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Reggio Calabria & Sybaris
The residents of Zancle in Sicily established ancient Rhegion (Rhegium in Latin) on the opposite shore near the "toe" of the Italian peninsula, giving these cities control of the Strait of Messina and ensuring their prosperity.
Led by a man named Euanthes, the city of Locri Epiziphirii was founded about 673 BC in this same region by colonists from Locri in central Greece. Here, according to tradition, an early political leader of the colony, Zaleucus, wrote the first Greek law code in about 661 BC. Colonists from Locri Epiziphirii also established Medma in about 600 BC.
Nearby, Greeks from Achaea in the northern Peloponnesus settled Sybaris in about 720 BC. This city became famous for the luxurious lifestyles of its residents and was praised for the quality of its wine and abundant yields of grain.
The objects in this gallery come from the collections at the National Archaeological Museum of Reggio Calabria, which include works from the Greek cities established in this region. Locrian colonists produced the painted terracotta relief plaques (pinakes), and the terracotta statuettes were created in Medma as dedications to a divinity. This section also highlights two bronze statuettes from the National Archaeological Museum of Sybaris.
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Syracuse
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