Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume I Part 1.djvu/728

 7ia CBOTON. ^: origin ; and the Oenotrian tribes of the interior were not powerfal enoagh to offer any obstacle to their growth. They thus became during the sixth cen- tury B. c. two of the roost populous, wealthy, and powerful cities of the Hellenic name. Crotona, how- ever, was far less luxurious than its rival ; its inha- bitants devoted themselves particularly to athletic exercises, and became celebrated for tiie number of the prizes which they carried off at the Olympic games. (Strab. vi. p. 262.) The government (^ Gro- tona appears to have been of an oligarchic character; the supreme power being in the hands of a council of one thousand persons, who were, or claimed to be, descendants from the original settlers. (Iambi. V. P. 45; Yal. Max. viii. 15. Ext § I.) This state of things continued without interruption, till the arrival of Pythagoras, an event that led. to great changes both at Crotona and in the neighbouring cities. It was, apparently, about the middle of the sixth cen- tury (between b. c. 540 and 530) that that philo- sopher first established himself at Crotona, where he quickly attained to great power and influence, which he appears to have empl(^ed not only for philoso- phical, but for political purposes. But the nature of the political changes which he introduced, as well as the revolutions that followed, is involved in great obscurity. We learn, however, that besides the general influence which Pythagoras exerted over the citizens, and even over the Great Council, he formed a peculiar society of 300 young men am<mg the most zealous of his disciples, who, without any legal au- thority, exercised the greatest influence over the de- liberations of the supreme assembly. This state of things continued for some time, until the growing unpopularity of the Pythagoreans led to a democratic revolution, which ended in their expulsion from Cro- tona and the overthrow of the Great Council, a de- mocratic form of government being substituted for the oligarchy. This revolution was not confined to Crotona, but extended to several other cities of Magna Graecia, where the Pythagoreans had ob- tained a similar footing; their expulsion led to a period of confusion and disorder throughout the south of Italy. (Justin, xx. 4; Yal. Max. viii. 15. Ext. § 1; Diog. Laert. viu. 1. § 3 ; Iambi. ViL Ftfth. 248—251, 255—262; Porphyr. ViL Pytk. 54, 55 ; Grote's GreecCy vol. iv. pp. 525 — 550.) ' It was during the period of the Pytbagbfean in- fluence (so far as we can trust the very confused and uncertain chronology of these events), that the war occurred between Crotona and Sybaris which ended in the destructicm of the latter city. The ce- lebrated athlete Milo, himself a leading disciple of Pythagoras, was the commander of the Crotoniat army, which is said to have amounted to 100,000 men, while that of the Sybarites was three times as numerous; notwithstanding which the former ob- tained a complete victory on the banks of the Traeis, and following up their advantage took the city of Sybaris, and utterly destroyed it. The received date of this event is b. c. 510. (Died. xii. 9 ; Strab. vi. p. 263; Herod, v. 44, vi. 21; Iambi. Vit. Pytk. 260; Scymn. Ch. 357—360.) Polybius, however, represents the Crotoniats as concluding a league with Sybaris and Caulonia, after the expulsion of the Pythagoreans, a statement wholly irreconcilable with the history transmitted by other authors. (Pol. ii. 39. See on this point Grote's Greece^ vol. iv. p. 559.) /' : The next event of importance in the history of Crotona, would appear to be the great defeat which toe Crotoniats in their turn sustained at the river Sagras, where it is said that their army, th<mgh consisting of 130,000 men, was routed by 10,000 Locrians and Rhegians with such slaughter, as to inflict an indelible blow upon the prosperity of their city. (Strab. vi. pp. 261, 263; Cic de N.D. ii. 2; Suid. ». V, i^tidiartpa,) Justin, on the contnuy (xx. 2, 3), represents this event as having taken place before the arrival of Pythagoras ; but the authority of Strabo seems decidedly preferable on this pomt, and is more consistent with the general history of Crotona. Heyne, however, follows Justin, and places the bottle of the Sagras as early as 360 a. a, and Mr. Grote inclines to the same view. As no notice is found in the extant books of Diodorus of so important an event, it seems certain that it must have occuired before b. c. 480. (Heyne, Prolus. Acad. x. p. 184; Crete's Greece, vol. iv. p. 552.) Strabo has, how^// ever, certainly exaggerated the importance of tbis disaster in its efiects on Crotona; fbr neariy a cen- tuiy later that dty is srill spoken of as the most populous and powerful of the Greek colonies in this part of Italy. (Died. xiv. 103.) Very few notices of it are found in the intervsL We learn only that the Crotoniats viewed with fi- vour the establishment of the new colony of Thn- rium, and concluded a treaty of alliance with it (Died. xii. 11); and that during the Athenian expe- dition to Sicily they endeavoured to preserve a sbict neutrality, furnishing the Athenian fleet with provi- sions, but refusing to allow the passage of the land forces through their territ(nry. (Diod. xiii. 3 ; Thuc. vii.d5.) In B.c.389,whai the elder Dionysius carried his arms across the Sicilian Strait, and proceeded to attack Caulonia, the Crotoniats put themselves at tbe head of the Greek cities which opposed the SidliaB despot, but the confederate forces were totally de- feated by Dionysius at the river Helleporus ; and the latter, following up his advantage, made himself master of Caulonia, Hipponium, and Scylletlom. the last of which he wrested from the dominion of Cro- tona. (Diod. xiv. 103—107; Strab. vi. p. 261.) No mention is found in Diodorus of his having made any attack on Crotona itself, but Livy tells us that he surprised the citadel, and by this means made himself master of the dty (Liv. xxiv. 3); of which, according to Dionysius, he retained possession for not less than 12 years. (Dionys. Exc. six.) After the fall of the tyrant, Crotona appean to have reco- vered its independence; but it suffered severely fran the growing power of the Lucanians and Brnttiaus, who pressed upon it from without, as well as from domestic dissensions. It was at one time actually besieged by the Bruttians, and compelled to apply for aid to the Syracusans, who sent an armament to its succour under Heradeides and Sosistratus; bat those genoftls seem to have carried on intrigues with tibe different parties in Crotona, which gave rise to revolutions in the dty; and after the Croto- niats had rid themsdves of thdr Bruttian foes by a treaty, they were engaged in a war with thdr own exiles. (Diod. xix. 3, 10.) The conduct of this was entrusted to a general named Menedemus, who de- feated the exiles, but appears to have soon after established himself in the possesion of despotic power. (Id. xix. 10, xxi. 4.) In b. c. 299, Ag»- thocles made himself master of Crotona, in which he established a garrison. (Id. xxL 4. Exc H. p. 490.) How long he retained possesdon of it we know not; but it is clear that all these succesdve revdntions must have greatly impaired the prosperity of Gro-