殖民的地理区域目前具有较高的人口密度和经济活动。我们还发现，古代殖民主义影响了地中海地区普遍存在的城市和居住区的城市体系的起源和演变。