Scattered Fragments of a Western Iliupersis. The Ghost of Sybaris in Herodotus’ Histories

Herodotus 5.44-45 is one of the most authoritative sources for the defeat and capture of Sybaris by Croton in 510 B.C., a traumatic event that marked a profound rupture in Magna Graecia in the Late Archaic period. Herodotus' narrative, because of the way in which it is presented and the events in which it is framed, has given rise to much historical and historiographical debate. But, Sybaris, framed here at the time of its collapse, also appears in Herodotus' pages with reference to the season of its greatest flowering (6.127). The present work aims to combine a detailed study of Herodotus' text, examining the above passages and a few others from his Sixth Book that refer to Sybaris, with the documentary picture of the Achaean city and its so-called ‘empire’ that has become increasingly consistent, especially through non-literary evidence. The aim is to clarify the framework of the historical evidence on Sybaris collected by the historian and the perspective in which it must be seen. This study will allow, on the one hand, to reconsider the critical positions that some scholars have expressed on the historical consistency of the fame, wealth, and power of Sybaris in the Archaic period and, on the other hand, to reflect on how the fate of Sybaris fits into the context of the narrative of Herodotus' Fifth Book.