Locri Epizephyrii (
Part of The Encyclopedia of Southern Italy.
Locri Epizephyrii (Lokroi Epizephyrioi): A city of ancient Bruttium. During the 7th century BC, a colony was established by Opuntian Greeks from Lokri on a site 85 km NE of modern Reggio Calabria. This city was the site where the lawgiver Zaleucus created what is often thought to be the earliest written Greek law code. The governement supported by this constutution was a hereditary oligarchic in nature.
Once securely established the Locrians began to send out their own colonies in the 6th century BC. These colonies, medma, Hipponium, and Metaurus, never attained any real level of independence, remaining largely dependent on Locri throughout their history. Politically, Locri was closely allied with Syracuse and supported the latter during the Athenian expedition of 415-13 BC. They provided aid to Dionysius I during his operations in southern Italy. In 356 BC, after giving asylum to Dionysius II, it was seized by him for a time. After Dionysius returned to Syracuse, the Locrians regained control of their city and brutally killed Dionysius’s family who had remained there. A constitutional government was reestablished. From 280 to 270 BC, Locri established an alliance with Pyrrhus, donating treasure from their sanctuary of Zeus to finance his campaigns. After Pyrrhus withdrew from Italy, Locri formed an alliance with Rome which continued until the Secord Punic War. In 214 BC, the Locrians threw their support to Hannibal until, in 208 BC, control of the city was siezed by a pro-Roman faction. This allowed the city to escape severe reprisal when Rome emerged victorious. For several centuries under the Romans, Locri flourished as a municipium. It was only as the empire declined that Lorci began to suffer. During the 5th century AD the ancient city was finally abandoned.