Founded around 730 BC and destroyed by the Krotons in 510 BC, Sybaris was rebuilt twice: once as Thurii by the Greeks in 444 BC, and again in 194 BC by the Romans, who called it Copia. Prehistoric artefacts and evidence of all three cities are displayed at this important (if under patronised) museum, 5km southeast of the modern beach resort of Sibari. The nearby archaeological park has been affected by flooding in the past: check ahead to ensure it's open.
Such was the wealth of Sybaris in the 7th and 6th centuries BC, when it had a population in excess of 100,000 and dominated numerous tributary city states, that its citizens became a byword for hedonism and excess. This reputation is preserved in the modern words 'sybaritic' and 'sybarite'.
