ALE´RIA
ALE´RIA or
ALA´LIA (
Ἀλαλίη, Herod.;
Ἀλλαλία,
Steph. B. sub voce Ἀλερία, Ptol.:
Ἀλλαλιαῖος,
Steph. B. sub voce one of the chief cities of Corsica, situated on the E. coast of the island, near the mouth of the river Rhotanus (
Tavignano).
It was originally a Greek colony, founded about B.C. 564, by the Phocaeans of Ionia. Twenty years later, when the parent city was captured by Harpagus, a large portion of its inhabitants repaired to their colony of Alalia, where they dwelt for five years, but their piratical conduct involved them in hostilities with the Tyrrhenians and Carthaginians; and in a great sea-fight with the combined fleets of these two nations they suffered such heavy loss, as induced them to abandon the island, and repair to the S. of Italy, where they ultimately established themselves at Velia in Lucania. (
Hdt. 1.165-
167;
Steph. B. sub voce Diod. 5.13, where
Κάλαρις is evidently a corrupt reading for
Ἀλαπία.) No further mention is found of the Greek colony, but the city appears again, under the Roman form of the name, Aleria, during the first Punic war, when it was captured by the Roman fleet under L. Scipio, in B.C. 259, an event which led to the submission of the whole island, and was deemed worthy to be expressly mentioned in his epitaph. (
Zonar. 8.11;
Flor. 2.2; Orell.
Inscr. no. 552.)
It subsequently received a Roman colony under the dictator Sulla, and appears to have retained its colonial rank, and continued to be one of the chief cities of Corsica under the Roman Empire. (
Plin. Nat. 3.6. s. 12; Mela, 2.7;
Diod. 5.13; Seneca,
Cons. ad Helv. 8;
Ptol. 3.2.5; Itin. Ant. p. 85.)
Its ruins are still visible near the south bank of the river
Tavignano: they are now above half a
[p. 1.95]mile from the coast, though it was in the Roman times a seaport.
[
E.H.B]
