Page:History of Greece Vol III.djvu/401

 METAPONTIUM. S8f> And possessed themselves of the spot, giving to it the name Po- lieion. The Chonians of Siris ascribed to themselves a Trojan origin, exhibiting a wooden image of the Ilian Athene, which they affirmed to have been brought away by their fugitive an- cestors after the capture of Troy. When the town was stormed by the lonians, many of the inhabitants clung to this relic for protection, but were dragged away and slain by the victors, ' whose sacrilege was supposed to have been the cause that their settlement was not durable. At the time of the invasion of Greece by Xerxes, the fertile territory of Siritis was considered as still open to be colonized ; for the Athenians when their affairs appeared desperate, had this scheme of emigration in reserve as a possible resource ;- and there were inspired declarations from some of the contemporary prophets, which encouraged them to undertake it. At length, after the town of Thurii had been founded by Athens, in the vicinity of the dismantled Sybaris, the Thurians tried to possess themselves of the Siritid territory, but were opposed by the Tarentines. 3 According to the compromise concluded between them, Tarentum was recognized as the me- tropolis of the colony, but joint possession was allowed both to Tarentines and Thurians. The former transferred the site of the city, under the new name Herakleia, to a spot three miles from the sea, leaving Siris as the place of maritime access to it. 4 About twenty-five miles eastward of Siris, on the coast of the Tarentine gulf, was situated Metapontium, a Greek town which was affirmed by some to draw its origin from the Pyliau compan- ions of Nestor, by others, from the Phocian warriors of Epe- 1 Herodot. vi, 127; Strabo, vi, p. 263. The name Polieion seems to be read Tl?.dov in Aristot. Mirab. Auscult. 106. Niebuhr assigns this Kolophonian settlement of Siris to the reign of Gyges in Lydia ; for which I know no other evidence except the statement that Gyges took TUV Ko/lo^ovtuv rd dorv (Herodot. i, 14) ; but this is no proof that the inhabitants then emigrated ; for Kolophon was a very flourishing and prosperous city afterwards. Justin (xx, 2) gives a case of sacrilegious massacre committed near the statue of Athene at Siris, which appears to be totally different from the tale respecting the Kolophonians. 4 Strabo, vi, p. 2G4. VOL. in. 17 25oc.
 * Herodot. viii, 62. 3 Strabo, >'i, p. 264.