Molpa (ancient city)
The ancient city of Molpa was a Greek colonial city (like Poseidonia (today Paestum), Elea (Velia) and Pixunte), founded around the 6th century BC. It was located near Palinuro (Italy, Cilento region , ancient Lucania ). The name has been preserved with the Castello di Molpa (medieval castle from the 15th century, now derelict).
Surname
The name could be derived from the Greek word molpaios (Gr. Μολπαῖος ; belonging to the song). A tourist site writes:
- Molpa was considered to be the home of the sirens , the sea goddesses with women's heads and fish tails. In the Odyssey it is said that Odysseus let his companions plug their ears while he himself had himself tied to the mast of his ship so that he could pass the cliff safely. In grief over this, Molpea, one of the sirens, turned into a rock. The sirens, who embroidered the sailors with their magical songs, are immortalized in the rocks smoothed by the sea water.
location
The strategic geographical location on the Mingardo and Lambro rivers was appreciated by the Lucanians and Oenotrians , as well as by the Greeks and Romans. The close connection with Palinouros in particular can be seen in the coins with the embossing PAL and MOL (PAL for Palinouros and MOL for Molpa).
Among the ruins of Molpa Castle is the Grotta delle Ossa (Bone Grotto ), a grotto with stalagmites and stalactites that must have served as a safe haven for the prehistoric Quaternary inhabitants , as the stone weapons and bone fragments of humans and animals attest.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from April 29, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Gulf of Naples and Campania: three thousand years of art and culture in the heart of southern Italy , Christoph Höcker, DuMont Reiseverlag, 2004, page 273, ISBN 3-7701-3990-9
- ↑ http://www.marbellaclub.it/eng/palinuro.html ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ http://www.campaniadiqualita.com/deu/guide/guida_natura.pdf ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
