Petilia or Petelia ( grc, Πετηλία) was a city name found in some ancient works of
classical antiquity
Classical antiquity (also the classical era, classical period or classical age) is the period of cultural history between the 8th century BC and the 5th century AD centred on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of ...
. It's widely accepted that in
antiquity there were two cities with this name, both located in
Southern Italy. One of them, Petilia, was located in ancient
Lucania
Lucania was a historical region of Southern Italy. It was the land of the Lucani, an Oscan people. It extended from the Tyrrhenian Sea to the Gulf of Taranto.
It bordered with Samnium and Campania in the north, Apulia in the east, and Bruttiu ...
(today's
Basilicata and
Campania
(man), it, Campana (woman)
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), while the second one, Petelia, was located on the coast of
Bruttium 01 or '01 may refer to:
* The year 2001, or any year ending with 01
* The month of January
* 1 (number)
Music
* 01'' (Richard Müller album), 2001
* ''01'' (Son of Dave album), 2000
* ''01'' (Urban Zakapa album), 2011
* ''O1'' (Hiroyuki Sawa ...
(today's
Calabria).
Petilia (Lucania)
Strabo states that Petilia had a prestigious status among
Lucanians, even though the same author, in his work ''
Geographica'', often mistakes Petilia with Petelia. According to modern scholars, Petilia was probably the city whose remains are found on
Monte Stella.
This last discovery was made by historian
Giuseppe Antonini (1683–1785), based on some inscriptions reportedly found on the same site.
Monte Stella is now a military area and permissions for archaeological excavations are not granted easily.
Petelia (Bruttium)
During the
Second Punic War Petelia remained a
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
ally, while all of the other Bruttian cities had gone over to
Hannibal.
After a long siege, it was taken by the
Carthaginians, its people expelled and replaced by other Bruttians; but following the Roman victory its original population was restored. Petelia's remains might be located in today's
Petilia Policastro or
Strongoli. The
Petelia Gold Tablet was discovered near
Strongoli in the nineteenth century.
Some historians claim that Ancient Petelia already was a bishopric, established perhaps in 546 or then adopting the city's new medieval name Strongoli, but without solid evidence, and the see is never mentioned in the Byzantine imperial
Notitia Episcopatuum The ''Notitiae Episcopatuum'' (singular: ''Notitia Episcopatuum'') are official documents that furnish Eastern countries the list and hierarchical rank of the metropolitan and suffragan bishoprics of a church.
In the Roman Church (the -mostly Lati ...
of the
Patriarchate of Constantinople
The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople ( el, Οἰκουμενικὸν Πατριαρχεῖον Κωνσταντινουπόλεως, translit=Oikoumenikón Patriarkhíon Konstantinoupóleos, ; la, Patriarchatus Oecumenicus Constanti ...
, which most dioceses in Calabria belonged to in the 9th till 11th centuries, so the diocese's foundation may rather date from the Normans, probably late 12th century.
References
Roman towns and cities in Italy
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