428 STRABO. CASATJB. 281. commodious for their meetings, should be properly fortified for their reception. And indeed they say that the misfortune l of that prince was chiefly due to a want of good feeling on their part. They were deprived of their liberty during the wars 2 of Hannibal, but have since received a Roman colony, 3 and now live in peace and are in a more prosperous state than ever. They also engaged in war with the Messapii concerning Heraclea, when they counted the kings of the Daunii and of the Peucetii as allies. 4 5. The remainder of the country of the lapygii is very fair, notwithstanding unfavourable appearances ; for although, for the most part, it appears rugged, yet when it is broken up the soil is found to be deep ; and although it lacks water, yet it appears well-suited for pasture, and is furnished with trees. At one time it was thickly inhabited throughout its whole extent, and possessed thirteen cities, but now it is so depopu- lated that, with the exception of Tarentum and Brentesium, 5 they only deserve the name of hamlets. They say that the Salentini are a colony of Cretans. Here is the temple of Minerva, 6 which formerly was rich, and the rock called Acra lapygia, 7 which juts out far into the sea towards the rising of the sun in winter, 8 and turning, as it were, towards of the small river Calandro, which discharges itself into the sea a little below Capo di Roseto, bears some affinity to the river Acalandrus men- tioned by Strabo. However, some have thought it identical with the Salandrella and the Fiume di Roseto, while Cluverius was of opinion that we should here read KvXivrapvog instead of 'AicdXavdpog, and iden- tify it with the modern Racanello. 1 326 B. c. 2 209 B. c. 3 124 B. c.
- Some suspect this last sentence to be an interpolation ; certain it is
that there is great difficulty in finding a time to correspond with all the circumstances contained in it. According to M. Heyne, this war must have taken place 474 B. c., but then Heraclea was not founded till 436 B. c. It seems too that the people of lapygia had kings as late as 480 B. c. 5 Brundusium, now Brindisi. ' Castro. This temple is now changed into the church of Sancta Maria in finibus terrae. See Capmart. de Chaupy, torn. iii. page 529. 7 Capo di Leuca. Pliny, lib. iii. cap. 11, says, Inde promontorium quod Acran lapygian vocant, quo longissime in maria procurrit Italia. The Promontorium lapygium, or Sallentinum, presented a conspicuous landmark to mariners sailing from Greece to Sicily. The fleets of Athens, after passing the Peloponnesus, are represented on this passage as usually making for Corcyra, from whence they steered straight across to the promontory, and then coasted along the south of Italy for the remainder of the voyage. 8 The south-east.
