Laüs
Encyclopedia
Laüs or Laus or Laos was an ancient city on the west coast of Lucania
, at the mouth of the river of the same name
, which formed the boundary between Lucania and Bruttium; the site of Laüs is in the frazione
of Marcellina in the comune
of Santa Maria del Cedro
, Province of Cosenza
, Calabria
region, Italy
.
city, and a colony of Sybaris
; little is known about its foundation or history. Herodotus
states that after the destruction of Sybaris in 510 BCE, the inhabitants who survived took refuge in Laüs and Scidrus
; it is probable these locations were already settled during the time of Sybaris, when Poseidonia (Posidonia) was planted by that city on the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea
. The only other mention of Laüs in history is when Greek allied forces in the city were defeated in an attempt to halt the Lucanians, who were extending their power towards the south. The city was probably then taken by the Lucanians.
There is no further mention of the city; and though Strabo speaks of it as still in existence in his times it likely disappeared before the time of Pliny
. The latter author, however (as well as Ptolemy
), noticed the river Laüs (modern Lao River
), which Pliny concurs with Strabo in fixing as the boundary between Lucania and Bruttium.
According to Strabo there was a temple or Heroum of a hero named Dracon, close to which was the actual scene of the great battle between the Greeks and Lucanians. Ancient coins of Laüs bear the inscription ΛΑΙΝΟΝ, but they were struck after the destruction of Sybaris.
Lucania
Lucania was an ancient district of southern Italy, extending from the Tyrrhenian Sea to the Gulf of Taranto. To the north it adjoined Campania, Samnium and Apulia, and to the south it was separated by a narrow isthmus from the district of Bruttium...
, at the mouth of the river of the same name
Lao River
The Lao is a river of southern Italy. It is a considerable stream, rising in the Lucanian Apennines in the province of Potenza, Basilicata region and falling into the Gulf of Policastro near Santa Maria del Cedro, province of Cosenza, Calabria region...
, which formed the boundary between Lucania and Bruttium; the site of Laüs is in the frazione
Frazione
A frazione , in Italy, is the name given in administrative law to a type of territorial subdivision of a comune; for other administrative divisions, see municipio, circoscrizione, quartiere...
of Marcellina in the comune
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
of Santa Maria del Cedro
Santa Maria del Cedro
Santa Maria del Cedro is a town and comune in the province of Cosenza, Calabria, Italy. The towns name indicates the cultivation of the special Diamante Citron which uses as Etrog for the Jews, during their Feast of Tabernacles....
, Province of Cosenza
Province of Cosenza
The Province of Cosenza is a province in the Calabria region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Cosenza.It has an area of 6,650 km², and a total population of 733,797 . It is the biggest Calabrian Province...
, Calabria
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....
region, 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...
.
History
Laüs was a GreekAncient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
city, and a colony of Sybaris
Sybaris
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...
; little is known about its foundation or history. 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...
states that after the destruction of Sybaris in 510 BCE, the inhabitants who survived took refuge in Laüs and Scidrus
Scidrus
Scidrus , was an ancient Greek city on the coast of Lucania, on the Tyrrhenian Sea, between Pyxus and Laüs.-History:It is mentioned only by Herodotus , from whom we learn that it was, as well as Laüs, a colony of Sybaris, and was one of the places to which the surviving inhabitants of that city...
; it is probable these locations were already settled during the time of Sybaris, when Poseidonia (Posidonia) was planted by that city on the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea
Tyrrhenian Sea
The Tyrrhenian Sea is part of the Mediterranean Sea off the western coast of Italy.-Geography:The sea is bounded by Corsica and Sardinia , Tuscany, Lazio, Campania, Basilicata and Calabria and Sicily ....
. The only other mention of Laüs in history is when Greek allied forces in the city were defeated in an attempt to halt the Lucanians, who were extending their power towards the south. The city was probably then taken by the Lucanians.
There is no further mention of the city; and though Strabo speaks of it as still in existence in his times it likely disappeared before the time of Pliny
Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus , better known as Pliny the Elder, was a Roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, as well as naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and personal friend of the emperor Vespasian...
. The latter author, however (as well as Ptolemy
Ptolemy
Claudius Ptolemy , was a Roman citizen of Egypt who wrote in Greek. He was a mathematician, astronomer, geographer, astrologer, and poet of a single epigram in the Greek Anthology. He lived in Egypt under Roman rule, and is believed to have been born in the town of Ptolemais Hermiou in the...
), noticed the river Laüs (modern Lao River
Lao River
The Lao is a river of southern Italy. It is a considerable stream, rising in the Lucanian Apennines in the province of Potenza, Basilicata region and falling into the Gulf of Policastro near Santa Maria del Cedro, province of Cosenza, Calabria region...
), which Pliny concurs with Strabo in fixing as the boundary between Lucania and Bruttium.
According to Strabo there was a temple or Heroum of a hero named Dracon, close to which was the actual scene of the great battle between the Greeks and Lucanians. Ancient coins of Laüs bear the inscription ΛΑΙΝΟΝ, but they were struck after the destruction of Sybaris.