The Ruins of the Archaeological Park of Sybari

The Glorious Past of Magna Grecia

I have always loved archaeology because it is a silent witness; it dispenses with words but becomes eloquent as it gradually reveals the merits and shortcomings of each civilization. Like a "gentle face slap," it offers us a second chance to look at the past and build a better future.

Italy is a country that boasts archaeological sites of incomparable importance. Places like Pompeii, Herculaneum, Paestum, the remains of the Costa degli Etruschi, or the recent discovery of statues from 2300 years ago in San Casciano dei Bagni, Tuscany, Ostia Antica, Matera, Altamura, or the Valley of the Temples in Sicily, or even traces of the Nuragic civilization in Sardinia, are some of the popular destinations among tourists who appreciate archaeology.

In Calabria, one of the cradles of Magna Grecia, an extraordinary place still relatively unexplored by foreigners is the Parco Archeologico di Sibari, located in the city of Cassano all'Ionio, in the province of Cosenza.

It is a special archaeological park because it concentrates traces not of just one, but three civilizations. The ancient Sybaris was founded by Greek colonizers from Achaia, originating from the Peloponnese area between 730-720 B.C. It was the most sumptuous and populous polis in the region. Strategically located near two rivers (Crati and Coscille), the Ionian and Tyrrhenian seas, it was an important commercial center, maintained relations with the Etruscans, and had up to 300,000 inhabitants.

To understand the extent of its power, just think that the famous city of Paestum (now in the Campania region) was a sub-colony of Sybaris and probably was the first polis of Magna Grecia to mint a coin, between 550 and 530 B.C. For these reasons, it is also known as the Hellenic Pompeii.

Many scholars believe that the population of Sybaris was also hedonistic, idle, and lovers of life's pleasures. They organized banquets, even went so far as to move noisy professional activities like blacksmiths or carpenters out of the city center, and the women of Sybaris protected themselves from the sun by walking under awnings.

Their fate began to change around 510 B.C., thanks to a war against another Greek colony: Croton. Sybaris was besieged for seventy days and flooded due to the diversion of the Crati River. In 444 B.C., the survivors of this tragedy founded a new city, Thurii, and later, in 194 B.C., the same territory became a Roman colony called Copiae, until it was abandoned in the medieval period.

The remains of these civilizations can be admired at the Museo Archeologico Nazionale della Sibaritide, near the archaeological area. Among its highlights is the bronze bull's head from the 5th century B.C. - a symbolic representation of the cultural and spiritual union between the colonies of Sybaris and Thurii and considered one of the most important archaeological discoveries in the region, second only to the Bronzes of Riace.

Also, do not miss the details of the so-called "mano pantea," a bronze piece from the 1st century A.D. that reproduces an enigmatic hand, covered in decorations, depicting a gesture of blessing and probably indicating prudence.

For more information: Parco Archeologico di Sibari (www.parcosibari.it), open Tuesday to Sunday from 9 am to 7:30 pm. Tickets including the Museo Nazionale Archeologico della Sibaritide: 5 euros.