Crathis
Encyclopedia
The Crathis or Crater is a river in Calabria
, southern Italy
. It rises in the central the Sila Mountains, a few kilometers south of Cosenza
, flows below the walls of that city, where it is joined by the smaller stream of the Busento, and has a course nearly due north through the center of the Bruttian peninsula, until it approaches the borders of Lucania, when it turns abruptly to the east and flows into the Gulf of Taranto
, immediately to the south of the ancient site of Thurii
.
At the present day, at a distance of c. 5 km from its mouth, it receives the waters of the river Coscile, which in ancient times pursued its own course to the sea.
the Crathis is noticed by many ancient writers. Euripides
sings its praises, and alludes to the peculiar golden-red tinge it was supposed to impart to the hair, a fact which is also noticed by Ovid
and other writers. The plains through which the Crathis flows in the latter part of its course were noticed in ancient times for their fertility: by the 19th century they had become marshy and unhealthy. Like all streams which descend from a mountainous region, and afterwards flow through a flat alluvial tract, the river was subject to violent inundations and sudden changes of its course: during the flourishing days of Sybaris it was doubtless restrained by dams and artificial embankments; and hence when the citizens of Crotona, after their great victory over the Sybarites in 510 BCE, determined to annihilate the rival city, they broke down the banks of the Crathis and turned its waters on to the site of Sybaris. Hence Herodotus
incidentally notices the dry bed of the Crathis (v. 45), which was evidently its ancient channel. The same author expressly tells us that the Italian river was named by the Achaeans
who founded Sybaris, after the less celebrated stream of the same name in their native country.
Calabria
Calabria , in antiquity known as Bruttium, is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of the Italian Peninsula. The capital city of Calabria is Catanzaro....
, southern Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. It rises in the central the Sila Mountains, a few kilometers south of Cosenza
Cosenza
Cosenza is a city in southern Italy, located at the confluence of two historic rivers: the Busento and the Crathis. The municipal population is of around 70,000; the urban area, however, counts over 260,000 inhabitants...
, flows below the walls of that city, where it is joined by the smaller stream of the Busento, and has a course nearly due north through the center of the Bruttian peninsula, until it approaches the borders of Lucania, when it turns abruptly to the east and flows into the Gulf of Taranto
Gulf of Taranto
The Gulf of Taranto is a gulf of the Ionian Sea, in southern Italy.The Gulf of Taranto is almost square, 140 km long and wide, and is delimited by the capes Santa Maria di Leuca and Colonna...
, immediately to the south of the ancient site of Thurii
Thurii
Thurii , called also by some Latin writers Thurium , for a time also Copia and Copiae, was a city of Magna Graecia, situated on the Tarentine gulf, within a short distance of the site of Sybaris, whose place it may be considered as having taken...
.
At the present day, at a distance of c. 5 km from its mouth, it receives the waters of the river Coscile, which in ancient times pursued its own course to the sea.
History
From its close proximity to the celebrated city of SybarisSybaris
Sybaris was an ancient city in Magna Graecia on the western shore of the Gulf of Taranto. The wealth of the city during the 6th century BC was so great that the Sybarites became synonymous with pleasure and luxury...
the Crathis is noticed by many ancient writers. Euripides
Euripides
Euripides was one of the three great tragedians of classical Athens, the other two being Aeschylus and Sophocles. Some ancient scholars attributed ninety-five plays to him but according to the Suda it was ninety-two at most...
sings its praises, and alludes to the peculiar golden-red tinge it was supposed to impart to the hair, a fact which is also noticed by Ovid
Ovid
Publius Ovidius Naso , known as Ovid in the English-speaking world, was a Roman poet who is best known as the author of the three major collections of erotic poetry: Heroides, Amores, and Ars Amatoria...
and other writers. The plains through which the Crathis flows in the latter part of its course were noticed in ancient times for their fertility: by the 19th century they had become marshy and unhealthy. Like all streams which descend from a mountainous region, and afterwards flow through a flat alluvial tract, the river was subject to violent inundations and sudden changes of its course: during the flourishing days of Sybaris it was doubtless restrained by dams and artificial embankments; and hence when the citizens of Crotona, after their great victory over the Sybarites in 510 BCE, determined to annihilate the rival city, they broke down the banks of the Crathis and turned its waters on to the site of Sybaris. Hence Herodotus
Herodotus
Herodotus was an ancient Greek historian who was born in Halicarnassus, Caria and lived in the 5th century BC . He has been called the "Father of History", and was the first historian known to collect his materials systematically, test their accuracy to a certain extent and arrange them in a...
incidentally notices the dry bed of the Crathis (v. 45), which was evidently its ancient channel. The same author expressly tells us that the Italian river was named by the Achaeans
Achaea (ancient region)
Geographically, Achaea was the northernmost region of the Peloponnese, occupying the coastal strip north of Arcadia. Its approximate boundaries were to the south the mountain range of Erymanthus, to the south-east the range of Cyllene, to the east Sicyon, and to the west the Larissos river...
who founded Sybaris, after the less celebrated stream of the same name in their native country.