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LIICANIA
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LIICANIA , in See also:ancient See also:geography, a See also:district of See also:southern See also:Italy, extending from the Tyrrhenian See also:Sea to the Gulf of See also:Tarentum. To the See also:north it adjoined See also:Campania, Samnium and See also:Apulia, and to the See also:south it was separated by a narrow See also:isthmus from the district of See also:Bruttii. It thus comprised almost all the See also:modern See also:province of the See also:Basilicata, with the greater See also:part of the province of See also:Salerno and a portion of that of See also:Cosenza. The precise limits were the See also:river Silarus on the north-See also:west, which separated it from Campania, and the Bradanus, which flows into the Gulf of Tarentum, on the north-See also:east; while the two little See also:rivers Laus and Crathis, flowing from the See also:ridge of the See also:Apennines to the sea on the west and east, marked the limits of the district on the See also:side of the Bruttii. Almost the whole is occupied by the Apennines, here an irregular See also:group of lofty masses. The See also:main ridge approaches the western sea, and is continued from the lofty See also:knot of mountains on the frontiers of Samnium, nearly due south to within a few See also:miles of the Gulf of Policastro, and thenceforward is separated from the sea by only a narrow See also:interval till it enters the district of the Bruttii. Just within the frontier of Lucania rises See also:Monte Pollino, 7325 ft., the highest See also:peak in the southern Apennines. The mountains descend by a much more See also:gradual slope to the coastal See also:plain of the Gulf of Tarentum. Thus the rivers which flow to the Tyrrhenian Sea are of little importance compared with those that descend towards the Gulf of Tarentum. Of these the most important are—the Bradanus (Bradano), the Casuentus (Basiento), the Aciris (Agri), and the Siris (Sinno). The Crathis, which forms at its mouth the southern limit of the province, belongs almost wholly to the territory of the Bruttii, but it receives a tributary, the See also:Sybaris (Coscile), from the mountains of Lucania. The only considerable stream on the western side is the Silarus (Sele), which constitutes the See also:northern boundary, and has two important tributaries in the Calor (Calore) and the See also:Tanager (See also:Negro) which joins it from the south. The district of Lucania was so called from the See also:people bearing the name Lucani (Lucanians) by whom it was conquered about the See also:middle of the 5th See also:century B.C. Before that See also:period it was included under the See also:general name of Oenotria, which was appliedby the Greeks to the southernmost portion of Italy. The mountainous interior was occupied by the tribes known as Oenotrians and Chones, while the coasts on both sides were occupied by powerful See also:Greek colonies which doubtless exercised a See also:protectorate over the interior (see MAGNA GRAECIA). The Lucanians were a southern See also:branch of the Samnite or Sabelline See also:race, who spoke the Osca Lingua (q.v.). We know from See also:Strabo that they had a democratic constitution See also:save in See also:time of See also:war, when a See also:dictator was chosen from among the See also:regular magistrates. A few Oscan See also:inscriptions survive, mostly in Greek characters, from the 4th or 3rd century B.C., and some coins with Oscan legends of the 3rd century (see See also:Conway, See also:Italic Dialects, p. 11 sqq.; See also:Mommsen, C.I.L. x. p. 21; Roehl, Inscriptiones Graecae Antiquissimae, 547). The Lucanians gradually conquered the whole See also:country (with the exception of the Greek towns on the See also:coast) from the See also:borders of Samnium and Campania to the southern extremity of Italy. Subsequently the inhabitants of the See also:peninsula, now known as See also:Calabria, See also:broke into insurrection, and under the name of Bruttians established their See also:independence, after which the Lucanians became confined within the limits already described. After this we find them engaged in hostilities with the Tarentines, and with See also: (See also:Livy x. 11 seq.) they made See also:alliance with See also:Rome, and See also:Roman See also:influence was. extended by the colonies of See also:Venusia (291 B.C.), See also:Paestum (273), and above all Tarentum (272). Subsequently they were sometimes in alliance, but more frequently engaged in hostilities, during the Samnite See also:wars. On the landing of See also:Pyrrhus in Italy (281 B.C.) they were among the first to declare in his favour, and found themselves exposed to the resentment of Rome when the departure of Pyrrhus See also:left his See also:allies at the See also:mercy of the See also:Romans. After several See also:campaigns they were reduced to subjection (272, B.C.). Notwithstanding this they espoused the cause of See also:Hannibal during the Second Punic War (216 B.C.), and their territory during several campaigns was ravaged by both armies. The country never recovered from these disasters, and under the Roman See also:government See also:fell into decay, to which the Social War, in which the Lucanians took part with the See also:Samnites against Rome (9o-88 B.C.) gave the See also:finishing stroke. In the time of Strabo the Greek cities on the coast had fallen into insignificance, and owing to the decrease of See also:population and cultivation the See also:malaria began to obtain the upper See also:hand. The few towns of the interior were of no importance. A large part of the province was given up to pasture, and the mountains were covered with forests, which abounded in See also:wild boars, bears and wolves. There were some fifteen See also:independent communities, but none of See also:great importance. For administrative purposes under the Roman See also:empire, Lucania was always See also:united with the district of the Bruttii. The two together constituted the third region of See also:Augustus. The towns on the east coast were—See also:Metapontum, afew miles south of the Bradanus; See also:Heraclea, at the mouth of the Aciris; and Siris, on the river of the same name. See also:Close to its southern frontier stood Sybaris, which was destroyed in 510 a c., but subsequently replaced by See also:Thurii. On the west coast stood Posidonia, known under the Roman government as Paestum; below that came Elea or See also:Velia, Pyxus, called by the Romans Buxentum, and Laus, near the frontier of the province towards Bruttium. Of the towns of the interior the most considerable was Potentia, still called See also:Potenza. To the north, near the frontier of Apulia, was Bantia (Aceruntia belonged more properly to Apulia); while due south from Potentia was See also:Grumentum, and still farther in that direction were Nerulum and Muranum. In the upland valley of the Tanagrus were See also:Atina, See also:Forum Popilii and Consilinum; Eburi (See also:Eboli) and Volceii (Buccino), though to the north of the Silarus, were also included in Lucania. The Via Popillia traversed the district from N. to S., entering it at the N.W. extremity; the Via Herculia, coming southwards from the Via See also:Appia and passing through Potentia and Grumentum, joined the Via Popillia near the S.W. edge of the district: while another nameless road followed the east coast and other roads of less importance ran W. from Potentia to the Via Popillia, N.E. to the Via Appia and E. from Grumentum to the coast at Heraclea. (T. Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
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