Thus we find in B. Postumius sent thither to carry on investigations into the conspiracies that had arisen out of the Bacchanalian rites, as well as among the slave population. But it is nevertheless clear that it was in common with the other Greek cities of this part of Italy fallen into a state of great decay; and hence, in B.
Gracchus, was one to Tarentum, which appears to have assumed the title of Colonia Neptunia. According to Strabo this colony became a flourishing one, and the city enjoyed considerable prosperity in his day. But it was greatly fallen from its former splendour, and only occupied the site of the ancient citadel, with a small part of the adjoining isthmus. It was, however, one of the few cities which still retained the Greek language and manners, in common with Neapolis and Rhegium.
The salubrity of its climate, as well as the fertility of its territory, and, above all, the importance of its port, preserved it from the complete decay into which so many of the cities of Magna Graecia fell under the Roman government. It is repeatedly mentioned during the civil wars between Octavian, Antony, and Sex. Pompeius as a naval station of importance; and it was there that in B. An additional colony of veterans was sent there under Nero, but with little effect, most of them having soon again dispersed.
No subsequent mention of Tarentum is found in history until after the fall of the Western Empire, but it then appears as a considerable town, and bears an important part in the Gothic Wars on account of its strength as a fortress, and the excellence of its port. It was taken by Belisarius, but retaken by Totila in A.
From that time it continued subject to the Byzantine Empire till A. The latter did not finally lose their hold of it till it was taken by Robert Guiscard in It has ever since formed part of the kingdom of Naples. The modern city of Tarentum has a population of about 20, souls; it is the see of an archbishop, and still ranks as the most important city in this part of Italy.
But it is confined to the space occupied by the ancient citadel, the extremity of the peninsula or promontory between the two ports: this is now an island, the low isthmus which connected it with the mainland having been cut through by king Ferdinand I. Scarcely any remains are now extant of the celebrated and opulent city of Tarentum. Even the extent of the ancient city can be very imperfectly determined. A few slight vestiges of the ancient walls are, however, visible near an old church which bears the name of Sta Maria di Murveta, about 2 miles from the gates of the modern city; and there is no doubt that the walls extended from thence, on the one side to the Mare Piccolo, on the other side to the outer sea.
The general form of the city was thus triangular, having the citadel at the apex, which is now joined to the opposite shore by a [p. This was already the case in Strabo's time, though no mention of it is found at the time of the siege by Hannibal. The general form and arrangement of the city cannot be better described than they are by Strabo.
The whole city also lies low, but rises a little towards the citadel. The ancient wall comprises a circuit of great extent; but now the greater part of the space adjoining the isthmus is deserted, and only that part still subsists which adjoins the mouth of the port, where also the Acropolis is situated. The portion still remaining is such as to make up a considerable city.
It has a splendid Gymnasium, and a good-sized Agora, in which stands the bronze colossal statue of Jupiter, the largest in existence next to that at Rhodes. In the interval between the Agora and the mouth of the port is the Acropolis, which retains only a few remnants of the splendid monuments with which it was adorned in ancient times.
For the greater part were either destroyed by the Carthaginians when they took the city, or carried off as booty by the Romans, when they made themselves masters of it by assault.
Among these is the colossal bronze statue of Hercules in the Capitol, a work of Lysippus, which was dedicated there as an offering by Fabius Maximus, who took the city. In the absence of all extant remains there is very little to be added to the above description. But Polybius, in his detailed narrative of the capture of the city by Hannibal, supplies us with some local names and details.
The principal gate on the E. A broad street called the Batheia, or Low Street, led apparently from this gate towards the interior of the city. This from its name may be conjectured to have lain close to the port and the water's edge, while another broad street led from thence to the Agora.
There is nothing to indicate the site of the theatre, alluded to by Polybius on the same occasion, except that it was decidedly within the city, which was not always the case. Strabo does not notice it, but it must have been a building of large size, so as to be adapted for the general assemblies of the people, which were generally held in it, as was the case also at Syracuse and in other Greek cities.
This is particularly mentioned on several occasions; it was there that the Roman ambassadors received the insult which finally led to the ruin of the city.
The hills also that surround the Mare Piccolo are of trifling height, and slope very gradually to its banks, as well as to the shore of the outer sea.
Pietro and S. Tarentum was celebrated in ancient times for the salubrity of its climate and the fertility of its territory. Its advantages in both respects are extolled by Horace in a well-known ode Carm. Varro also praised its honey as the best in Italy ap. Its oil and wines enjoyed a nearly equal reputation; the choicest quality of the latter seems to have been that produced at Aulon Hor.
But the choicest production of the neighbourhood of Tarentum was its wool, which appears to have enjoyed an acknowledged supremacy over that of all parts of Italy. Nor was this owing solely to natural advantages, as we learn that the Tarentines bestowed the greatest care upon the preservation and improvement of the breed of sheep.
Tarentum was noted likewise for its breed of horses, which supplied the famous Tarentine cavalry, which was long noted among the Greeks. Their territory abounded also in various kinds of fruits of the choicest quality, especially pears, figs, and chestnuts, and though not as fertile in corn as the western shores of the Tarentine gulf, was nevertheless well adapted to its cultivation.
At the same time its shores produced abundance of shell-fish of all descriptions, which formed in ancient times a favourite article of diet. Even at the present day the inhabitants of Taranto subsist to a great extent upon the shell-fish produced in the Mare Piccolo in a profusion almost incredible.
Its Pectens or scallops enjoyed a special reputation with the Roman epicures. But by far the most valuable production of this class was the Murex, which furnished the celebrated purple dye.
The Tarentine purple was considered second only to the Tyrian, and for a long time was the most valuable known to the Romans. Even in the time of Augustus it continued to enjoy a high reputation. So extensive were the manufactories of this dye at Tarentum that considerable mounds are still visible on the shore of the Mare Piccolo, composed wholly of broken shells of this species. Swinburne's Travels, vol. It is probable that this charge, as in many other cases, was greatly exaggerated; but there is no reason to doubt that the Tarentines, like almost all the other Greeks who became a manufacturing and commercial people, indulged in a degree of luxury far exceeding that of the ruder nations of Central Italy.
The wealth and opulence to which they attained in the 4th century B. To such an excess was this carried that we are told the number of their annual festivals exceeded that of the days of the year. VH But it is certain, as already observed, that they were not incapable of war: they furnished a considerable body of troops to the army of Pyrrhus; and in the sea-fight with the Roman fleet off the entrance of the harbour, during the Second Punic War, they displayed both courage and skill in naval combat.
In the time of their greatest power, according to Strabo, they could send into the field an army of 30, foot and horse, besides a body of select cavalry called Hipparchs. Arrian, Anab. It is probable, however, that these may have been always recruited in great part among the neighbouring Messapians and Sallentines, who also excelled as light horsemen.
With their habits of luxury the Tarentines undoubtedly combined the refinements of the arts usually associated with it, and were diligent cultivators of the fine arts. The great variety and beauty of their coins is, even at the present day, a sufficient proof of this, while the extraordinary numbers of them which are still found in the S.
In , he returned to southern Italy, to pick up the war against Rome again, with an increasingly frustrated Tarentine ally, which had seen how Pyrrhus had betrayed the Samnites and Lucanians. To gain control of the situation, he needed a victory, but instead, he was defeated by the Romans at Malventum. He returned to Tarentum, wher he was now regarded as an oppressor. Leaving a token force behind, he sailed back to Epirus. After an invitation to Carthage had failed to restore Tarentum's power, the city accepted Roman rule The new masters ordered the destruction of the city walls, seized many works of art, and demanded a lot of money, but accepted Tarentum as ally.
A new road was built between Rome and Tarentum, the Via Appia. Tarentum, A man and his lover. Tarentum, A boy and his horse Sarpedon painter. Tarentum, The Abduction of Persephone. Tarentum, Head of a man. Tarentum, Head of young man. Tarentum, Griffin. Tarentum, Relief of Scylla. Tarentum, Relief of a Maenad. Tarentum, Statue of a boy in mourning. Tarentum, Theater, Portrait of Germanicus. Tarentum, Theater, Portrait of Drusus the Younger. Tarentum, Figurine of Bendis. Much of its redevelopment work, including a brand-new stadium that will eventually house the city's soccer team, is focused on that deadline.
Melucci has looked towards other industrial cities for inspiration, particularly Bilbao in Spain and Pittsburgh, both of which are reinventing themselves for a post-industrial future. But, he says, whereas Bilbao used Frank Gehry's wildly flamboyant Guggenheim museum to spark its revival, Taranto's future is more about uncovering and restoring what already exists.
One such project is the gigantic Palazzo Archita, an imposing 20, square meter building that dominates the modern center of the city. It has sat alone and empty among Taranto's shopping streets like a brooding, decaying colossus for more than a decade, a symbol of the bureaucratic inaction that so often plagues grand projects in Italy. Soon, however, it is set to reopen with spaces including a new art gallery, a library and education facilities.
Labyrinth of streets. Perhaps the most significant and important project in the city is, however, a far more complex one. A literal island, separated from the modern city by the idiosyncratic Ponte Girevole, or "swiveling bridge," the old city was the area most profoundly impacted by the arrival of Ilva.
It is an extraordinary, crumbling relic. A labyrinth of ancient streets and abandoned homes, with only a tiny community remaining from what was once the city's bustling hub. Nello De Gregorio is a local researcher and historian. We're hopeful that, within the next decade, we will finally be able to totally change the face of this area of Taranto, which is also the most beautiful, historic, antiquated part. Underground chambers. Historian Nello De Gregorio in one of the old city's underground chambers.
Among De Gregorio's passions are the many underground chambers that weave their way beneath the old city. Opening a nondescript door in one of the old city's narrow streets, he takes CNN down a series of dark, subterranean staircases, guided by torchlight through chambers, or hypogea, and tunnels, eventually leading out to the sea.
Almost all of them originate in the Greek age. The caves were hollowed out to gather materials to build the ancient temples, and then the medieval city, up to around AD.