SIBARI - CALABRIA - SOUTH ITALY
Sibari is
shrouded in mystery as no other city of Magna Graecia. Its
history, fate, the interest which it aroused in students of Antiquity
during the course of the centuries have only helped to feed its myth.
Located between the Rivers Crati and Sibari, this town was Magna Graecia's
oldest and most famous colony and became Italy's largest and most
populated city of the time. Sibari had itself many colonies and various
resources such as the fertility of its countryside, vines and olives, the
resources of Sila and Pollino forests, the gifts of earth, it's rich
silver mines, that kept this town as one of the richest and well preserved
of the time. This uncommon wealth soon engendered dissension and envy in
Sibari's main rival Croton that made this town it's first objective for
destruction. Croton wanted Sibari to disappear for ever and had the waters
of the river Crati diverted flooding the town. Survivors of Sibari founded
other two colonies named Thurii and Copiae that however where not as
wealthy and famous as their original town. Remains of these two colonies
have been excavated in the Parco del Cavallo but nothing has arised of the
ancient Sybaris.
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These excavations have brought to light yielded jewellery, small bronzes, fragments of
statues, proof of Copiae's private houses, a theatre, it's square and the baths
and can be seen in the Museum of Siritide where archaeological findings from a
past that ranges from protohistory to Roman age can be admired. Another very
interesting site is the "Punta Alice" where remains of the Temple of Apollo Aleo
can be found. Sibari is known as Magna Grecia's oldest,
largest, most famous and populated colony of the time.
Located between the rivers Crati and Sibari,
it used to have, as it still has, many resources, such as very fertile
countryside with vines and olives, the wealth of the Sila and Pollino forests
and rich silver mines, which all took part to keep this town one of the richest.
Crotone, who was Sybaris biggest rival at the time, diverted the waters of river
Crati causing the flooding of the town so to obtain, as the inhabitants would
escape, the wealth of the land. The survivors of the flood took shelter in two
other colonies, Thurii and Copiae.
This is how the story goes; but
its history and fate which interested many students of Antiquity during
the course of the century only helped to feed its myth, as in the
Parco del Cavallo were excavated many remains from a past that ranges
from protohistory to roman age of the two colonies in which Sybaris
survivors, at the time, moved; remains that are still kept in the
museum of Siritide, but nothing was found relating to the ancient
Sybaris. Another very interesting site of the town in the "Punta
Alice", where are found remains of the Temple of Apollo Aleo.
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