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Croton who discovered three of the five marble carriers under discussion here,
reported seeing some stone walls in the middle of the sea, at a distance of 1.6 km
from the castle. 49
Comparing the written sources with the nautical charts and archaeological data, it
appears that the coastline of Calabria, both in Caulonia and Croton, has changed
profoundly since antiquity. It is, therefore, likely that in antiquity the coastline extended
more into the open sea and sharp rocks were closer to the water’s surface than they are
today, presenting an even greater danger for sailors in the third century A.D, when the
Punta Scifo A merchantman was lost.
The Coastline in Antiquity: A Possible Reconstruction
Based on the evidence presented thus far, it is possible to assume that Greek and
Roman sailors would have encountered natural settings quite different from those today:
centuries of wars, depopulation, deforestation, malaria, floods and high sedimentation
have silted ancient harbors and changed drastically the demographic and morphological
appearance of the Calabrian shore. There can be little doubt that cities such as Locri
Epizephyri, Sybaris, and Caulonia had maritime facilities, which at present are covered
by a thick layer of debris and sediments deposited by local rivers.
The ancient writers refer repeatedly to the harbors of Locri Epizephyri and
Sybaris, renamed Thurii in 443 B.C. when Athens led a Panhellenic expedition to
49 Il Crotonese 8-10 September 1992, 65, 5.
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