History

The city of Metaponto was founded at the end of the 7th century BC by Greek settlers from the Peloponnese. Located between the Bradano and Basento rivers, the city overlooked the bright blue waters of the Ionian coast. On the boot that is Italy, Metaponto sits on the instep, in the modern province of Basilicata. The Greeks picked an excellent location. The site’s rich fertility and position on the busy maritime trade route connecting Greece to the western Mediterranean no doubt contributed to Metaponto’s great wealth and influence among the cities of Magna Grecia.

Before founding Metaponto, Greeks had begun visiting the area already in the 8th century BC. At that time, the area was home to the Oenotrians, an indigenous population. The site of Incoronata “greca,” located in the same district as the future Greek city, was home to one of the most significant Oenotrian settlements on the Ionian coast from the 9th to the end of the 8th century BC. Incoronata “greca” was abandoned by the last quarter of the 7th century BC, likely concomitantly with the foundation of Metaponto.

The abandonment didn’t last long. By the middle of the 6th century BC, the hilltop site was again occupied—this time by a Greek sanctuary dependent on the city of Metaponto. Once an indigenous stronghold, Incoronata “greca” appears to have been completely integrated into the sphere of the Greek city by the late Archaic Period.

For over 150 years, Metaponto thrived as a polis. But by the middle of the 5th century BC, the city entered a period of severe social and economic decline as a result of the increasing power of neighbouring Taras (modern Taranto). Despite a short-lived comeback in the 4th century BC, the area’s population was dramatically reduced as a result of two wars with the advancing Romans in the 3rd century BC. By the time Rome crowned its first emperor, Metaponto was a shell of its former glorious self.

From Late Antiquity to the 19th century, the countryside around the ancient city of Metaponto was occupied by a few isolated farmsteads and hamlets. To escape the swampy conditions around the coast, the majority of people in the area had moved to hilltop towns. Today, the area supports a thriving agricultural sector that specializes in high-value crops such as oranges and peaches.

As is the fate of many once rich and prominent ancient sites, the city of Metaponto was despoiled of its stone. The ancient building material was used to build the Taranto-Reggio Calabria railway in the late 19th century. The countryside around the city, having sat virtually undisturbed for two millennia, holds an unusually well-preserved archaeological record of human settlement from prehistoric to modern times. Sadly, the archaeological remains scattered throughout this area continue to be destroyed at an alarming rate by the mechanization and intensive construction—that inevitable forward march of civilization—that have propelled the region’s post-war agricultural development. It’s clear that archaeological projects in the area will need to continue to integrate cultural resource management into their work.