J + 11 : Elea - Trade is better than War

Elea is visible from far away - the medieval Tower was built over the Foundations of the Temple of Athena. The ancient Townwalls included about half the visible Ridge.

We are off to Velia today or Elea, as the ancient Greek called the town. It is a good two hours sailing north of our anchor place at Palinuro where we stayed overnight.

Bidding Farewell to our ancient Greek Harbour of Palinuro

Approaching Elea from the sea makes you understand why the Greek chose this place. Located on a long ridge, it is easy to defend and has plenty of fresh water. The bay to its south was also perfect for a port. Not surprisingly, the town florished as an agricultural and trading center. Within a few years of its foundation, it had 3'000 inhabititants. A few centuries into its existence, the size increased to almost 20'000 people when the town walls were expanded and covered 90 hectares! It was a truly successful town.

Elea's ancient Sea Gate - the Harbour was right in Front of the Town

Could not find out whether the original settlers from Phocaea, a town unde siege by the Persians, arrived directly or only after the Battle of Alalia (540 or 535 BC). Alalia was a small Greek settlement on Corsica's eastern coast. A Phoenician - Etruscan alliance evicted the Greek colonialists and they withdrew to Elea. Two bronze helmets from that naval battle were found last year under the Temple of Athena and are now exhibited in a small museum on Elea's former acropolis. The inscription that was found with these helmets makes interesting reading. It says that the Elean soldiers, having defeated their enemies, recast their swords and daggers and converted them into plows and domestic tools.

Bronze Helmets found 2025 under the Temple of Athena. They

are from the Battle of Alalia - Now in the Capella Palatina

Elea was right at the border of Etruscan influence and must have had a close relationship with them. But to this day, we know relatively little. There are no written Etruscan texts talking about the Greek. Greek literature is very sketchy and does not describe the Etruscans in any debt. It speculates about their origins (Herodotus 5th Century BC) but is silent about any details. Greeks were curious people. They wrote about other "barbarian" people in great length - but not so about Etruscans.

Athena Style Pottery made in Elea - probably for the Etruscan Market

From excavations and Etruscan tombs though we know that the relationship must have been close. Thousands of Athenian pottery pieces from around 500 BC were found on Etruscan sites - mass produced for the Etruscan market. Reversley, there are quite many Etrusan metal casts found in Greece. The Etruscans were masters in bronze casting - one of their most precious products were bronze trumpets which were in high demand in Greece. That the trade relationship between Greek and Etruscan people was close is further evidenced by their adoption of the Greek alphabet, viniculture and olive plantations

Velia's Acropolis today from a Drone. The Foundations of the Athena Temple are to the Left of the Angovian Tower built in the Middle Ages

It seems that Elea established a profitable relationship with its Etruscan neighbours once the war was settled. Elea continued to prosper under the Romans which renamed it Velia. But the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD and the silting of its port "killed" the town's business. The population dropped dramatically. For a while, Angovian Knights established themselves on the ancient acropolis and built a medieval castle. By 1600 AD, about 100 people still lived here.

This afternoon we are off to Agropoli, a town which owes its exitance to the silting of Paestum's port. But that is tomorrow's story.

Agropoli at Night from our Anchor Place