Policoro
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The ruins of the ancient Heraclea (also Heracleia or Herakleia) are located in the modern comune of Policoro.
The city of Heraclea was founded in 434 BC by colonists coming from Taras (present-day Taranto) and Thurii. In very little time, it became richer and more famous than the nearby town Siris. In 280 BCE, the Battle of Heraclea happened there during the war between Taranto and Rome.
The Tables of Heraclea date back to this period and they are now located in the Archeology Museum of Naples. These ancient bronze tablets contain texts in Greek and Latin that discuss public and constitutional rules and laws of the town, one such being "Lex Iulia Municipalis".
During the period of the Roman Empire, the entire area depopulated and Heraclea lost its prestige, becoming a little village on a small hill. The time and circumstances of Heraclea's final extinction are wholly unknown, but the site is now desolate, and the whole neighbouring district, once celebrated as one of the most fertile in Italy, was still almost wholly uninhabited in the mid-19th century.
Today's comune of Policoro arose in the Middle Ages (11th-12th centuries) as a feudal estate and became a village. It developed around the baronial castle, used as a residence from 1000 AD for hunting because of the vast forests owned by local noble families, such as the Berlingieri. The population was sheltered from nearby villages, which were threatened by numerous invasions and raids.
Only after 1950, thanks to the work to reclaim the land which had become marshy and unhealthy over the centuries and also to the agrarian reform that split and redistributed the land to guarantee a fast development and resettlement, Policoro received municipal autonomy. This change attracted families to move to Policoro from all parts of the region, leading to a large demographic surge.
Map - Policoro
Map
Country - Italy
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| Flag of Italy | |
Italy was the native place of many civilizations such as the Italic peoples and the Etruscans, while due to its central geographic location in Southern Europe and the Mediterranean, the country has also historically been home to myriad peoples and cultures, who immigrated to the peninsula throughout history. The Latins, native of central Italy, formed the Roman Kingdom in the 8th century BC, which eventually became a republic with a government of the Senate and the People. The Roman Republic initially conquered and assimilated its neighbours on the Italian peninsula, eventually expanding and conquering a large part of Europe, North Africa and Western Asia. By the first century BC, the Roman Empire emerged as the dominant power in the Mediterranean Basin and became a leading cultural, political and religious centre, inaugurating the Pax Romana, a period of more than 200 years during which Italy's law, technology, economy, art, and literature developed.
Currency / Language
| ISO | Currency | Symbol | Significant figures |
|---|---|---|---|
| EUR | Euro | € | 2 |
| ISO | Language |
|---|---|
| CA | Catalan language |
| CO | Corsican language |
| FR | French language |
| DE | German language |
| IT | Italian language |
| SC | Sardinian language |
| SL | Slovene language |