Tauriana

Tauriana or Taureana was an ancient city located in present Palmi, Reggio Calabria province [1]. The city stood 1 km south of the river Metauros (probably Petrace) on the north-western Tyrrhenian coast and in ancient Greek times marked the border of Rhegion (Reggio Calabria) territory facing that of Locri [1]. Its territory was adjacent to the city of Metauros, founded in the 7th century BC near the mouth of the river of the same name [1]. The location of the territory was strategic, almost at the entrance to the Messina Strait which favoured maritime trade routes to the Aeolian archipelago and the north-eastern coast of Sicily [1]. During the 2nd Punic War (218–201 BC) it had rebelled but subsequently returned to the protection of Rome [1]. Research conducted since the mid-1990s has exposed a town dating between the second half of the 4th and the 1st century BC with road axes, houses, drainage channels, dolia for foodstuffs [1].