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territory. These peaks would also have been visible from a great distance at sea,
providing a landmark by which to navigate (Fig. 8). 16 Timber coming from the Calabrian
forests represented an enormous reserve of building material for local shipyards. Rivers
carried logs downstream to harbors and eventually to the sea. Pitch, the pix bruttia so
famous in Roman times, was particularly useful for waterproofing ships’ hulls, for
coating amphoras, for medical purposes, and even as a depilatory for men. 17 The
maritime colonies represented trade terminals for these natural resources, which
provided an economic backbone of prosperity for the Greek and Roman cities.
Virgil twice describes the mountains of Sila using the adjectives ingens (vast,
mighty) and magna (great), to give an idea of their size and extension. 18 Dionysius of
Halicarnassus describes the forests of Calabria as so rich in fir, black poplar, pine, beech,
oak, and ash trees that their “densely-intertwined branches keep the mountain in shadow
throughout the whole day.” 19 He was also well aware of their relevance for the activity of
ancient shipyards, which were presumably located on the coast. Dionysius indeed wrote
of the mountains’ timber:
16 Principe 1974, p.16. The formula for computing theoretical sighting distances at sea is
D = 2.2 (√h + √H) where D is the distance, and h and H are the respective altitudes of the observer’s
height and the observed height. From the deck of a ship, at a height of 3 m above water's surface, in theory
a sailor could see Calabria’s Pollino mountain (2,271 m) from a distance of 108 nautical miles (200 km),
and the mountains of Sila (1,928 m) from 100 nautical miles (185 km). However, to see these long
distances from sea level is quite difficult in the Mediterranean due to haze at sea, Saharan dust, and windblown
dirt held in suspension by steady high pressure systems in summer. Average visibility is typically
restricted to less than 11 nautical miles, often less, and only rarely is it sufficiently clear to see 30 nautical
miles. In optimal conditions, then, Calabria’s mountains were visible from no more than 30 nautical miles
(ca. 55 km) at sea, and often much less (D. Davis, personal communication; Bowditch 2002, 56-7).
17 Plin. H 14.25.123; 14.25.127; 16.22.53; 24.23.37.
18 Verg. Aen. 12.715-7; Verg. G. 3.219.
19 Dion. Hal. Antiquitates Romanae 20.15.1.
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