The Sinni (
Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
: Siris or Semnus;
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
: or ) is a 94 km long river in the
Basilicata
Basilicata (, ; ), also known by its ancient name Lucania (, , ), is an administrative region in Southern Italy, bordering on Campania to the west, Apulia to the north and east, and Calabria to the south. It has two coastlines: a 30-kilometr ...
region of
southern Italy
Southern Italy (, , or , ; ; ), also known as () or (; ; ; ), is a macroregion of Italy consisting of its southern Regions of Italy, regions.
The term "" today mostly refers to the regions that are associated with the people, lands or cultu ...
. In antiquity, the city of
Siris lay at its mouth. Near the town of
Senise, a dam on the river was built in 1970-1982, the largest in Europe built with earth. In correspondence of it, it forms the , one of the largest artificial basins in Italy.
Geography
The source of the river is in the
Lucan Apennines west of
Castelsaraceno and south of
Moliterno in the
province of Potenza
The province of Potenza (; Potentino: ) is a province in the Basilicata region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Potenza.
Geography
It has an area of and a total population of 369,538 (as of 2017). There are 100 ''comuni'' (singular: ''com ...
.
The river flows south before curving eastward near Monte la Spina. It flows near
Latronico before entering the
Parco Nazionale del Pollino. The river is joined by a right tributary near
Francavilla in Sinni before flowing into Lago di Monte Cotugno. The river exits the lake and forms the border between the province of Potenza and the
province of Matera
The province of Matera (; Materano: ) is a province in the Basilicata region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Matera. It has an area of and a total population of 201,133; the city of Matera has a population of 61,204. The province contains ...
for a short distance before entering the province of Matera. The Sarmento River flows into the Sinni as a right tributary at the point where the Sinni leaves the Parco Nazionale del Pollino. The Sinni curves northeast and flows near
Colobraro and
Valsinni before curving southeast and finally flowing into the
Gulf of Taranto
The Gulf of Taranto (; Tarantino: ; ) is a gulf of the Ionian Sea, in Southern Italy.
The Gulf of Taranto is almost square, long and wide, making it the largest gulf in Italy, and it is delimited by the capes Santa Maria di Leuca (to the eas ...
south of
Policoro
Policoro ( Lucano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Matera, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. With some 18,000 inhabitants, is bounded by the towns of Rotondella, Scanzano Jonico and Tursi. Situated on the coast, i ...
.
History
The river Siris is mentioned by
Lycophron
Lycophron ( ; ; born about 330–325 BC) was a Hellenistic Greek tragic poet, grammarian, and commentator on comedy, to whom the poem ''Alexandra'' is attributed (perhaps falsely).
Life and miscellaneous works
He was born at Chalcis in Euboea, a ...
(''Alex.'' 982), as well as by
Archilochus
Archilochus (; ''Arkhílokhos''; 680 – c. 645 BC) was a Iambus (genre) , iambic poet of the Archaic Greece, Archaic period from the island of Paros. He is celebrated for his versatile and innovative use of poetic meters, and is the earliest ...
(ap. Athen. xii. p. 523); but the former author calls it , and its modern name of Sinno would seem to be derived from an ancient period; for we find mention in the
Tabula Peutingeriana
' (Latin Language, Latin for 'The Peutinger Map'), also known as Peutinger's Tabula, Peutinger tablesJames Strong (theologian) , James Strong and John McClintock (theologian) , John McClintock (1880)"Eleutheropolis" In: ''The Cyclopedia of Bibli ...
of a station 4 miles from
Heracleia, the name of which is written ''Semnum'', probably a corruption for ''Ad Simnum'' or ''Sinnum''. The Siris and Aciris (modern
Agri) are mentioned in conjunction by
Pliny as well as by
Strabo
Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo, Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-si ...
, and are two of the most considerable streams in
Lucania
Lucania was a historical region of Southern Italy, corresponding to the modern-day region of Basilicata. It was the land of the Lucani, an Oscan people. It extended from the Tyrrhenian Sea to the Gulf of Taranto. It bordered with Samnium and ...
. (Plin. iii. 11. s. 15; Strab. vi. p. 264.) The name of the former river is noticed also in connection with the first great battle between
Pyrrhus and the
Romans, 280 BCE, which was fought upon its banks (
Plut. ''Pyrrh.'' 16). It has been confounded by
Florus
Three main sets of works are attributed to Florus (a Roman cognomen): ''Virgilius orator an poeta'', the ''Epitome of Roman History'' and a collection of 14 short poems (66 lines in all). As to whether these were composed by the same person, or ...
and
Orosius
Paulus Orosius (; born 375/385 – 420 AD), less often Paul Orosius in English, was a Roman priest, historian and theologian, and a student of Augustine of Hippo. It is possible that he was born in '' Bracara Augusta'' (now Braga, Portugal), ...
with the
Liri
The Liri (Latin Liris or Lyris, previously, Clanis; Greek: ) is one of the principal rivers of central Italy, flowing into the Tyrrhenian Sea a little below Minturno under the name Garigliano.
Source and route
The Liri's source is in the ...
in
Campania
Campania is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy located in Southern Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian Peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea to its west), but it also includes the small Phlegraean Islan ...
. (Flor. i. 18. § 7; Oros. iv. 1.)
References
*
External links
{{Authority control
Drainage basins of the Ionian Sea
Rivers of the Province of Potenza
Rivers of the Province of Matera
Rivers of Italy
Braided rivers in Italy