Initially, these were small communities, which were later developed into bigger cities. Their inhabitants were Greek mercenaries, but they were not sent by a polis with the purpose of founding these communities. The majority of them was founded in Egypt, since most mercenaries were hired there, as members of the Egyptian troops.
Daphne, that has been identified with Tel Defenneh, is one of the most famous mercenary communities in Egypt. Memphis is also mentioned by Herodotus as the region, where Greek and Carian mercenaries were transported in the period between 570 and 526 BC (Herodotus, Historia 2.154). But also in the region of Elephantine, where the presence of Greeks is thought likely, it is presumed that there were such communities.