La caduta di Sibari (510 a.C.) e le sue conseguenze politico/sociali : nuovi parametri interpretativi

The fall of Sybaris represents a pivotal event not only for Magna Graecia, but broadly for the whole Greek world. According to the traditional viewpoint, the disappear- ance of the city would have sparked an irreversible decline also in its territories, the so-called ‘Sybaritic empire’, both in demography and economic well-being. The current paper, stemming from the latest advances in theory and research, sets forth new interpretative parameters designed first how to read in a less linear fashion the relationship between a center and a periphery and then how to appreciate the post-destruction phase of a complex political system as a chance for change for previously lower-status groups and peripheral territories.