Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume II.djvu/215

 LOCRAS. modern Lohr. (Ptol. ii. 11. § 29.) Its name seems to be of Celtic origin. (Comp. Steiner, Das Main- ffebiet, p. 125.) [L. S ] LOCRAS. [Corsica, p. 691, a.] LOCRI EPICNEMI'DII, OPU'NTII. [Locris.] LOCRI O'ZOLAE. [Locris.] LOCRI (AoKpoi), sometimes called, for distinc- tion's sake, LOCRI EPIZEPHY'RII (AoKpoi 'Einfe- 4)i;pioi,Thuc. vii. 1 ; Pind.0/.xi.l5; Stiab.; Steph.B.: Eth. AoKpos, Locrensis : Ruins near Gerace), a city on the SE. coast of the Bruttian peninsula, not far from its southern extremity, and one of the most celebrated of the Greek colonies in this part of Italy. It was a colony, as its name obviously implies, of the Locrians in Greece, but there is much discrepancy as to the tribe of that nation from which it derived its origin. Strabo affirms that it was founded by the Locri Ozolae, under a leader named Euanthes, and censures Ephorus for ascribing it to the Locri Opuntii; but this last opinion seems to have been the one generally prevalent. Scymnus Chius mentions both opinions, but seems to incline to the latter; and it is adopted without question by Pausanias, as well as by the poets and later Latin authors, whence we may probably infer that it was the tradition adopted by the Locrians themselves. (Strab. vi. p. 259 ; Scymn. Ch. 313— 317; Paus. iii. 19. § 12; Virg. Aen. iii. 399.) Unfortunately Polybius, who had in- formed himself particularly as to the history and in- stitutions of the Locrians, does not give any state- ment upon this point. But we learn from him that the origin of the colony was ascribed by the tra- dition current among the Locrians themselves, and sanctioned by the authority of Aristotle, to a body of fugitive slaves, who had carried off their mistresses, with whom they had previously carried on an il- licit intercourse. (Pol. xii. 5, 6, 10 — 12.) The same story is alluded to by Dionysius Periegetes (365 — 367). Pausanias would seem to refer to a wholly different tale where he says that the Lace- daemonians sent a colony to the Epizephyrian Locri, at the same time with one to Crotona. (Paus. iii. 3. § 1.) These were, however, in both cases, probably only additional bands of colonists, as Lacedaemon was never regarded as the founder of either city. The date of the foundation of Locri is equally un- certain. Strabo (?. c.) places it a little after that of Crotona and Syracuse, which he regarded as nearly contemporary, but he is probably mistaken in this last opinion. [Crotoxa. j Eusebius, on the con- trary, brings it down to so late a date as b. c. 673 (or, according to Hieronymus, 683) ; but there seems good reason to believe that this is much too late, and we may venture to adopt Slrabo's statement that it was founded soon after Crotona, if the latter be placed about 710 b. c. (Euseb. Arm. p. 105; Clinton F. H. vol. i. p. 186, vol. ii. p. 410.) The traditions adopted by Aristotle and Polybius repre- sented the t:rst settlers as gainmg possession of the soil from the native Oenotrians (whom they called Siculi), by a fraud not unlike those related in many similar legends. (Pol. xii. 6.) The fact stated by Strabo that they first established themselves on Cape Zephyrium (Cn/'o cli Bruzzano), and subsequently removed from thence to the site which they ulti- mately occupied, about 1 5 miles further N., is sup- ported hy the evidence of their distinctive appella- tion, and may be depended on as accurate. (Strab. I. c.) As in the case of most of the other Greek colonies in Italy, we have very scanty and imperfect in- LOCRL 199 formation concerning the early history of Locri. The first event in its annals that has been transmitted to us, and one of those to which it owes its chief cele- brity, is the legislation of Zaleucus. This was said to be the most ancient written code of laws that had been given to any Greek state; and though the his- tory of Zaleucus himself was involved in great ob- scurity, and mixed up with much of table [Zaleu- cus, B'wgr. DictJ], there is certainly no doubt that the Locrians possessed a written code, which passed under his name, and which continued down to a late period to be in force in their city. Even in the days of Pindar and of Demosthenes, Locri was regarded as a model of good government and order; and its inhabitants were distinguished for their adherence to established laws and their aversion to all inno- vation. (Pind. 01. X. 17; Schol. ad he; Strab. vi. p. 260; Demosth. adv. Timocrat. p. 743; Diod. xii. 20,21.) The period of the legislation of Zaleucus cannot be determined with certainty: hut the date given by Eusebius of 01. 30, or b. c. 660, may be received as approximately correct. (Euseb. Arm. p. 105; Clinton, vol. i. p. 193.) Of its principles we know but little; and the quotations from his laws, even if we could depend upon their authenticity, have no refer- ence to the political institutions of the state. It appears, however, that the government of Locri was an aristocracy, in which certain select familie.s, called the Hundred Houses, enjoyed superior privi- leges: these were considered to be derived from the original settlers, and in accordance with the legend concerning their origin, were regarded as deriving their nobility from the female side. (Pol. xii. 5.) The next event in the history of Locri, of which we have any account, is the memorable battle of the Sagras, in which it was said that a force of 1 0,000 Locrians, with a small body of auxiliaries from Rhegium, totally defeated an army of 130,000 Cro- toniats, with vast slaughter. (Strab. vi. p. 261; Cic. de N. D. ii. 2; Justin, xx. 2, 3.) The extra- ordinary character of this victory, and the exag- gerated and fabulous accounts of it which appear to have been circulated, rendered it proverbial among the Greeks (^aATjdearepa rwv sttI 'S.aypa, Suid. s. v.) Yet we have no means of assigning its correct place in history, its date being extremely uncertain, some accounts placing it after the fall of Sybaris (b. c. 510), while others would carry it back nearly 50 years earlier. [Crotona.] The small number of troops which the Locrians are represented as bringing into the field upon this occasion, as compared with those of Crotona, would seem to prove that the city was not at this time a very powerful one ; at least it is clear that it was not to compare with the great republics of Sybaris and Crotona. But it seems to have been in a flourishing condition; and it must in all prubability be to this period that we must refer the establishment of its colonies of Hipponium and Medma, on the opposite side of the Bruttian peninsula. (Scymn. Cli.. 308 ; Strab. vi. p. 256.) Locri is mentioned by Herodotus in B. c. 493, when the Samian colonists, who were on their way to Sicily, touched there (Herod, vi. 23); and it appears to have been in a state of great pro- sperity when its praises were sung by Pindar, in B. c. 484. (Pind. 01. x., xi.) The Locrians, from their position, were naturally led to maintain a close connection with the Greek cities of Sicily, especially with Syracuse, their friendship with which would seem to have dated, according to some accounts, o 4