Images in this gallery of the ancient Greek colony of Metapontion or Metapontum, located on the Ionic coast of Basilicata in southern Italy.
Highlight of Metapontion is the majestic Greek Doric Temple of Hera dating from the mid-6th century BC. Known as the Tavole Palatine, the elegant peripteral temple was built as a sanctuary dedicated to the goddess Hera. It has 15 Doric fluted columns still upright from its original 32 (6 x 12) and is one of the best preserved monuments of...
more »Images in this gallery of the ancient Greek colony of Metapontion or Metapontum, located on the Ionic coast of Basilicata in southern Italy.
Highlight of Metapontion is the majestic Greek Doric Temple of Hera dating from the mid-6th century BC. Known as the Tavole Palatine, the elegant peripteral temple was built as a sanctuary dedicated to the goddess Hera. It has 15 Doric fluted columns still upright from its original 32 (6 x 12) and is one of the best preserved monuments of Magna Graecia (Greater Greece).
History: The city was founded in the 7th century BC by Greek colonists from the Greek Peloponnese. The colonists were possibly sponsored by powerful city of Sybaris (The earliest Greek colonists in this part of Italy) to occupy territory on the borders of Taranto, in order to block its expansion.
The city prospered between 600 -300 BC due to the richness of its agricultural territory and its excellent location for the maritime trade route connecting Greece to the Western Mediterranean including the Tyrrhenian colonies and inland trade with Poseidonia (Paestum).
The city was the last refuge of the great mathematician, philosopher and alchemist Pythagoras after he was exiled from Kroton in 510 BC. He founded a school in Metapontum giving rise to an enduring philosophical tradition that was carried on long after his death there in 497 BC.
During the second Punic war, the city sided with Hannibal, who setup his administration there, however on his retreat from Italy in 207 BC, he evacuated the population to save them from Roman vengeance. The city struggled to recover from the devastation from that war and to make matters worse the city was to be sacked by Spartacus.
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