Agathyrnum
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Date: 19/01/2022

Agathyrnum, by Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki?curid=10097044 / CC BY SA 3.0

#Ancient_cities_in_Sicily
#Ruins_in_Italy
#Former_populated_places_in_Italy
#Colonies_of_Magna_Graecia
#Ancient_Greek_world_stubs
#Sicily_geography_stubs
Agathyrnum or Agathyrna （Ancient Greek: Ἀγάθυρνα and Ἀγάθυρνον）, was an ancient city on the north coast of Sicily between Tyndaris and Calacte.
It was supposed to have derived its name from Agathyrnus （Ancient Greek: Ἀγάθυρνος）, a son of Aeolus, who is said to have founded the city.
But though it may be inferred from this story that it was an ancient city, and probably of Spartan origin （as a colony of the very near town of Demenna）, we find no mention of it in history until after Sicily became a Roman province.
During the Second Punic War it became the headquarters of a band of robbers and freebooters, who extended their ravages over the neighboring country, but were reduced by the consul Laevinus in 210 BCE, who transported 4000 of them to Rhegium.
It very probably was deprived on this occasion of the municipal rights conceded to most of the Sicilian towns, which may account for our finding no notice of it in Cicero,
though it is mentioned by Strabo among the few cities still subsisting on the north coast of Sicily, as well as afterwards by Pliny, Ptolemy and the Itineraries.
Scholars favor the placement of Agathyrna near Capo d'Orlando or Sant'Agata di Militello.
However, in the past Agathyrna's situation had been much disputed, on account of the great discrepancy between the ancient authorities just cited.
Strabo places it 30 Roman miles from Tyndaris, and the same distance from Alaesa.
The Itinerary gives 28 M. P. from Tyndaris and 20 from Calacte: while the Tabula （of which the numbers seem to be more trustworthy for this part of Sicily than those of the Itinerary） gives 29 from Tyndaris, and only 12 from Calacte.
If this last measurement be supposed correct it would exactly coincide with the distance from Caronia （Calacte） ...