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 Antiquity or Antiquities may refer to: Historical objects or periods Artifacts *Antiquities, objects or artifacts surviving from ancient cultures Eras Any period before the European Middle Ages (5th to 15th centuries) but still within the histo ...

there were two cities with this name, both located in

Southern Italy Southern Italy ( it, Sud Italia or ) also known as ''Meridione'' or ''Mezzogiorno'' (), is a macroregion of the Italian Republic consisting of its southern half. The term ''Mezzogiorno'' today refers to regions that are associated with the peop ...

. One of them, Petilia, was located in ancient Lucania (today's

Basilicata it, Lucano (man) it, Lucana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = ...

and

Campania Campania (, also , , , ) is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea to its west), but it also includes the small Phlegraean Islands and the i ...

), 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 Sawano ...

(today's

Calabria , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

Petilia (Lucania)

Strabo Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-sighted that he could see ...

states that Petilia had a prestigious status among

Lucanians The Lucanians ( la, Lucani) were an Italic tribe living in Lucania, in what is now southern Italy, who spoke an Oscan language, a member of the Italic languages. Today, the inhabitants of the Basilicata region are still called Lucani, and so thei ...

, even though the same author, in his work ''

Geographica The ''Geographica'' (Ancient Greek: Γεωγραφικά ''Geōgraphiká''), or ''Geography'', is an encyclopedia of geographical knowledge, consisting of 17 'books', written in Ancient Greek, Greek and attributed to Strabo, an educated citizen ...

'', 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 Giuseppe Antonini (2 September 1914 – 29 November 1989) was an Italian professional footballer, who played as a midfielder, and football manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, ...

(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 The Second Punic War (218 to 201 BC) was the second of three wars fought between Carthage and Rome, the two main powers of the western Mediterranean in the 3rd century BC. For 17 years the two states struggled for supremacy, primarily in Ital ...

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 letter ...

ally, while all of the other Bruttian cities had gone over to

Hannibal Hannibal (; xpu, 𐤇𐤍𐤁𐤏𐤋, ''Ḥannibaʿl''; 247 – between 183 and 181 BC) was a Carthaginian general and statesman who commanded the forces of Carthage in their battle against the Roman Republic during the Second Puni ...

. After a long siege, it was taken by the

Carthaginian The term Carthaginian ( la, Carthaginiensis ) usually refers to a citizen of Ancient Carthage. It can also refer to: * Carthaginian (ship), a three-masted schooner built in 1921 * Insurgent privateers; nineteenth-century South American privateers, ...

s, 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 Petilia Policastro is a ''comune'' and town in the province of Crotone, in Calabria, Italy. History Petilia Policastro is an ancient village, of presumed Byzantine origin, surrounded in the past by defensive walls. In its territory, along the ...

Strongoli Strongoli is a ''comune'' and town with a population of over 6000 people in the province of Crotone, in Calabria, southernmost Italy. History In Antiquity, Strongoli was the site of Petelia, said to have been founded by Philoctetes. It is the bi ...

. The

Petelia Gold Tablet The Petelia Gold Tablet or ''Petelia Tablet'' is an orphic inscription or Totenpass that was found near the ancient city of Petelia, southern Italy in the early nineteenth century. Since 1843, the original has been kept in the British Museum. Di ...

was discovered near

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 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 {{Ancient-Rome-stub