Oenotrians

The Oenotrians were an ancient Italic people who settled a territory of remarkably large dimensions, including the region of Basilicata and the northern part of the region of Calabria in southern Italy. The Oenotrians arrived there at the beginning of the Iron Age (XI century BC) from Illyria through the Otranto Channel together with other people of the same ethnic group. According to Antoninus Liberalis their arrival triggered the migration of the Elymians to Sicily. The settlement of the Greeks with the first stable colonies such as Metaponto, founded on a native one (Metabon), pushed the Oenotrians inland. From these positions a "wear and tear war" was started off with the Greek colonies, which they plundered more than once. From the 5th century BC onwards they disappeared under the pressure of the Sabellian people. The term "Oenotrian" comes perhaps from Greek "oinos" (wine) that, rather than for the people, was significant for the territory rich in wineyards (Oenotria=land of the wine, often referred to all of Southern Italy).