View source for Scylletium

{{Short description|Ancient city in Calabria, Italy}}
{{Infobox ancient site
  |name = Scylletium
  |native_name = Σκυλλήτιον<br />Scolacium
  |alternate_name = 
  |image = Scolacium_Amphithéâtre2.JPG
  |alt = 
  |caption = Remains of Amphithéâtres of Scolacium.
  |map_type = Italy  
  |map_alt = 
  |coordinates = {{coord|38|48|33|N|16|35|44|E|display=inline,title}}
  |location = [[Borgia, Calabria]], [[Province of Catanzaro]], [[Calabria]], [[Italy]]
  |region = 
  |type = Settlement
  |part_of = 
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  |abandoned = 
  |epochs = 
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  |event = 
  |excavations = 1982
  |archaeologists = 
  |condition = 
  |ownership = 
  |management = Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici della Calabria
  |public_access = 
  |website = [https://web.archive.org/web/20151225160729/http://www.archeocalabria.beniculturali.it/archeovirtualtour/calabriaweb/scolacium1.htm ArcheoCalabriaVirtual] {{in lang|it}}
  |notes = 
}}
'''Scylletium'''<ref>Also spelled '''Scolacium''', '''Scylacium''', '''Scolatium''', '''Scyllaceum''', '''Scalacium''', or '''Scylaeium''' in [[Latin]] – ([[Greek language|Greek]]: {{lang|grc|Σκυλλήτιον}}, per [[Stephanus of Byzantium]] and [[Strabo]], or {{lang|grc|Σκυλάκιον}}, per [[Ptolemy]]), and later, '''Minervium''' and '''Colonia Minervia'''. See {{Barrington|46, notes}}.</ref> or '''Skylletion''' or '''Scolacium''' was an ancient seaside city in [[Calabria]], [[southern Italy]]. Its ruins can be found at the ''[[frazione]]'' of Roccelletta, near [[Catanzaro]], facing the [[Gulf of Squillace]].

==History==

===Greek era===

Skylletion may originally have been founded in the 7th c. BC on the Punta di Staletti promontory.<ref>P. Courcelle, MEFR, 55(1938), 259-307, as modified by his article in Actes du Ve congrès international d'archéologie chrétienne (1957), 511-528</ref>

In any case Scylletium was situated from the 6th c. BC on the east coast of [[Calabria]] (ancient Bruttium), on the shores of an extensive bay, to which it gave the name of Scylleticus Sinus.<ref>[[Strabo]] vi. p. 261.</ref>

According to a tradition generally received in ancient times, Scylletium ({{langx|grc| Σκυλλήτιον}})<ref>[https://topostext.org/work/241#S579.7 Stephanus of Byzantium, Ethnica, § S579.7]</ref> was founded by an [[Athens|Athenian]] colony of [[Magna Graecia]], a part of the followers who had accompanied [[Menestheus]] to the [[Trojan War]].<ref>Strabo ''l. c.''; Pliny ''l. c.''; [[Maurus Servius Honoratus|Servius]] ''ad Aeneidos'' iii. 553.)</ref> [[Gaius Julius Solinus|Solinus]] also mention that the Scylaceum was established by Athenians.<ref>[https://topostext.org/work/747#8.7 Solinus, Polyhistor, 2.10]</ref>
Another tradition was, however, extant, which ascribed its foundation to [[Odysseus|Ulysses]].<ref>Cassiod. Var. xii. 15; Servius ''l. c.''.</ref> However, it did not display any friendship towards the Athenians.<ref>[[Diodorus]]xiii. 3.</ref> 

It appears during this period to have been a minor place and a mere dependency of [[Crotona]] until it was wrested from its power by the [[Dionysius the Elder|elder Dionysius]], who assigned it with its territory to the [[Locrians]].<ref>Strabo vi. p. 261.</ref> 

It was still a small and unimportant place at the time of the [[Second Punic War]], as no mention is found of its name during the operations of [[Hannibal]] in Bruttium, though he appears to have had his headquarters for some time at [[Castra Hannibalis]] very near Scylletium.

===Roman era===
[[File:Scolacium Théâtre2.JPG|thumb|Scolacium Theatre]]

In 124&nbsp;BC the [[ancient Rome|Romans]], at the instigation of [[Gracchi|C. Gracchus]], sent a [[Colonia (Roman)|colony]] to Scylletium, which appears to have assumed the name of '''Minervium''' or '''Colonia Minervia'''.<ref>[[Velleius Paterculus]] i. 15; [[Theodor Mommsen|Mommsen]], in ''Berichte der Sächsischen Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften'', 1849, pp. 49–51.</ref> The name is written by [[Velleius]] '''Scolatium'''; and the form '''Scolacium''' is found also in an inscription of the reign of [[Antoninus Pius]], from which it appears that the place must have received a fresh colony under [[Nerva]].<ref>Orell. ''Inscr.'' 136; Mommsen, ''l. c.''</ref> Scylletium appears to have become a considerable town after it received the Roman colony, and continued such throughout the [[Roman Empire]].<ref>[[Pomponius Mela]] ii. 4. § 8; Pliny iii. 10. s. 15; Ptolemy iii. 1. § 11.</ref> 

Towards the close of this period it was distinguished as the birthplace of the Roman statesman ''[[Cassiodorus]]'', founder of the [[Vivarium (monastery)|''Vivarium'']], a monastery dedicated to the coexistence of coenobitic monks and hermits, who has left us a detailed but rhetorical description of the beauty of its situation dated to around 530 AD, and fertility of its territory.<ref>Cassiod. ''Var.'' xii. 15.</ref> Cassiodorus also mentioned production of highly priced [[terra cotta]]. His villa was located at Punta di Staletti.<ref>Cassiodorus
Chapter 6: Vivarium https://faculty.georgetown.edu/jod/texts/cassbook/chap6.html</ref>

== Sculpture ==
In 2006 a sculpture with the title ''Time Horizon'' was set up in the park by the English sculptor [[Antony Gormley]].

== Literature ==
*''Antony Gormley: Time Horizon Intersecione'', Intersecione 2 al Parco Archeologico di Scolacium, 2006 {{ISBN|88-370-4583-2}}

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
{{commons category|Scolacium}}
*Roberto Spadea (a cura di), Scolacium una città romana in Calabria. Il museo e il parco archeologico, Milano, ET, 2005, pp. 506-542 e pp. 51-65
*{{SmithDGRG}}
*{{Barrington|46}}

{{Magna Graecia}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Pre-Roman cities in Italy]]
[[Category:Bruttium]]
[[Category:Coloniae (Roman)]]
[[Category:Former populated places in Italy]]
[[Category:Archaeological sites in Calabria]]
[[Category:National museums of Italy]]
[[Category:Colonies of Magna Graecia]]
[[Category:Ancient Greek archaeological sites in Italy]]