Dangane da tarihin Thucydides, Helenawa daga Phocea da Anatolia sune suka kafa mulkin mallaka, "mulkin" Massalia kudu da ƙasar da yanzu take Faransa kusan 600 BC
Wannan mulkin mallaka ya bunkasa sosai a cikin hanyar wasan kwalliya, wanda aka samo rukunin polis ko jihar-birni. Tashar muhimmiyar tashar ce wacce ba da daɗewa ba ta zama alamar Girka a Yammacin Turai. Ma'aikatan jirgin ruwan Girka sun kawo noma, dabbobi, aikin goge duwatsu, tukwane, kuma sun koyar da abubuwa da yawa.
Helenawa waɗanda suka rayu a ciki Massalia a yau Marseille, sun watsa al'adun Hellenic ga mazaunan yankin da kuma zuwa ga Gaul gaba. An yi magana da Girkanci na Ionia a wurin kuma sun sami ci gaba sosai a fannin magani.
Kasancewa a cikin irin wannan wuri mai mahimmanci, ya kasance hanyar haɗi tsakanin Rome da biranen cikin Gaul na ciki, duk kasuwancin ya wuce ta wannan tashar, suma sun zo kasuwanci tare da Iberiyawa.
Duk abin da aka ƙera na kasuwanci ne, ulu, fata, yadudduka, kayan adon, tsabar kudi, mai, suma bayi da giya.
Noma na itacen inabi da karin bayani na ruwan inabi a Massalia bisa ga binciken archaeological sun zo ne daga shekara ta IV BC
Da sannu kaɗan aka raba yankuna daga ƙasar Girka kuma Massalia ta haɗu da duk wasu yankuna a yankin kuma an kafa kariya, daga baya sun haɗa kai da Rome, don yaƙi da Etruscans, Celts, da Carthage.
Mazaunan Massalia sun taimaki Rome da maza, kuɗi, da jiragen yaƙi don yaƙi da Carthage, sa'annan an girmama su da matsayi iri ɗaya a cikin gidan wasan kwaikwayon na Roman kamar na sanatocinsu.
Daga Massalia, Maryamu Magadaliya da Li'azaru na Bait'anya sun bayyana Imanin Kirista.