Metapontion

Abstract

Metapontion was founded c. 630, about a century after its neighbors Taras and Sybaris; it soon became known for the abundance of its grain production. Although textual sources for Metapontion are scarce, the archaeological record is extraordinarily full and offers particular insight into the diachronic development of the chōra, including a massive flood control and land improvement program carried out in the sixth century. The evidence from Metapontion allows us to see, in more detail than almost any other place, a dominant feature of life in ancient Greece: agricultural activity outside the main urban center.