Potentia

This article deals with the ancient city in Lucania. For Potentia in the Picenum see Porto Recanati , for the Kia Potentia car model see Mazda 929 .

Coordinates: 40 ° 38 ′ 19.5 ″  N , 15 ° 48 ′ 15.1 ″  E

Potentia​

Italy

Potentia ( lat. "The mighty" ) is the name of an ancient city in Lucania , in the center of the Basilicata region . Their capital, Potenza, rises today on the remains of the ancient city. Topographically, Potentia is located on the upper reaches of the Basento, which flows into the Gulf of Taranto .

history

The Archaeological Museum (Museo Archeologico Provinciale) shows finds from the Basilicata region - starting from the Paleolithic through the time of the ancient Greek colonies, the Romans and Carthaginians to the rule of the Byzantines , Saracens and Normans .

According to archaeological finds, the ancient city of Potentia was founded before the 3rd century BC. Founded by Greeks or Lucanians. The settlement was under the influence of the Magna Graecia , Rome and Carthage . A local opponent was Venusia , founded only 50 km further north on the Via Appia .

In history, Potentia can be found for the first time in the Roman prefecture lists: Potentia , Grumentum and Atena were assigned to the tribe Pomptinla . With the introduction of Christianity in the Roman Empire, an early Christian community developed in this city too, which had its own bishop. Remnants of early Christian mosaic floors with motifs from the lives of important early Christian martyrs of the 3rd and 4th centuries can be found from this time . The life stories of Amandus and Gerald of Piacenza († 1119) are linked to the medieval diocese of Potenza, the latter later became the patron saint of the city and the new cathedral as San Gerardo .

Since the 5th century the southern part of the sinking Roman western empire has also been devastated by invading Germanic tribes. Around the year 568 Potentia was conquered by the Lombards and incorporated into their Duchy of Benevento . The last Lombard count is Rainolf , who ruled here until 1066.

See also

• Samnite Wars
• Elea , Herakleon , Paestum ,
• Matera , Province of Potenza .

literature

• Knaur's Historical World Atlas , 1994 London, 1996 Droemer Munich.
• Livy : Roman History , Eds. H. Hillen and J. Feix, Tusculum Collection, Darmstadt.

Web links

• http://www.aptbasilicata.it/modules.php?func=&name=potenzacap&newlang=deutsch
• History of Potentia (Italian)
• Website of the city of Potenza

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Annarita Di Noia: Potentia. La citta romana tra eta repubblicana e tardo antica . In: Consiglio regional della Basilicata (ed.): Documentation Regione . Potenza 2008, p. 152 .