Arpi (), Argyrippa (), and Argos Hippium () was an ancient city of

Apulia Apulia ( ), also known by its Italian language, Italian name Puglia (), is a Regions of Italy, region of Italy, located in the Southern Italy, southern peninsular section of the country, bordering the Adriatic Sea to the east, the Strait of Ot ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, 16 miles (26 km) west of the sea coast, and 2 miles (3.5 km) north of modern

Foggia Foggia (, ; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) of Apulia, in Southern Italy, capital of the province of Foggia. In 2013, its population was 153,143. Foggia is the main city of a plain called Tavoliere delle Puglie, Tavoliere, also know ...

(next to the modern Arpi Nova). The first name was Argos Hippium then Argyrippa and later Arpi.Strabo, Geography, §6.3.9
/ref> Legend attributes Arpi's foundation to

Diomedes Diomedes (Jones, Daniel; Roach, Peter, James Hartman and Jane Setter, eds. ''Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary''. 17th edition. Cambridge UP, 2006.) or Diomede (; ) is a hero in Greek mythology, known for his participation in the Trojan ...

, and the figure of a horse, which appears on its coins, shows the importance of horse-breeding in early times in the district. Its territory extended to the sea, and

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 ...

says that from the extent of the city walls one could gather that it had once been one of the greatest cities of

Arpi Apulia monnaie bronze Zeus Sanglier lance

As a protection against the

Samnites The Samnites () were an ancient Italic peoples, Italic people who lived in Samnium, which is located in modern inland Abruzzo, Molise, and Campania in south-central Italy. An Oscan language, Oscan-speaking Osci, people, who originated as an offsh ...

, Arpi became an ally of

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

. In the war with Pyrrhus, the Arpani aided Rome with a contingent of 4000 foot and 400 horse. Arpi remained faithful to Rome until Rome's defeat at the

battle of Cannae The Battle of Cannae (; ) was a key engagement of the Second Punic War between the Roman Republic and Ancient Carthage, Carthage, fought on 2 August 216 BC near the ancient village of Cannae in Apulia, southeast Italy. The Carthaginians and ...

, but the consul Quintus Fabius Maximus, son of the famous Roman dictator Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus, captured it in 213 B.C., and it never recovered its former importance. No Roman inscriptions have, indeed, been found here. Foggia is its medieval representative. Arpi today consists of a huge D-shaped enclosure, which abuts the Torrente Celone, and is visible both on the ground—as a still upstanding rampart—and in aerial photographs. Its extent was rediscovered by the British archaeologist John Bradford. Between 2005 and 2008, it was the subject of extensive surface finds survey by the UCL Institute of Archaeology Tavoliere-Gargano Prehistory Project, which showed its surface to be littered with Iron Age pottery.

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* * Cities and towns in Apulia Populated places in ancient Apulia {{Apulia-geo-stub