# Asia Minor Greeks

The Asia Minor Greeks (Greek: Μικρασιάτες, romanized: Mikrasiates), also known as Asiatic Greeks or Anatolian Greeks, make up the ethnic Greek populations who lived in Asia Minor from the 13th century BC as a result of Greek colonization, up until the forceful population exchange between Greece and Turkey in 1923, though some communities in Asia Minor survive to the present day.

## Cappadocian Greeks

Cappadocian Greeks also known as Greek Cappadocians (Greek: Έλληνες-Καππαδόκες, Ελληνοκαππαδόκες, Καππαδόκες; Turkish: Kapadokyalı Rumlar) or simply Cappadocians are an ethnic Greek community native to the geographical region of Cappadocia in central-eastern Anatolia.

## Pontic Greeks

The Pontic Greeks (Greek: Πόντιοι, romanized: Póndii or Ελληνοπόντιοι, romanized: Ellinopóndii; Turkish: Pontus Rumları or Karadeniz Rumları, Georgian: პონტოელი ბერძნები, romanized: P’ont’oeli Berdznebi) are an ethnically Greek group who traditionally lived in the region of Pontus, on the shores of the Black Sea and in the Pontic Mountains of northeastern Anatolia.

## Other Asia Minor Greeks

* Asiatic Aeolian Greeks
* Asiatic Ionian Greeks
* Asiatic Dorian Greeks
* Antigonid Greeks

### Historical context

* Pontic colonies (classical antiquity)
* Hellenistic Anatolia (Hellenistic and Roman era)
* Byzantine Anatolia (Middle Ages)
* Ottoman Greeks (early modern), the Republic of Turkey's predecessor
* Greeks in Turkey (modern), Greek and Greek-speaking Eastern Orthodox Christians
* Greek refugees

## Notable Asia Minor Greeks

* Thales, pre-Socratic philosopher, considered the father of philosophy and science, one of the Seven Sages of Greece
* Homer, poet, the father of Western literature, his origin is disputed, but the most widespread account was that he was from Ionia
* Hesiod, poet, the father of Greek didactic poetry
* Herodotus, historian and geographer, the father of history
* Hecataeus of Miletus, historian and geographer, the father of geography
* Strabo, geographer and historian
* Hipparchus, astronomer, geographer, and mathematician, considered the father of astronomy and founder of trigonometry
* Apollonius of Perga, geometer and astronomer, one of the greatest mathematicians of antiquity
* Eudoxus of Cnidus, astronomer, mathematician, doctor, and lawmaker
* Hippodamus, architect, urban planner, physician, mathematician, meteorologist, the father of European urban planning
* Galen, physician and surgeon, one of the most accomplished of all medical researchers of antiquity
* Herophilos, physician, one of the earliest anatomists
* Dioscorides, physician, pharmacologist, botanist, the father of pharmacognosy
* Aretaeus of Cappadocia, physician, wrote eight treatises on diseases
* Soranus of Ephesus, physician, most notably his four-volume treatise on gynecology
* Apelles, renowned painter
* Bias of Priene, one of the Seven Sages of Greece
* Anaximander, pre-Socratic philosopher, first to attempt making a map of the known world
* Anaximenes, pre-Socratic philosopher
* Heraclitus, pre-Socratic philosopher
* Xenophanes, pre-Socratic philosopher, theologian and poet
* Anaxagoras, pre-Socratic philosopher and mathematician
* Leucippus, pre-Socratic philosopher, the founder of atomism
* Nausiphanes, atomist philosopher
* Diogenes, philosopher and one of the founders of Cynicism
* Eubulides, Megarian philosopher
* Diodorus Cronus, Megarian philosopher
* Xenocrates, Platonic philosopher and mathematician
* Crantor, Platonic philosopher
* Strato of Lampsacus, Peripatetic philosopher, called the Physicus
* Alexander of Aphrodisias, Peripatetic philosopher
* Cleanthes, Stoic philosopher and boxer
* Chrysippus, Stoic philosopher
* Epictetus, Stoic philosopher
* Antipater of Tarsus, Stoic philosopher
* Metrodorus of Lampsacus, Epicurean philosopher
* Diogenes of Oenoanda, Epicurean philosopher
* Arcesilaus, philosopher, the founder of Academic Skepticism
* Apollonius of Tyana, Neo-Pythagorean philosopher, became a mythical hero during the Roman Empire
* Proclus, Neoplatonic philosopher
* Simplicius of Cilicia, Neoplatonic philosopher
* Scylax of Caryanda, explorer and writer
* Anacreon, lyric poet
* Alcman, choral lyric poet
* Aratus, didactic poet
* Mimnermus, elegiac poet
* Callinus, elegiac poet
* Hipponax, iambic poet
* Diphilus, one of the greatest poets of New Comedy
* Quintus Smyrnaeus, epic poet
* George of Pisidia, Byzantine poet
* Chariton, novelist, wrote Callirhoe, arguably the earliest surviving Western novel
* Xenophon of Ephesus, novelist, wrote Ephesian Tale
* Heraclides Ponticus, philosopher and astronomer, possibly the originator of the heliocentric theory
* Philo of Byzantium, engineer, physicist and writer on mechanics
* Autolycus of Pitane, astronomer, mathematician, and geographer
* Callippus, astronomer and mathematician
* Crates of Mallus, constructed the earliest known globe of the Earth
* Theodosius of Bithynia, astronomer and mathematician
* Theon of Smyrna, mathematician and philosopher
* Bryson of Heraclea, mathematician
* Nicephorus Gregoras, Byzantine mathematician and astronomer
* Sostratus of Cnidus, architect and engineer, probably designed the lighthouse of Alexandria
* Pythius of Priene, architect, designed the Temple of Athena Polias and the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
* Isidore of Miletus and Anthemius of Tralles, two main Byzantine architects and mathematicians, designed the Hagia Sophia
* Sinan, chief Ottoman architect, engineer and mathematician
* Asclepiades of Bithynia, physician
* Rufus of Ephesus, physician
* Nicander, physician and poet
* Oribasius, physician
* Alexander of Tralles, one of the most eminent physicians in the Byzantine Empire
* Alexander Polyhistor, scholar
* Serenus Sammonicus, savant and tutor, owned one of the largest private libraries of antiquity
* Michael Psellos, Byzantine savant, historian and music theorist
* Cadmus of Miletus, the oldest of the logographers
* Xanthus, historian
* Ctesias, historian
* Ephorus, historian
* Dionysius of Halicarnassus, historian and teacher of rhetoric
* Pausanias, geographer and historian
* Arrian, historian and philosopher
* Agatharchides, historian
* Cassius Dio, historian
* Dio Chrysostom, historian and orator
* Diogenes Laertius, biographer of the Greek philosophers
* Eunapius, historian
* Philostorgius, historian
* Aelius Aristides, orator and author
* Themistius, statesman, rhetorician and philosopher
* Thrasymachus, sophist
* Alcidamas, sophist and rhetorician
* Polemon of Laodicea, sophist
* Zenodotus, grammarian, the first librarian of the Library of Alexandria
* Michael Attaleiates, Byzantine chronicler
* Niketas Choniates, Byzantine historian
* Maximus Planudes, Byzantine grammarian and theologian
* Artemidorus, diviner and dream interpreter
* Ulfilas, creator of the Gothic alphabet
* Saint Nicholas, early Christian bishop, the prototype for Santa Claus
* Saint George, Roman soldier and early Christian martyr
* Basil of Caesarea, Bishop and theologian
* Gregory of Nazianzus, archbishop of Constantinople and theologian
* Aspasia, the most important woman in the history of fifth-century Athens
* Gordian I, Roman emperor
* Helena, Augusta of the Roman Empire and mother of Emperor Constantine the Great
* Basilina, mother of Emperor Julian the Apostate
* Maurice, Byzantine emperor
* Michael II the Amorian, Byzantine emperor
* Nikephoros II Phokas, Byzantine emperor
* Romanos III Argyros, Byzantine emperor
* Michael IV the Paphlagonian, Byzantine emperor
* Constantine X Doukas, Byzantine emperor
* Romanos IV Diogenes, Byzantine emperor
* Michael VIII Palaiologos, Byzantine emperor