Phocian navigators from Massalia (Marseilles) founded Emporion around 600 BC. They initially established a settlement on a small island, today known as Sant Martí d'Empúries. They later built a small fortified city on the mainland alongside the natural harbour. Emporion, which in Greek means market, was a port open to sailors from various places. The original nucleus became a polis that controlled a large territory. Empúries made a considerable contribution to the cultural transformation of the indigenous societies and was a gateway for Classical culture into the Iberian Peninsula.