Listed 2 sub titles with search on: Information about the place for wider area of: "PETELIA Ancient city CALABRIA" .
PETELIA (Ancient city) CALABRIA
Petelia or Petilia (Petelia: Eth. Petelinos, Petelinus: Strongoli),
an ancient city of Bruttium, situated about 12 miles N. of Crotona, and 3 miles
from the E. coast of the peninsula. According to the Greek traditions it was a
very ancient city, founded by Philoctetes after the Trojan War. (Strab. vi. p.
254; Virg. Aen. iii. 401; Serv. ad loc.) This legend probably indicates that it
was really a town of the Chones, an Oenotrian tribe; as the foundation of Chone,
in the same neighbourhood, was also ascribed to Philoctetes. It was only a small
place (Virg. l. c.), but in a strong situation. We have no account of its receiving
a Greek colony, nor is its name ever mentioned among the Greek cities of this
part of Italy; but, like so many of the Oenotrian towns, became to a great extent
Hellenised or imbued with Greek culture and manners. It was undoubtedly for a
long time subject to Crotona, and comprised within the territory of that city;
and probably for this reason, its name is never mentioned during the early history
of Magna Graecia. But after the irruption of the Lucanians, it fell into the hands
of that people, by whom it was strongly fortified, and became one of their most
important strongholds. (Strab. l. c.) It is apparently on this account, that Strabo
calls it the metropolis of the Lucanians, though it certainly was not included
in Lucania as the term was understood in his day. Petelia first became conspicuous
in history during the Second Punic War, when its citizens remained faithful to
the Roman alliance, notwithstanding the general defection of the Bruttians around
them, B.C. 216. They were in consequence besieged by the Bruttians as well as
by a Carthaginian force under Himilco: but though abandoned to their fate by the
Roman senate, to whom they had in vain sued for assistance, they made a desperate
resistance; and it was not till after a siege of several months, in which they
had suffered the utmost extremities of famine, that they were at length compelled
to surrender. (Liv. xxiii. 20, 30; Polyb. vii. 1; Appian, Annib. 29; Frontin.
Strat. iv. 5. § 18; Val. Max. vi. 6, ext. § 2; Sil. Ital. xii. 431.) The few inhabitants
who escaped, were after the close of the war restored by the Romans to their native
town (Appian, l. c.), and were doubtless treated with especial favour; so that
Petelia rose again to a prosperous condition, and in the days of Strabo was one
of the few cities of Bruttium that was still tolerably flourishing and populous.
(Strab. vi. p. 254.) We learn from inscriptions that it still continued to be
a flourishing municipal town under the Roman Empire (Orell. Inscr. 137, 3678,
3939; Mommsen, Inscr. R. N. pp. 5, 6): it is mentioned by all the geographers
and its name is still found in the Tabula, which places it on the road from Thurii
to Crotona. (Mel. ii. 4. § 8; Plin. iii. 10. s. 15; Ptol. iii. 1. F § 75 ; Tab.
Peut.) But we are unable to trace its history further: its identification with
Strongoli is, however, satisfactorily made out by the inscriptions which have
been found in the latter city. Strongoli is an episcopal see, with about 7000
inhabitants: its situation on a lofty and rugged hill, commanding the plain of
the Nieto (Neaethus), corresponds with the accounts of Petelia, which is represented
as occupying a position of great natural strength. There are no ruins of the ancient
city, but numerous minor objects of antiquity have been found on the spot, besides
the inscriptions above referred to.
The existence of a second town of the name of Petelia in Lucania,
which has been admitted by several writers, rests mainly on the passage of Strabo
where he calls Petelia the metropolis of Lucania; but he is certainly there speaking
of the well-known city of the name, which was undoubtedly in Bruttium. The inscriptions
published by Antonini, to prove that there was a town of this name in the mountains
near Velia, are in all probability spurious (Mommsen, I. R. N. App. p. 2), though
they have been adopted, and his authority followed by Romanelli and Cramer. (Romanelli,
vol. i. p. 348; Cramer's Italy, vol. ii. p. 367.) The Petelini Montes (ta Petelina
ore), mentioned by Plutarch (Crass. 11), to which Spartacus retired after his
defeat by Crassus, are evidently the rugged group of the Apennines S. of the Crathis,
between Petelia and Consentia.
This text is from: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854) (ed. William Smith, LLD). Cited August 2004 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
(Petelia) or Petilia. Now Strongoli; an ancient Greek town on the eastern coast of Bruttium, founded, according to tradition, by Philoctetes. It was taken by Hannibal after a desperate resistance, and by him colonized with Bruttians; but the Romans restored it to its own people.
Receive our daily Newsletter with all the latest updates on the Greek Travel industry.
Subscribe now!
