Daunia
Encyclopedia
The Daunia is a historical and geographical region in Apulia
, southern Italy
, mostly coincident with modern Province of Foggia
. In ancient times, together with Peucetia
and Messapia
it formed the Iapygia
.
(11th-10th centuries BC), Illyrian populations from the eastern Adriatic arrived in Apulia
probably using the narrow stretch of water between Albania
and Italy
. The Illyrians in Italy created the Iapygian civilization, which consisted of three tribes: Peucetia
, Messapi and the Dauni.
It differentiated from the two other regions inhabited by the Yapiges by its relative distance from the Greek colonies, from which it had less connections. Having been also less influenced by the Campanian civilization, it had thus a more peculiar culture, featuring in particular the Daunian stele
s, a series of funerary monuments sculpted in the 7th-6th centuries BC in the plain south of Siponto
, and now housed in the National Museum of that city. Particularly striking is Daunian pottery
(as yet little studied) which begins with geometric patterning but which eventually includes crude human, bird and plant figures.
The main Daunian centers were Teanum Apulum (within the modern San Paolo di Civitate
),
Uria
, Casone, Lucera
, Merinum (Vieste
), Monte Saraceno (near Mattinata
), Siponto
, Coppa Navigata, Cupola, Salapia (near Cerignola
and Manfredonia
), Arpi (near Foggia
), Aecae (near Troia), Vibinum (Bovino
), Castelluccio dei Sauri
, Herdonia (Ordona
), Ausculum (Ascoli Satriano
), Ripalta (near Cerignola), Canosa di Puglia, Melfi
, Lavello
and Venosa
.
Apulia
Apulia is a region in Southern Italy bordering the Adriatic Sea in the east, the Ionian Sea to the southeast, and the Strait of Òtranto and Gulf of Taranto in the south. Its most southern portion, known as Salento peninsula, forms a high heel on the "boot" of Italy. The region comprises , and...
, southern Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, mostly coincident with modern Province of Foggia
Province of Foggia
The Province of Foggia is a province in the Apulia region of Italy.This province is also known as Capitanata, originally Catapanata, because during the Middle Ages it was governed by a catapan, as part of the Catapanate of Italy...
. In ancient times, together with Peucetia
Peucetia
Peucetia is a genus of lynx spiders that is found worldwide.While P. viridana is found only in India and Myanmar, the similar named P. viridans occurs only from the southern USA to Venezuela....
and Messapia
Messapia
Messapia may refer to:* The ancient region occupied by the extinct Messapii tribe* The modern region of Salento, roughly equivalent to the ancient region* Messapia, Greece...
it formed the Iapygia
Iapyges
The Iapyges or Iapygians were an Indo-European people who inhabited the heel of Italy before being absorbed by the Romans.-Identity:The Iapyges have unknown origins but could have been from Illyria....
.
Origins
Towards the late Bronze AgeBronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
(11th-10th centuries BC), Illyrian populations from the eastern Adriatic arrived in Apulia
Apulia
Apulia is a region in Southern Italy bordering the Adriatic Sea in the east, the Ionian Sea to the southeast, and the Strait of Òtranto and Gulf of Taranto in the south. Its most southern portion, known as Salento peninsula, forms a high heel on the "boot" of Italy. The region comprises , and...
probably using the narrow stretch of water between Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. The Illyrians in Italy created the Iapygian civilization, which consisted of three tribes: Peucetia
Peucetia
Peucetia is a genus of lynx spiders that is found worldwide.While P. viridana is found only in India and Myanmar, the similar named P. viridans occurs only from the southern USA to Venezuela....
, Messapi and the Dauni.
It differentiated from the two other regions inhabited by the Yapiges by its relative distance from the Greek colonies, from which it had less connections. Having been also less influenced by the Campanian civilization, it had thus a more peculiar culture, featuring in particular the Daunian stele
Stele
A stele , also stela , is a stone or wooden slab, generally taller than it is wide, erected for funerals or commemorative purposes, most usually decorated with the names and titles of the deceased or living — inscribed, carved in relief , or painted onto the slab...
s, a series of funerary monuments sculpted in the 7th-6th centuries BC in the plain south of Siponto
Siponto
Siponto was an ancient port town of Apulia in southern Italy. The town was abandoned after earthquakes in the 13th century; today the area is administered as a frazione of the comune of Manfredonia, in the province of Foggia...
, and now housed in the National Museum of that city. Particularly striking is Daunian pottery
Daunian pottery
Daunian pottery is a genus of Dauni ceramic produced in today's Italian provinces of Bari and Foggia. The pottery was created by the Dauni, a tribe of the Iapygian civilization who came from Illyria....
(as yet little studied) which begins with geometric patterning but which eventually includes crude human, bird and plant figures.
The main Daunian centers were Teanum Apulum (within the modern San Paolo di Civitate
San Paolo di Civitate
San Paolo di Civitate is a town and comune in the province of Foggia in the Apulia region of southeast Italy.-History:San Paolo was founded in the mid-15th century, mostly as a colony of Albanians...
),
Uria
Uria
Uria is a genus of seabirds in the auk family known in Britain as guillemots, in most of North America as murres, and in Newfoundland and Labrador as turr. These are medium-sized birds with mainly brown or black plumage in the breeding season...
, Casone, Lucera
Lucera
Lucera is a town and comune in the Province of Foggia, in the Apulia region of southern Italy.-Ancient era and early Middle Ages :Lucera is an ancient city founded in Daunia, the centre of Dauni territory . Archeological excavations show the presence of a bronze age village inside the city boundaries...
, Merinum (Vieste
Vieste
Vieste is a town and comune in the province of Foggia, in the Apulia region of southeast Italy.thumb|Cathedral of ViesteA marine resort in Gargano, Vieste has received Blue Flags for the purity of its waters from the Foundation for Environmental Education...
), Monte Saraceno (near Mattinata
Mattinata
Mattinata is a famous seaside resort town and comune in the province of Foggia, Apulia, southern Italy.-Geography:The only town in Apulia facing south the Adriatic sea, Mattinata is part of the Gargano National Park . The main urban area is located above two hills enclosed by mountains in the...
), Siponto
Siponto
Siponto was an ancient port town of Apulia in southern Italy. The town was abandoned after earthquakes in the 13th century; today the area is administered as a frazione of the comune of Manfredonia, in the province of Foggia...
, Coppa Navigata, Cupola, Salapia (near Cerignola
Cerignola
Cerignola is a town and comune of Apulia, Italy, in the province of Foggia, 40 km southeast from the town of Foggia. It has the third-largest land area of any comune in Italy, at 593.71 km², after Rome and Ravenna.-History:...
and Manfredonia
Manfredonia
Manfredonia is a town and comune of Puglia, Italy, in the province of Foggia, from which it is 35 kilometres northeast by rail. Manfredonia is situated on the coast, facing east, to the south of Monte Gargano, and giving its name to the gulf to the east of it...
), Arpi (near Foggia
Foggia
Foggia is a city and comune of Apulia, Italy, capital of the province of Foggia. Foggia is the main city of a plain called Tavoliere, also known as the "granary of Italy".-History:...
), Aecae (near Troia), Vibinum (Bovino
Bovino
Bovino is a comune and hilltop town at the foot of the Irpinia mountains in the province of Foggia, in the region of Apulia/Puglia.Bovino is currently a member of the Italy's Most Beautiful Villages Club.- History :...
), Castelluccio dei Sauri
Castelluccio dei Sauri
Castelluccio dei Sauri is a town and comune in the province of Foggia in the Apulia region of southeast Italy....
, Herdonia (Ordona
Ordona
Ordona is a small town and comune of the province of Foggia in the region of Puglia in southern Italy.-Geography:Ascoli Satriano, Carapelle, Foggia, Orta Nova, Cerignola are nearby towns.-History:...
), Ausculum (Ascoli Satriano
Ascoli Satriano
Ascoli Satriano is a town and comune in the province of Foggia in the Apulia region of southeast Italy.-History:Ascoli was a city of the Dauni. It was the seat of two early Roman battles . Later Sulla build a military colony here.In the mid-9th century it was set on fire by the Saracens...
), Ripalta (near Cerignola), Canosa di Puglia, Melfi
Melfi
Melfi is a town and comune in the Vulture area of the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata.-Geography:On a hill at the foot of Mount Vulture, Melfi is the most important town in Basilicata's Vulture, both as a tourist resort and economic centre.-Early history:Inhabited...
, Lavello
Lavello
Lavello is a town and comune in the province of Potenza, in the region of Basilicata of southern Italy; it is located in the Vulture traditional region, in the middle Ofanto valley.-History:...
and Venosa
Venosa
Venosa is a town and comune in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata, in the Vulture area. It is bounded by the comuni of Barile, Ginestra, Lavello, Maschito, Montemilone, Palazzo San Gervasio, Rapolla and Spinazzola....
.
See also
- IapygesIapygesThe Iapyges or Iapygians were an Indo-European people who inhabited the heel of Italy before being absorbed by the Romans.-Identity:The Iapyges have unknown origins but could have been from Illyria....
- PeucetiiPeucetiiThe Peucetii were a tribe who were living in Apulia, southern Italy, in the country behind Barion...
- MessapiiMessapiithumb|220px|Messapic ceramic, Archaeological Museum of [[Oria, Italy|Oria]], Apulia.The Messapii were an ancient tribe that inhabited, in historical times, the south-eastern peninsula or "heel" of Italy , known variously in ancient times as Calabria, Messapia and Iapygia...
- Province of FoggiaProvince of FoggiaThe Province of Foggia is a province in the Apulia region of Italy.This province is also known as Capitanata, originally Catapanata, because during the Middle Ages it was governed by a catapan, as part of the Catapanate of Italy...
- Tavoliere delle PuglieTavoliere delle Pugliethumb|300px|The Tavoliere seen from the [[Gargano]] promontory.The Tavoliere delle Puglie is a plain in northern Apulia, southern Italy, occupying nearly a half of the Capitanata traditional region. It covers a surface of c...
- Daunian potteryDaunian potteryDaunian pottery is a genus of Dauni ceramic produced in today's Italian provinces of Bari and Foggia. The pottery was created by the Dauni, a tribe of the Iapygian civilization who came from Illyria....