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METAPONTUM (Gr. Meraaovrtov, mod. Met...

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Originally appearing in Volume V18, Page 254 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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METAPONTUM (Gr. Meraaovrtov, mod. Metaponto) , an See also:ancient See also:city of Magna Graecia situated on the Gulf of See also:Tarentum, near the mouth of the See also:river Bradanus, and distant about 24 M. from Tarentum and 14 M. from See also:Heraclea. It was founded by an Achaean See also:colony from See also:Sybaris and See also:Crotona about 700 B.C. Metapontum was one of the cities that played a conspicuous See also:part in the troubles arising from the introduction of the Pythagorism into Magna 'Graecia, and it was there that See also:Pythagoras died in 497 B. C. His See also:tomb was still shown in the See also:time of See also:Cicero. At the time of the Athenian expedition to See also:Sicily (415 B.C.) Metapontum appears to have been an opulent and powerful city, whose affiance was courted by the Athenians; but it See also:con-tented itself with a very trifling support. In 332 B.C., at the time of the expedition of See also:Alexander, See also:king of See also:Epirus, into See also:Italy, it was one of the first cities to enter into an See also:alliance with him. The Second Punic See also:War gave a fatal See also:blow to its prosperity. After the See also:battle of See also:Cannae in 216 B.C. it was among the first cities in the See also:south of Italy to declare in favour of See also:Hannibal, and became for some years the headquarters of Hannibal. Hence, when the defeat of See also:Hasdrubal at the Metaurus (207 B.C.) compelled him to abandon this part of Italy, the inhabitants of Metapontum abandoned their city, and followed him in his See also:retreat.

From this time Metapontum sank; though it was still existing in the days of Cicero, See also:

Pausanias tells us that in his time nothing remained of it but a See also:theatre and the See also:circuit of the walls. Metapontum has the remains of two temples, both of which seem to belong to the See also:period 510–480 B.C. (Koldewey and Puchstein, See also:Die griechischen Tempel in Unteritalien and Sicilien, See also:Berlin, 1899, pp. 35–41). The so-called Chiesa di Sansone, which See also:lay within the ancient See also:town, and was probably dedicated to See also:Apollo Lycius, was a peripteros measuring 186 by 911 ft., of which only the See also:foundations are See also:left. The capitals were 31 ft. in See also:diameter. The See also:temple was decorated with finely painted terra-See also:cotta*. Of the other temple, the so-called Tavole Paladine, which lay outside the See also:area of the ancient city, and was a peripteros with 6 columns, 3; ft. in diameter, in front and 12 ft. at the sides, 15 columns are See also:standing, with the See also:lower portion of the See also:epistyle. It measured 105 ft. by 49 ft. without the steps. There are also traces of the town walls, which have served for the construction of farmhouses, of tombs, and of a See also:harbour by the See also:shore. See also:Pliny speaks of a temple of See also:Juno at Metapontum supported by columns of vinewood (Hist. nat. xiv. 9).

An archaic treasure-See also:

house dedicated at See also:Olympia by the See also:people of Metapontum has been discovered there. The railway station is the junction of the See also:line from Battipaglia (and See also:Naples) with that from See also:Taranto to Reggio. (T. As.) See M. Lacava, Topografia e storia di Metaponto (Naples, 1891).

End of Article: METAPONTUM (Gr. Meraaovrtov, mod. Metaponto)

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