In the Battle of the Sagra River, the earliest known battle fought at a river in southern Italy, the army of Locri Epizephyrii (with the support of Rhegion) defeated superior forces of Kroton. This was one of the most salient events in the history of Magna Graecia before the fall of Sybaris in 510 BC. Its significance was magnified throughout the Greek world as an upset victory achieved through supernatural intervention: the Dioscuri were said to have come from Sparta to aid the Locrians. However, no primary sources about this conflict have survived and nothing is known about the topography of the battle.

Locri Epizephiri, a city-state on the Ionian Sea, established settlements on the Tyrrhenian coast and routes across the peninsula of Calabria. Although some scholars have questioned the importance of land routes over the peninsula, this study indicates these itineraries were vital, particularly during the Classical period when Locri came into conflict with Rhegium, master of the Straits of Messina. This study examines Locri’s struggles for supremacy of the Tyrrhenian coast and investigates the major routes in Locri’s territory between the Ionian and Tyrrhenian seas. Much evidence for the itineraries is from the authors’ explorations on the ground in Calabria.