Italy (South) (Lucania)
Sybaris is an apoikia founded by Achaeans at the end of the 8th century BC on the Gulf of Taranto, in Magna Graecia. According to the textual sources, its oikistes was called Is and came from Helike. Sybaris was a very influential city in this region of Bruttium, very rich from trade and craft production. It became famous for the luxurious life led by its citizens and for the power they exercised over a vast region. Even so, it was completely destroyed by the Crotoniates, of Croton, in 510 BC, because of rivalries between these two great Greek poleis. After several attempts to re-establish the city, in 444 BC Thurii was founded as a Panhellenic apoikia in its territory (see also Thurii). Under Roman rule, the town of Copia was established in the territory of Sybaris and Thurii.
Forms of occupation of the khóra
The whole hinterland of southern Calabria, with coastlines on the Tyrrhenian and Ionian Seas, was disputed between the various Greek cities established there: Rhegion, Locri, Kaulonia, Croton, Sybaris. This whole region had indigenous populations which, influenced by the Greeks, joined or supported one polis or another.
Forms of occupation of the khóra
The superimposition of Sybaris, Thurii and Copia is widely attested by archaeology. The extent of each city varies, Sybaris being the one of the three that achieved the greatest importance among the poleis of Magna Graecia.
Collapsed impluvium with traces of the three occupations.
Collapsed impluvium with traces of the three occupations.
Hypothetical reconstruction of the extent of the cities of Sybaris, Thurii and Copiae.Museum
At the archaeological site of Sybaris/Thurii/Copia there is a site museum with the objects found in the local archaeological excavations.
Borders
The archaeological finds show that the khóra of Sybaris extended from the river Crathis to the river Sybaris, today's Coscile. To the north, Amendolara divides the territory of ancient Siris and Sybaris. To the south, the boundary between Sybaris and Croton is unclear, which may be precisely why the dispute between the two cities arose. But the domination and influence of Sybaris inland, reaching as far as the Tyrrhenian Sea, are attested archaeologically from the 8th century.
Plan of the khóra of Sybaris. (1:250,000. M. Schützenberger).Hypothetical reconstruction of the extent of the cities of Sybaris, Thurii and Copiae.Forms of occupation of the khóra
The Stombi area is very interesting, because remains of houses dating from the 5th century BC – that is, after the destruction of Sybaris by Croton – were found here. However, these remains concern a single house and must therefore have been in the khóra of Thurii. On the other hand, many Archaic residential remains were also found, belonging to the period when this area was part of Sybaris. Part of the ásty of Sybaris, or already a peripheral residential quarter?
Forms of occupation of the khóra
At Francavilla Marittima there was an indigenous settlement where the Greeks of Sybaris built a temple dedicated to Athena at the end of the 8th century BC. A bronze tablet dedicated to the goddess by Kleombrotos, a Sybarite victor at Olympia, dating from the beginning of the 6th century BC, was found here (Greco, 2008:205)
