Greek colonization and the birth of Magna Grecia
Greek authors are silent about the reasons that drove the Greeks to leave their mother country to colonize new lands. The answer certainly lies in the demographic and agrarian crisis that hit the cities of archaic Greece: agricultural production could not meet the growing needs of a constantly increasing population. Moreover, the Greeks were primarily landowners and, to avoid the fragmentation and dispersion of land, only the eldest son inherited the family estate. Younger children had to choose between staying on the estate and working for their older brother or leaving to find new land. So the Greek cities organized expeditions and formed contingents of colonists who set sail. Along the Italian and Sicilian coasts, the settlers found an ideal environment: fertile coastal plains and watered by rivers, inhabited by small communities too little welded together to oppose an effective resistance.
The first colony in the south of the peninsula was Rhegion (Reggio Calabria), founded in 730 BC by Euboeans. A few decades later, in 706 BC, settlers from Sparta and Laconia founded Taranto. These two cities constitute the two ends of a coastal arc bordering the Ionian Sea and along which the main Greek colonies were established. The Achaeans of the northern Peloponnese founded Sybaris, Crotone and Caulonia; from Locris, in mainland Greece, came the settlers who created Locres. Metapontum, in the territory of Basilicata, was founded by contingents from Sybaris and Crotone. The settlers reproduce the pattern of the Greek polis
, the independent city-state, and bring with them their culture, institutions, language and deities. The settlements evolved into thriving cities that perpetuated Hellenism outside the Aegean world. For several centuries, the indigenous peoples of the interior had to come to terms with this presence, and they gradually became Hellenized, adopting the Greek alphabet, way of life and art forms. The relationship between Greeks and natives oscillates according to the interests of each: trade favors peaceful relations. On the other hand, the propensity of the cities to extend their domination on the interior of the lands to increase their agricultural surface leads to clashes with the native communities.Taranto is the only major Greek colony in Apulia (modern-day Apulia). The ancient Taras was founded by the Spartans at the bottom of a natural cove suitable for the establishment of a port, which became an important naval base. In the first centuries, Taranto tried to extend its domination and met with fierce opposition from the local Iapygian populations, the Messapians and the Peucetians. The city also entered into rivalry with the other Greek cities of Magna Grecia. But it managed to impose itself and, in the 4th century BC, at its peak, Taranto dominated Apulia and the whole gulf. The Greek influence in Apulia is represented by the Apulian red-figure pottery, which, derived from the Attic production, differs from it to propose vases with refined shapes and decorative abundance.
In the territory of present-day Calabria, the local populations were absorbed or even annihilated by the arrival of the Greeks. Sybaris imposes its hegemony on 25 Oenetian towns and villages are abandoned by their inhabitants. The Oeneans and Ausonians retreat inland, in the mountainous areas, but they establish commercial relations with the Greeks and exchange their raw materials (wood, minerals) for goods and articles specific to Greek culture (ceramics, luxury products). The latter, brought to light during archaeological excavations, gradually replaced the objects representing the identity of the local communities. In the5th
and 4th centuries BC, the Lucanians and Bruttians, Italian populations, settled in Basilicata and Calabria and took over several Greek colonies. They too succumbed to the attraction of Hellenism, and their cults and religious rites were largely derived from Greek customs, as was their artistic production, inspired by the models of Magna Grecia. Two main museums offer a well-documented panorama of the influence of Greek culture in southern Italy: the museums of Taranto and Reggio Calabria. Their archaeological collections show that, even if the models and the spirit are Greek, the craftsmen of the colonies developed original productions, reflections of a local identity, and which are part of that repertoire of Magna Grecia which is called "italiote" by the specialists. In the Museum of Taranto, there are unique pieces such as the "Ors of Taranto", products of the skills of the Tarentine goldsmiths, and the largest collection of painted terracotta figurines. The Archaeological Museum of Reggio Calabria houses a rich collection of material from the sites and sanctuaries of Magna Grecia, with original productions such as the pinakes of Locres (votive terracotta bas-reliefs). Not to mention the famous Riace bronzes, found off the Calabrian coast in 1972.The remains of Magna Grecia
The three regions of southern Italy have not yielded monumental remains on a scale comparable to those of the sites in Campania (Paestum) and Sicily (Agrigento, Segesta, Selinunte). However, the excavations carried out in Calabria have provided remarkable material for the knowledge of the architecture of Magna Grecia: the investigations on the sites of the ancient Greek colonies have given rise to an in-depth study of fortifications, public buildings, dwellings and tombs. The urban planning of the cities, with their Hippodamian plan with straight streets intersecting at right angles, has been highlighted.
The temples are probably the most representative monuments of the ancient Greek world and the most striking.
In Taranto
, all that remains of the temple of Poseidon, built in the 6th century B.C., are two Doric columns that stand in the piazza del Castello.In Basilicata, the urban archaeological area of Metapontum preserves the partial remains of several temples belonging to a sacred area, including the temple of Apollo Licio. A visit to the Tavole Palatine site, 3 km away, is necessary to admire the imposing remains of the Temple of Hera: built in the 6th century BC, two rows of fifteen Doric columns remain, which were part of the peripterum (the outer colonnade).
On the archaeological sites of Calabria, it is necessary to make an effort of imagination to reconstitute the scale of the temples from the vestiges visible today: the solitary column of the temple of Hera Lacinia near Crotone, the stone bases on which the sanctuaries of Locres rose... However, the material brought to light on these sites, and in particular in Locres, is exceptional and is among the most exemplary of Magna Grecia: marble sculptures adorning pediments, painted terracotta architectural elements, pinakes adorned with delicate bas-reliefs, testimonies that can be admired and mentally placed in their context at the Museum of Reggio Calabria.In the Roman orbit
From the 4th century BC, the Romans set out to conquer southern Italy. Taranto felt threatened and called on King Pyrrhus of Epirus. In 280 BC, at the battle of Heraclea (near Metapontum), Pyrrhus won an important victory against the Romans thanks, in particular, to his war elephants which spread terror among the enemy ranks. A year later, at the battle of Ausculum (province of Foggia), the armies of Pyrrhus again faced the Roman legions (which, this time, were equipped with anti-elephant devices!). Pyrrhus was victorious despite very heavy casualties, which made him say, "One more victory like this and we are lost! However, in 275, Pyrrhus was defeated at the Battle of Benevento and returned to his kingdom, leaving Magna Grecia at the mercy of the Romans. In 272 BC, Taranto was subdued and the southern part of the peninsula fell into Roman orbit.
In 216 BC, during the Second Punic War, the region was the scene of another major battle, that of Canne
(20 km from Barletta in Apulia), which pitted Hannibal's troops against the Roman legions, who were surrounded and then routed by the Carthaginian general. The Museum of Canne della Battaglia traces the various stages of the battle and the tactical manoeuvres adopted by the Carthaginians, while a column marks the site of the confrontation.From the 3rd century B.C., the southern part of the peninsula entered a new era and, although it took time for the Latin language to replace the Greek, Roman culture, with its Latin institutions and ruling class, gradually took hold. This culture also penetrated the region by following the Roman roads that put the territory in rapid communication with Rome.
The Apulia region, crossed by the Via Appia (190 B.C.) and the Via Traiana (109 A.D.), owes the Romans some of its most beautiful remains. The end of the Via Appia in Brindisi was marked by two columns: one still dominates the terrace of the port, while the other was transferred to Lecce in 1528 to support the statue of Sant'Oronzo, the patron saint of the city. In Lecce, moreover, the baroque facades cohabit with the Roman amphitheatre and theatre. Canosa (Canusium), one of the most important cities in ancient Apulia, is dotted with Roman remains: the remains of the temple of Jupiter Toro, the Lomuscio baths, and a fine example of funerary architecture with the Lagrasta
hypogea, an underground complex dug out of tufa and used from the 4th to the 1st century BC. Near the centre, on the route of the ancient Via Traiana (today's Via Cerignola), we find the Arch of Trajan, mausoleums and the Roman bridge crossing the Ofanto.The archaeological site of Egnazia is certainly the most interesting in the area. Gnathia
was a flourishing port, and the visit allows you to identify all the characteristic buildings of a Roman city: the forum, the civil basilica, the amphitheatre and the Via Traiana which crossed the city, paved with cobblestones.Basilicata is relatively less imbued with the spirit of ancient Rome. Along the Via Appia are the Roman settlements of Venusia (Venosa) and Grumentum
(Grumento Nova). The archaeological parks of the two settlements contain the most significant Roman remains in the region: entire districts have been excavated, with their houses, sometimes decorated with mosaics, public buildings (amphitheatre, baths, theatre) and religious buildings (remains of temples). Under Roman rule, Calabria occupied a secondary and peripheral position. On its territory vast agricultural properties(latifundia) and scattered rustic villas developed. The most interesting sites are the baths of Vibo Valentia, decorated with magnificent polychrome mosaics, and the archaeological parks of Sibari and Scolacium (near Catanzaro Lido). The remains revealed by the excavations and visible during the visit (remains of theatres, amphitheatres, thermal baths, forum...) show that the Romanization had spread to the whole territory of the ancient Magna Grecia.
