The Sele is a

river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

in southwestern

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 ...

. Originating from the

Monti Picentini image:Monti Picentini.jpg, 300px, Rocky limestone landscape in the monti Picentini. The Monti Picentini is a mountain range and national park in southern Italy, part of the Apennines, traditionally part in the Campanian Apennines. They are includ ...

Caposele Caposele (Irpino: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Avellino, Campania, Italy. The town was seriously damaged by the 1980 Irpinia earthquake. It borders with Calabritto, Bagnoli Irpino, Lioni, Teora, Conza della Campania, Castelnuo ...

,Meaning "top of the Sele" it flows through the region of

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 ...

, in the provinces of

Salerno Salerno (, ; ; ) is an ancient city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Campania, southwestern Italy, and is the capital of the namesake province, being the second largest city in the region by number of inhabitants, after Naples. It is located ...

and

Avellino Avellino () is a city and ''comune'', capital of the province of Avellino in the Campania region of southern Italy. It is situated in a plain surrounded by mountains east of Naples and is an important hub on the road from Salerno to Benevento. ...

. Its mouth is in the

Gulf of Salerno The Gulf of Salerno (Italian language, Italian: ''Golfo di Salerno'') is a gulf of the Tyrrhenian Sea in the coast of the province of Salerno in south-western Italy. The northern part of this coast is the Costiera Amalfitana, which ends at Punt ...

, on the

Tyrrhenian Sea The Tyrrhenian Sea (, ; or ) , , , , is part of the Mediterranean Sea off the western coast of Italy. It is named for the Tyrrhenians, Tyrrhenian people identified with the Etruscans of Italy. Geography The sea is bounded by the islands of C ...

, at the borders between the municipalities of

Eboli Eboli (Neapolitan language, Ebolitano: ) is a town and ''comune'' of Campania, southern Italy, in the province of Salerno. Eboli, an agricultural centre, is renowned for its olive oil and dairy products, most notably the famous buffalo mozzarel ...

and

Capaccio Capaccio is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Julius Capaccio (1552–1634), Italian humanist *Mike Capaccio Mike Capaccio (born December 17, 1957) is an American athletics administrator, currently serving as athletic directo ...

(not too far from

Paestum Paestum ( , , ) was a major Ancient Greece, ancient Greek city on the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea, in Magna Graecia. The ruins of Paestum are famous for their three ancient Greek temples in the Doric order dating from about 550 to 450 BCE that ...

), in the beginning point of

Cilentan Coast The Cilento Coast (Italian: ''Costiera Cilentana'') is an Italian stretch of coastline in Cilento, on the southern side of the Province of Salerno. It is situated between the gulfs of Salerno and Policastro, extending from the municipalities o ...

History

The important Greek site of

Foce del Sele The Heraion at Foce del Sele (English "Heraion at the mouth of the Sele (river), River Sele") is an archaeological site consisting of an Ancient Greek sanctuary complex dedicated to the goddess Hera in what was Magna Graecia. When built, the ...

, a sanctuary complex dedicated to the goddess

Hera In ancient Greek religion, Hera (; ; in Ionic Greek, Ionic and Homeric Greek) is the goddess of marriage, women, and family, and the protector of women during childbirth. In Greek mythology, she is queen of the twelve Olympians and Mount Oly ...

, is at the ancient mouth of the river, though little remains on the site; the

relief Relief is a sculpture, sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''wikt:relief, relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give ...

frieze In classical architecture, the frieze is the wide central section of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic order, Ionic or Corinthian order, Corinthian orders, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Patera (architecture), Paterae are also ...

s and other finds are now in the museum at Paestum. At this period the Sele represented the border of the Greek and Etruscan zones of influence along the coast.

Hydrography

In terms of average water discharge of southern Italian rivers, it is second only to the

Volturno The Volturno (ancient Latin name Volturnus, from ''volvere'', to roll) is a river in south-central Italy. Geography It rises in the Abruzzese central Apennines of Samnium near Castel San Vincenzo (province of Isernia, Molise) and flows southe ...

. Its main tributaries are the

Tanagro The Tanagro (''Tanàgro'') or Negro is a river of the Province of Salerno, southwestern Italy. It rises in the Vallo di Diano and is a tributary of the Sele River. In ancient times it was known as ''Tanager''. Overview From the origin to the mou ...

, the

Calore Lucano The Calore Lucano (or ''Calore Salernitano'') is a river in Campania, southern Italy, whose course is entirely included in the province of Salerno, within Cilento, for a total of about . It is an important left tributary of the Sele. In ancient t ...

and the

Tenza Tenza () is a town and municipality in the subregion of the Eastern Boyacá Province of the Colombian department Boyacá. Tenza borders La Capilla and Pachavita in the north, in the east the department of Cundinamarca, in the south with Sutat ...

. In ancient times it was known as Silarus. This river is the location of the

battle of the Silarus The Battle of the Silarus was fought in 212 BC between Hannibal's army and a Roman force led by centurion Marcus Centenius Penula. The Carthaginians were victorious, destroying the entire Roman army and killing 15,000 Roman soldiers in the pro ...

in which Hannibal won a major victory over the Romans, and it is also the place of the battle in which

Spartacus Spartacus (; ) was a Thracians, Thracian gladiator (Thraex) who was one of the Slavery in ancient Rome, escaped slave leaders in the Third Servile War, a major Slave rebellion, slave uprising against the Roman Republic. Historical accounts o ...

and his rebellion was defeated by

Marcus Licinius Crassus Marcus Licinius Crassus (; 115–53 BC) was a ancient Rome, Roman general and statesman who played a key role in the transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire. He is often called "the richest man in Rome".Wallechinsky, Da ...

and his legions.

Geography

The municipalities crossed by the river, from the mouth to the origin, are

Albanella Albanella is a town and municipality () in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. It is from the city of Salerno. The town slogan is "The Land of the Olive Trees" (). Olive oil is one of the principal products o ...

, Serre,

Campagna Campagna (Italian: ) is a small town and ''comune'' of the province of Salerno, in the Campania region of Southern Italy. Its population is 17,148. Its old Latin name was Civitas Campaniae (City of Campagna). Campagna is located in one of the ...

Contursi Terme Contursi Terme ( Contursano: ) is a village and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. Early history No secure identification of Contursi Terme, where ancient remains confirm a settlement at the conf ...

Oliveto Citra Oliveto Citra (Neapolitan language, Campanian: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. It is located by road northeast of Salerno. As of 2016, the comune had 3,802 inhabitants and cover ...

Colliano Colliano (Campanian: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. The name is likely related to the Italian word, ''collinare'', which means hill top. History Geography The municipality b ...

, Senerchia, Valva,

Calabritto Calabritto (Irpino: ) is an Italian town and a commune in the province of Avellino, Campania, Italy. It occupies a hilly-mountainous area at the eastern tip of the Monti Picentini range, in the upper Sele valley. Geography Calabritto is a small to ...

and

. Despite its name, ''

demonym A demonym (; ) or 'gentilic' () is a word that identifies a group of people ( inhabitants, residents, natives) in relation to a particular place. Demonyms are usually derived from the name of the place ( hamlet, village, town, city, region, ...

'' of the river, the municipality of Altavilla Silentina is not crossed by Sele.

References

External links

{{Authority control Rivers of the Province of Avellino Rivers of the Province of Salerno Cilento Rivers of Italy Drainage basins of the Tyrrhenian Sea