Locri
Encyclopedia
Locri is a town and comune
(municipality) in the province of Reggio Calabria
, Calabria
, southern Italy. The name derives from the ancient Greek town Locris
.
Επιζεφύριοι Λοκροί - epi-Zephyros, "under the West Wind") was founded about 680 BC on the Italian shore of the Ionian Sea
, near modern Capo Zefirio, by the Locrians
, apparently by Opuntii (East Locrians) from the city of Opus
, but including Ozolae (West Locrians) and Lacedaemonians
. Strabo
suggests that it was the Ozolae who were the main founders.
Due to fierce winds at an original settlement, the settlers moved to the present site. After a century, a defensive wall
was built. Outside the city there are several necropoleis
, some of which are very large.
Epizephyrian Locris was one of the cities of Magna Graecia
. Its renowned lawgiver Zaleucus
decreed that anyone who proposed a change in the laws should do so with a noose about their neck, with which they should be hanged if the amendment did not pass. Plato
called it "The flower of Italy", due to the local peoples' characteristics. Locris was the site of two great sanctuaries, that of Persephone
— here worshipped as the protector of fertile marriage — and of Aphrodite
.
In the early centuries Locris was allied with Sparta
, and later with Syracuse
. It founded two colonies of its own, Hipponion
and Medma
. During the Pyrrhic Wars (280-275 BC) fought between Pyrrhus of Epirus
and Rome
, Locris accepted a Roman garrison and fought against the Epirote king. However, the city changed sides numerous times during the war. Bronze tablets from the treasury of its Olympeum, a temple to Zeus, record payments to a 'king', generally thought to be Pyrrhus. Despite this, Pyrrhus plundered the temple of Persephone at Locris before his return to Epirus, an event which would live on in the memory of the Greeks of Italy. At the end of the war, perhaps to allay fears about its loyalty, Locris minted coins depicting a seated Rome being crowned by 'Pistis', a goddess personifying good faith and loyalty, and returned to the Roman fold.
The city was abandoned in the fifth century AD. The town was finally destroyed by the Saracens in 915. The survivors fled inland about 10 km to the town Gerace
on the slopes of the Aspromonte
.
area.
and Cordì
families. The town made headlines worldwide when the Vice President of the Regional Assembly of Calabria
, Francesco Fortugno
, was gunned down with five bullets in front of dozens of bystanders as he cast his vote at the primary elections on October 16, 2005.
In protest, students spontaneously took to the streets the day after Fortugno's killing. One banner read, E adesso ammazzateci tutti (And Now Kill Us All), and many carried white sheets as a symbol of protest against the omertà
, or the law of silence, that protects the mafia. The killing triggered the birth of the Ammazzateci tutti movement against the 'Ndrangheta. The movement is also known as "Ragazzi di Locri" (Kids from Locri). The funeral of Fortugno on October 19, 2005, was attended by 8,000 people.
. The temple was designed by Syracusan
architects around 470 BC, based on the idea of Hiero I of Syracuse
.
The new temple occupies the same place as the previous one but it has a different orientation. The temple was destroyed in the eleventh century. The dimensions of the temple were 45.5 meters x 19.8 meters. The cella
is free of supports on the central axes. The pronaos had two columns. The temple has seventeen Ionic columns on the long side, and six on the front. The height of the temple was twelve meters.
in the Contrada Pirettina, taking advantage of a hillside slope. The original structure had space for more than 4,500 people; now only the central part of the theatre is visible.
Part of the Cavea
was cut into the rocks. Each plane was divided in 7 wedges between 6 scales. A horizontal separation divided the upper theater from the lower theatre.
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:...
(municipality) in the province of Reggio Calabria
Province of Reggio Calabria
The Province of Reggio Calabria is a province in the Calabria region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Reggio., it has an area of 3,183 km², and a total population of 565,866. There are 97 comuni in the province, see Comuni of the Province of Reggio Calabria.- Economy :The region is...
, 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....
, southern Italy. The name derives from the ancient Greek town Locris
Locris
Locris was a region of ancient Greece, the homeland of the Locrians, made up of three distinct districts.-Locrian tribe:...
.
History
Epizephyrian Locris (from GreekGreek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
Επιζεφύριοι Λοκροί - epi-Zephyros, "under the West Wind") was founded about 680 BC on the Italian shore of the Ionian Sea
Ionian Sea
The Ionian Sea , is an arm of the Mediterranean Sea, south of the Adriatic Sea. It is bounded by southern Italy including Calabria, Sicily and the Salento peninsula to the west, southern Albania to the north, and a large number of Greek islands, including Corfu, Zante, Kephalonia, Ithaka, and...
, near modern Capo Zefirio, by the Locrians
Locrians
The Locrians were an ancient Greek tribe in Greece. The Locrians spoke the Locrian dialect, a Doric-Northwest dialect, which indicates that they may have been relatives of the Dorians. They inhabited the ancient region of Locris in Central Greece....
, apparently by Opuntii (East Locrians) from the city of Opus
Opus, Greece
Opus , in Ancient Greece, the chief city of Opuntian or Eastern Locris. It was located on the coast of mainland Greece opposite Euboea, perhaps at modern Atalandi...
, but including Ozolae (West Locrians) and Lacedaemonians
Sparta
Sparta or Lacedaemon, was a prominent city-state in ancient Greece, situated on the banks of the River Eurotas in Laconia, in south-eastern Peloponnese. It emerged as a political entity around the 10th century BC, when the invading Dorians subjugated the local, non-Dorian population. From c...
. Strabo
Strabo
Strabo, also written Strabon was a Greek historian, geographer and philosopher.-Life:Strabo was born to an affluent family from Amaseia in Pontus , a city which he said was situated the approximate equivalent of 75 km from the Black Sea...
suggests that it was the Ozolae who were the main founders.
Defensive wall
A defensive wall is a fortification used to protect a city or settlement from potential aggressors. In ancient to modern times, they were used to enclose settlements...
was built. Outside the city there are several necropoleis
Necropolis
A necropolis is a large cemetery or burial ground, usually including structural tombs. The word comes from the Greek νεκρόπολις - nekropolis, literally meaning "city of the dead"...
, some of which are very large.
Epizephyrian Locris was one of the cities of Magna Graecia
Magna Graecia
Magna Græcia is the name of the coastal areas of Southern Italy on the Tarentine Gulf that were extensively colonized by Greek settlers; particularly the Achaean colonies of Tarentum, Crotone, and Sybaris, but also, more loosely, the cities of Cumae and Neapolis to the north...
. Its renowned lawgiver Zaleucus
Zaleucus
Zaleucus was the Greek lawgiver of Epizephyrian Locri, in Italy, said to have devised the first written Greek law code, the Locrian Code.Although the Locrian code distinctly favored the aristocracy, Zaleucus was famous for his conciliation of societal factions. No other facts of his life at all...
decreed that anyone who proposed a change in the laws should do so with a noose about their neck, with which they should be hanged if the amendment did not pass. Plato
Plato
Plato , was a Classical Greek philosopher, mathematician, student of Socrates, writer of philosophical dialogues, and founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. Along with his mentor, Socrates, and his student, Aristotle, Plato helped to lay the...
called it "The flower of Italy", due to the local peoples' characteristics. Locris was the site of two great sanctuaries, that of Persephone
Persephone
In Greek mythology, Persephone , also called Kore , is the daughter of Zeus and the harvest-goddess Demeter, and queen of the underworld; she was abducted by Hades, the god-king of the underworld....
— here worshipped as the protector of fertile marriage — and of Aphrodite
Aphrodite
Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, and procreation.Her Roman equivalent is the goddess .Historically, her cult in Greece was imported from, or influenced by, the cult of Astarte in Phoenicia....
.
In the early centuries Locris was allied with Sparta
Sparta
Sparta or Lacedaemon, was a prominent city-state in ancient Greece, situated on the banks of the River Eurotas in Laconia, in south-eastern Peloponnese. It emerged as a political entity around the 10th century BC, when the invading Dorians subjugated the local, non-Dorian population. From c...
, and later with Syracuse
Syracuse, Italy
Syracuse is a historic city in Sicily, the capital of the province of Syracuse. The city is notable for its rich Greek history, culture, amphitheatres, architecture, and as the birthplace of the preeminent mathematician and engineer Archimedes. This 2,700-year-old city played a key role in...
. It founded two colonies of its own, Hipponion
Vibo Valentia
Vibo Valentia is a city and comune in the Calabria region of southern Italy, near the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the capital of the province of Vibo Valentia, and is an agricultural, commercial and tourist center . There are also several large manufacturing industries, including the tuna district of...
and Medma
Medma
If you are looking for software/IT company Medma then go to their official website Medma or Mesma If you are looking for software/IT company Medma then go to their official website Medma or Mesma If you are looking for software/IT company Medma then go to their official website Medma or Mesma...
. During the Pyrrhic Wars (280-275 BC) fought between Pyrrhus of Epirus
Pyrrhus of Epirus
Pyrrhus or Pyrrhos was a Greek general and statesman of the Hellenistic era. He was king of the Greek tribe of Molossians, of the royal Aeacid house , and later he became king of Epirus and Macedon . He was one of the strongest opponents of early Rome...
and Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Locris accepted a Roman garrison and fought against the Epirote king. However, the city changed sides numerous times during the war. Bronze tablets from the treasury of its Olympeum, a temple to Zeus, record payments to a 'king', generally thought to be Pyrrhus. Despite this, Pyrrhus plundered the temple of Persephone at Locris before his return to Epirus, an event which would live on in the memory of the Greeks of Italy. At the end of the war, perhaps to allay fears about its loyalty, Locris minted coins depicting a seated Rome being crowned by 'Pistis', a goddess personifying good faith and loyalty, and returned to the Roman fold.
The city was abandoned in the fifth century AD. The town was finally destroyed by the Saracens in 915. The survivors fled inland about 10 km to the town Gerace
Gerace
Gerace is a town and comune in the province of Reggio Calabria, Calabria, Italy.Gerace is located some 10 km inland from Locri, yet the latter town and the Sea can be seen from Gerace's perch atop a 500 m vertical rock...
on the slopes of the Aspromonte
Aspromonte
Aspromonte is a mountain massif in the province of Reggio Calabria . The name means "rough mountains", so named by the farmers who found its steep terrain and rocky soil difficult to cultivate. It overlooks the Strait of Messina, being limited by the Ionian and Tyrrhenian Seas and by the Pietrace...
.
Modern Locri
After 1850 Gerace developed along the coast, forming a new centre Gerace Marina, to house new public buildings and a railway station. In 1934 it changed its name in Locri, which is now the administrative centre of the LocrideLocride
Locride is an area of Calabria around the town of Locri in the Province of Reggio Calabria.It is divided into 4 areas:* Vallata dello Stilaro* Vallata del Torbido* Epizefiri* Vallata del Bonamico* Heracleum- See also :* Bovesia* Costa Viola...
area.
'Ndrangheta hotbed
Locri is a hotbed of the 'Ndrangheta, which is known to be a Calabrian criminal organization. It is home to several clans such as the CataldoCataldo 'ndrina
The Cataldo 'ndrina is a clan of the 'Ndrangheta, a criminal and mafia-type organisation in Calabria, Italy. This particular 'ndrina is based in Locri, a hotbed of 'Ndrangheta activity...
and Cordì
Cordì 'ndrina
The Cordì 'ndrina is a clan of the 'Ndrangheta, a criminal and mafia-type organisation in Calabria, Italy. The 'ndrina is based in Locri, a hotbed of 'Ndrangheta activity.-Feud with Cataldo clan:...
families. The town made headlines worldwide when the Vice President of the Regional Assembly of 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....
, Francesco Fortugno
Francesco Fortugno
Francesco Fortugno was an Italian politician and the Vice President of the Regional Assembly of Calabria...
, was gunned down with five bullets in front of dozens of bystanders as he cast his vote at the primary elections on October 16, 2005.
In protest, students spontaneously took to the streets the day after Fortugno's killing. One banner read, E adesso ammazzateci tutti (And Now Kill Us All), and many carried white sheets as a symbol of protest against the omertà
Omertà
Omertà is a popular attitude and code of honour and a common definition is the "code of silence". It is common in areas of southern Italy, such as Sicily, Apulia, Calabria, and Campania, where criminal organizations defined as Mafia such as the Cosa Nostra, 'Ndrangheta, Sacra Corona Unita, and...
, or the law of silence, that protects the mafia. The killing triggered the birth of the Ammazzateci tutti movement against the 'Ndrangheta. The movement is also known as "Ragazzi di Locri" (Kids from Locri). The funeral of Fortugno on October 19, 2005, was attended by 8,000 people.
Ionic temple of Marasà
In the first half of the fifth century BC, the Locrians demolished their archaic temple and rebuilt a new temple in the Ionic styleIonic order
The Ionic order forms one of the three orders or organizational systems of classical architecture, the other two canonic orders being the Doric and the Corinthian...
. The temple was designed by Syracusan
Syracuse, Italy
Syracuse is a historic city in Sicily, the capital of the province of Syracuse. The city is notable for its rich Greek history, culture, amphitheatres, architecture, and as the birthplace of the preeminent mathematician and engineer Archimedes. This 2,700-year-old city played a key role in...
architects around 470 BC, based on the idea of Hiero I of Syracuse
Hiero I of Syracuse
Hieron I was the son of Deinomenes, the brother of Gelon and tyrant of Syracuse in Sicily from 478 to 467 BC. In succeeding Gelon, he conspired against a third brother Polyzelos. During his reign, he greatly increased the power of Syracuse...
.
The new temple occupies the same place as the previous one but it has a different orientation. The temple was destroyed in the eleventh century. The dimensions of the temple were 45.5 meters x 19.8 meters. The cella
Cella
A cella or naos , is the inner chamber of a temple in classical architecture, or a shop facing the street in domestic Roman architecture...
is free of supports on the central axes. The pronaos had two columns. The temple has seventeen Ionic columns on the long side, and six on the front. The height of the temple was twelve meters.
The theatre
The theatre was built in the fourth century BC not far from the ancient city,in the Contrada Pirettina, taking advantage of a hillside slope. The original structure had space for more than 4,500 people; now only the central part of the theatre is visible.
Part of the Cavea
Cavea
In Roman times the cavea were the subterranean cells in which wild animals were confined before the combats in the Roman arena or amphitheatre....
was cut into the rocks. Each plane was divided in 7 wedges between 6 scales. A horizontal separation divided the upper theater from the lower theatre.