Salapia

Topography

The first attestation of Salapia dates back to the 4th century BC with the toponym Salapia vetus, mentioned by Vitruvius, known among scholars as "pre-Roman Salapia". However, its foundation is certainly much earlier and is rooted in the myth of Diomedes, colonizer of the Adriatic, from which derives the toponym Elpia, cited by Strabo with reference to a location founded by Rhodians.

In the 1st century BC, it was refounded by Marcus Hostilius in the locality of Monte di Salpi. When the lagoon on which the city was situated became marshy, the inhabitants of Salapia requested and obtained permission to relocate about four miles away to a healthier area: thus the Roman Salapia came into being, whose name gradually evolved into Salpia and then Salpi.

Under this latter name, it is also recorded as an episcopal see from 314 to 1547, at which point the Diocese of Salpi was suppressed and its territory united with the Archdiocese of Trani.

Archaeological site

The archaeological site relating to the ancient city of Salapia is located in the southern part of the Tavoliere delle Puglie, a few kilometers northwest of Margherita di Savoia. It corresponds to Salapia vetus, mentioned in various literary sources, whose location, initially uncertain, was eventually identified in the locality of contrada Torretta dei Monaci through aerial photography and excavations carried out starting in 1967.

History

It has been hypothesized that the origins of the city date back to the end of the 10th century BC, within the context of the supposed migrations of Illyrian peoples from the Dalmatian coast to the Apulian coast. Based on evidence from archaeological investigations conducted in the 1970s, it was proposed—though this hypothesis is now largely superseded—that colonists from the Liburnian city of Nin transferred to the Apulian coast, where they found a similar lagoon environment to that from which they originated.

The city extended across three "peninsulas" projecting into the lagoon, and within an area of approximately 9 km² there were settlements, a necropolis, and spaces designated for pasture and cultivation, which were useful in times of war. The main inhabited nucleus was located on the largest peninsula and was defended from the hinterland by a bastion and a moat. Originally, Salapia was a fraction or colony of Canusium, the modern Canosa di Puglia.

Salapia, like other centers of Daunia, was organized as a city-state, in which power was held by a restricted oligarchy. Evidence of this political autonomy is provided by the minting of its own coinage, which frequently bore the names of the rulers of the time.

During the Second Punic War, Salapia was divided between two factions: a pro-Roman group led by Blattius and a pro-Carthaginian group headed by Dasius. The latter initially prevailed, to the extent that Hannibal resided for a long time in Salapia; there he had a relationship with a local woman, whom Pliny described as a prostitute, referring to the city as Oppidum Annibalis meretricio amore inclutum. Subsequently, Salapia decided to switch to the Roman side, expelling the Carthaginian garrison and returning to alliance with Rome in 210 BC. Hannibal attempted to enter the city through a stratagem in order to take revenge, but he was unsuccessful.

Later, Salapia was involved in the Social War, during which it was besieged by the praetor Gaius Cosconius, set on fire, and almost completely razed. …