Sybaris
Ancient Greek colony famed for wealth and luxury.
Sybaris was a major ancient Greek city located on the Gulf of Taranto in what is now Calabria, Italy. Achaean and Troezenian settlers founded it around 720 BC. A decade later, other Achaeans founded the nearby city of Kroton. Sybaris grew extremely wealthy from its fertile farmland and active port, earning a reputation as the richest colony of the Greek Archaic period. Its people became so famous among the Greeks for hedonism, feasts, and excess that the words "sybarite" and "sybaritic" still mean opulence, luxury, and extreme pleasure-seeking. Sybaris ruled over smaller colonies in the area and had an acropolis at Timpone della Motta, near Francavilla Marittima, about 10 kilometers away.
Around 510 BC, Sybaris was destroyed by its neighbor Kroton. The population was driven out, but its local colonies continued to exist. In 444/43 BC, a new colony called Thurii, led by Athens, was built partly on top of the old city. Thurii was destroyed in 193 BC, and the Romans then built the city of Copia on the same street grid. Parts of these cities are still visible today. The ruins of Sybaris, Thurii, and Copia were eventually forgotten after being buried by sediment from the Crati River. They were rediscovered and excavated starting in 1932. Today, the site lies southeast of Sibari in the Province of Cosenza, Calabria, Italy.
The city sat close to the sea, between the Crathis and Sybaris rivers (now called the Crati and Coscile). Most modern research places it on a coastal ridge near a wetland lagoon. Today, the Coscile joins the Crati about 5 kilometers from the coast, and the Crati passes just south of the archaeological site. When Sybaris was inhabited, the Coscile flowed directly into the Gulf of Taranto, probably a short distance north of the city. The city stood on the widest plain in modern Calabria, famous for its fertility, which was the source of Sybaris's wealth. Because the site lies close to sea level and the plain is surrounded by two rivers, it was prone to flooding. Today, Sybaris lies about 6 meters below the surface, below the groundwater level. A severe flood in 2013 filled the excavated site with silt. Even in 2023, powerful pumps must run continuously to remove groundwater.
Ancient writers disagreed on the city's name: some said it came from the river Sybaris, while others traced it to a mythological creature called Sybaris.
Sybaris was founded in 720 BC by Is of Helice, a city in Achaea in the northern Peloponnese. The Achaeans were joined by some Troezenians, who were later expelled by the more numerous Achaeans. This Achaean colonization was the second major Greek migration wave westward, after that of the Euboeans, and focused on the Ionian coast (including Metapontum, Poseidonia, Sybaris, and Kroton). The Achaeans were driven by a lack of farmland in their mountainous region and by population pressure. The name of the founder (oekist) is uncertain; Strabo is the only source, and the name might be a corruption of "Sagaris" or "Sybaris." Complicating matters, the letters "Wiis" appear on coins of Poseidonia, which some interpret as confirming Strabo's account, since Poseidonia is thought to be a colony of Sybaris.
Sybaris grew very wealthy and populous thanks to its fertile farmland and a policy of admitting foreigners as citizens. It was the largest Greek city in Italy, possibly with 300,000 inhabitants (though some say 100,000). The city's circumference was fifty stadia (over 5 miles), and its area was about 500 hectares. Sybaris was a regional power, ruling over 4 tribes and 25 cities. It extended its control across the peninsula to the Tyrrhenian Sea, where it is thought to have founded the colonies Poseidonia (around 600 BC), Laüs, and Scidrus. In the second half of the 7th century BC, the Sybarites took over the sanctuary of Athena on the Timpone della Motta from the Oenotrians, using it as their acropolis about 15 kilometers away, where they held large festivals.
Ancient literature is full of descriptions of Sybarite wealth and luxury. Smindyrides, a prominent citizen, is said by Herodotus to have surpassed all others in refined luxury. Diodorus calls him the wealthiest suitor for the daughter of Cleisthenes of Sicyon; he sailed from Sybaris to Sicyon in a fifty-oar ship manned by his own slaves and outdid even Cleisthenes in luxury. Athenaeus claims his entourage included a thousand slaves, fishermen, bird-catchers, and cooks, but this information must be false because he says he cites Herodotus, who does not mention such numbers. Claudius Aelianus even says Smyndirides could not sleep on a bed of rose petals because it gave him blisters. Another known Sybarite is Alcimenes. Pseudo-Aristotle mentions that he supposedly dedicated a very expensive cloak at the temple of Lacinian Hera; Athenaeus distorts this too, treating the story as fact rather than hearsay and attributing it to the real Aristotle.
Justin records an alliance between Sybaris and the other Achaean colonies Metapontum and Kroton against the Ionian colony Siris, which led to Siris's conquest in the mid-6th century BC. In the second half of the 6th century BC, Sybaris began minting its first coins, the oldest dated to around 530 BC, using the Achaean weight standard.
- Known for
- Wealth, luxury, hedonism
Lore & Background
Sybaris amassed great wealth and a huge population from its fertile farming land and its policy of admitting aliens to its citizenry. It was the largest Greek city in Italy and may have had 300,000 inhabitants, though others give a figure of 100,000. The circumference of the city was fifty stadia (over 6 miles) and the area approximately 500 hectares. Sybaris ruled over 4 tribes and 25 cities, and extended its dominion across the peninsula to the Tyrrhenian Sea, founding colonies Poseidonia, Laüs and Scidrus. Descriptions of the wealth and luxury of Sybaris are plentiful in ancient literature. Smindyrides is claimed by Herodotus to have surpassed all other men in refined luxury; Diodorus describes him as the wealthiest suitor for the daughter of Cleisthenes of Sicyon, sailing from Sybaris to Sicyon in a ship of fifty oars manned by his own slaves. Claudius Aelianus alleges that Smyndirides could not sleep on a bed of rose petals because it gave him blisters. Another Sybarite, Alcimenes, is mentioned by Pseudo-Aristotle as having dedicated a very expensive cloak as a votive offering at the temple of Lacinian Hera.
Reader's Guide
Sybaris's significance lies in its role as a symbol of Archaic Greek wealth and excess, influencing language and culture through the terms 'sybarite' and 'sybaritic'. It enacted one of the first documented intellectual property laws, protecting culinary creations for one year. The site's layered history—Sybaris, then Thurii, then Roman Copia—illustrates the region's continuous habitation and the challenges of archaeological preservation in a flood-prone plain. The city was destroyed in about 510 BC by its neighbour Kroton. It was replaced by a new colony under Athenian leadership in 444/43 BC that became the city Thurii built partially on top of the older city. Thurii was destroyed in 193 BC but the Romans built the city of Copia on the same grid as Thurii. The ruins were rediscovered and excavated from 1932. Today they can be found southeast of Sibari in the Province of Cosenza, Calabria, Italy.
Did You Know?
- Sybaris enacted one of the first documented intellectual property laws, protecting chefs' and bakers' culinary creations for one year.
- The city's circumference was fifty stadia (over 6 miles) and its area approximately 500 hectares.
- Smindyrides, a Sybarite, allegedly sailed to Sicyon in a fifty-oared ship manned entirely by his own slaves.
- A disastrous flood in 2013 filled the excavated site with silt, and as of 2023 powerful pumps run continuously to keep the site dry.
- The city's name may derive from the river Sybaris or from a mythological creature of the same name.
Foundation & Geographic Setting
Sybaris was founded in 720 BC by Is of Helice, a city in Achaea in the northern Peloponnese. The Achaeans were accompanied by a number of Troezenians who were eventually expelled by the more numerous Achaeans. The Achaean colonisation was the second great migratory wave from Greece towards the West after that of the Euboeans, concentrating on the Ionian coast. The Achaeans were motivated by the lack of cultivatable land in their mountainous region and by population pressure. The city was situated close to the sea and lay between the Crathis and Sybaris rivers, now known as the Crati and Coscile. Most modern research places the city on a coastal ridge near a wetland lagoon. The city lay on the widest plain in modern Calabria, renowned for its fertility and the origin of the city's wealth. The city lay close to sea level and the plain surrounded by the two rivers was subject to periodic flooding so that today Sybaris lies some 6 m below the surface and below groundwater level.
Prosperity & the Culture of Excess
Sybaris amassed great wealth and a huge population as a result of its fertile farming land and its policy of admitting aliens to its citizenry. It was the largest Greek city in Italy and may have had 300,000 inhabitants although others give a figure of 100,000. The circumference of the city was fifty stadia (over 6 miles) and the area approximately 500 hectares. Descriptions of the wealth and luxury of Sybaris are plentiful in the ancient literature. Smindyrides was a prominent citizen who is claimed by Herodotus to have surpassed all other men in refined luxury. Diodorus describes him as the wealthiest suitor for the daughter of Cleisthenes of Sicyon. He sailed from Sybaris to Sicyon in a ship of fifty oars manned by his own slaves and surpassed even Cleisthenes himself in luxury. Athenaeus makes the claim that his entourage consisted of a thousand slaves, fishermen, bird-catchers and cooks, though his information must be false because he claims to cite Herodotus, who does not mention such a number. Claudius Aelianus even alleges that Smyndirides could not sleep on a bed of rose petals because it gave him blisters. Another Sybarite known by name is Alcimenes; Pseudo-Aristotle mentions that it was said he dedicated a very expensive cloak as a votive offering at the temple of Lacinian Hera.
Political Power & Ancient Innovation
Sybaris was a dominant power in the region and ruled over 4 tribes and 25 cities. Sybaris extended its dominion across the peninsula to the Tyrrhenian Sea, where it is thought to have founded its colonies Poseidonia, Laüs and Scidrus. Poseidonia was founded in approximately 600 BC. In the second half of the 7th century BC the Sybarites took over from the Oenotrians the sanctuary of Athena on the Timpone della Motta as their acropolis, located 15 km to the northwest, where they regularly celebrated large festivals. Justin mentions an alliance of Sybaris with the other Achaean colonies Metapontum and Kroton against the Ionian colony Siris, resulting in the conquest of Siris in the middle of the sixth century BC. In the second half of the sixth century BC Sybaris started minting its first coins, of which the oldest have been dated to approximately 530 BC. These coins employed the Achaean weight standard shared with the other Achaean colonies Kroton, Caulonia and Metapontum. One of the first documented intellectual property laws similar to modern patent laws is thought to have been enacted in the 6th century BC in Sybaris, to protect culinary creations of chefs or bakers for a period of 1 year.
Destruction, Rebirth & Rediscovery
The city of Sybaris was destroyed in about 510 BC by its neighbour Kroton. Its population was driven out but its local colonies continued. Diodorus Siculus writes that the oligarchic government was overthrown in 510/509 BC by a popular leader named Telys, who persuaded the Sybarites to exile the 500 richest citizens and confiscate their wealth. The exiled citizens took refuge at the altars of Kroton. Telys demanded the Krotoniates return the exiles under threat of war. Pythagoras convinced the Krotoniates to protect the suppliants. The Sybarites marched with 300,000 men upon the Krotoniates, whose army led by Milo numbered 100,000. Even though greatly outnumbered, the Krotoniates won the battle and took no prisoners, killing most of the Sybarites. After their victory they plundered and razed Sybaris. Strabo claims the Krotoniates diverted the course of the river Crathis to submerge Sybaris, though analysis of core samples did not find such river deposits directly above the former city, and the burial more likely resulted from natural processes such as fluvial overbank alluviation. After its destruction the surviving inhabitants took refuge at their colonies Laüs and Scidrus. Sybaris was replaced by a new colony under Athenian leadership in 444/43 BC that became the city Thurii built partially on top of the older city. Thurii was destroyed in 193 BC but the Romans built the city of Copia on the same grid as Thurii. The ruins were rediscovered and excavated from 1932. A disastrous flood in 2013 filled the excavated site and covered it with silt. Even in 2023 powerful pumps are continuously needed to remove groundwater from the site.
Gallery
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Sybaris?
Sybaris was a Greek colonial city established on the Gulf of Taranto coast in what is now Calabria, Italy. It rose to become the richest settlement in the Archaic Greek world, celebrated for its fertile hinterland and thriving maritime trade.
Why is Sybaris famous?
The city became legendary for the extravagant, pleasure-seeking lifestyle of its residents, a reputation so strong that the English words "sybarite" and "sybaritic" still carry the meaning of indulgent luxury. Its hedonism made it a byword for excess throughout the ancient Mediterranean.
What does "sybarite" mean and where does the word come from?
The term "sybarite" (and the adjective "sybaritic") refers to someone devoted to luxury, comfort, and sensual pleasure. It derives directly from the inhabitants of Sybaris, whose reputation for hedonistic living became so widespread that ancient authors used the city as shorthand for decadence.
What made Sybaris so wealthy?
Its prosperity rested on a combination of exceptionally fertile farmland, a strategically positioned harbor on the Gulf of Taranto, and active trade networks. Together these advantages made it the most prosperous Greek colony of its era.
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