The area of the ancient Taureana can be located within the territory of what is now the municipality of Palmi, morphologically identifiable with a series of cultivable plateaus, consisting of marine terraces from the Pleistocene age, divided into several levels reaching the first rough foothills of the Aspromonte mountains. Particularly visible from Palmi on days when the winds blow from the north, are the Aeolian archipelago and the northeastern coast of Sicily, whose artistic-commercial connection with this territory since the prehistoric age is also documented by findings of obsidian and the same ceramic classes. The location of this territory is strategic, almost at the entrance of the Strait area – known to the ancient Greeks and Latins as Fretum Siculum and feared for the danger of crossing due to uncontrollable winds and currents – a position that favored its inclusion in maritime trade routes typical of the Mediterranean area, from time immemorial. Even today, the sailing directory advises against sailing in the Strait of Messina, so it is essential that sailors are well acquainted with the play of currents, eddies, vortices, and wind direction. Historically, this area marked the northern limit of the Tyrrhenian chora of the Chalcidian colony of Rhegium, founded in the last quarter of the 8th century BC by the city of Zancle, today’s Messina, to control the Strait also on the Calabrian side. It was adjacent to the colonial center of Metauros, founded in the 7th century BC near the mouth of the homonymous river, known to the ancients for tuna fishing. The river, whose basin was characterized by numerous tributaries reaching the Aspromonte massif, constituted an important navigation route through which the connection with the inland areas was ensured.
Information on Taureani Archaeological Park
Locality Taureana
Palmi (Reggio di Calabria)
0965812255
sar-cal@beniculturali.it
Source: MIBACT
