Japyger

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The Japyger (from the Latin Iapydes, Greek Japyx) were a people, probably of Illyrian origin, who lived in the 1st millennium BC. BC populated today's Italian region of Apulia .

background

The Greek historian Herodotus already mentioned the land of Japygia in his writings. Japyger immigrated together with Pelasgians to the area later called Apulia. The name Iapudia first became Apudia and later Apulia through a sound shift (d → l). With the Italians the name became Puglia. Japyger, who lived in the 11th or 10th century BC. The local population was said to have migrated from the other side of the Adriatic to the region, merged with them and gave their origin to three peoples: in the north the Daunians or Apulians, in the middle the Peuketeers and in the south the Messapians .

Description according to Pliny

Cajus Plinius Secundus described that the Acra Japygia (Capo Santa Maria di Leuca ) is located as a promontory where Italy extends farthest into the sea. There the Ionian separates from the Adriatic Sea and a crossing is possible from here to Apollonia (Pelina) in Greece. He also speaks of a river called Japyx, which is named after a king and son of Daidalos . The name of the country Japygia is derived from this.

The first city founded by the Japygians was Oria in the province of Brindisi . 466 BC Chr. They defeated the Greek city of Taranto .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Ekkehart Rotter, Christin Löchel: Apulien. Byzantine grotto churches, Norman cathedrals, Staufer castles, Lecce Baroque. DuMont, Cologne 2000, ISBN 3-770-14314-0 . ( online, p. 26 )
  2. ^ Massimo Pallottino : Italy before Roman times . Translated from the Italian by Stephan Steingräber . Munich: Verlag CH Beck, 1987, p. 116; Original edition: Storia della prima Italia . Rusconi Libri, Milan 1984
  3. Pliny the Elder, translated by Georg Christian Wittstein: The natural history of Cajus Plinius Secundus. Translated into German and annotated. Gressner & Schramm, Leipzig 1881-1882, OCLC 442009509 . ( online, pp. 266/267. )
  4. ^ Rudolf Heinrich Klausen: Aeneas and the Penates. The Italian folk religions under the influence of the Greek. F. and A. Perthes, Hamburg 1839-1840, OCLC 4144007 . ( online, p. 446. )