LI VELI - Messapia, land between two seas

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A BACKGROUND

- The spirit of innovation

- Messapia, land between two seas

- Between the East and the West

- Defense walls, protection walls

- Journey to the South

- A vineyard between two seas

- Intuition turns into inclination

- A faithful betrayal

Askos shaped like a donkey

MESSAPIA, LAND BETWEEN TWO SEAS

The most ancient map of the Mediterranean and in general of the Western civilisation was found in Soleto, a town in the Salento region: a piece of black ceramic not much larger than stamp, with the description of the southern part of the Salento peninsula, the so-called "Messapic isthmus".

The finding of the map of Soleto, dated 500 BC, is a proof of the strong connections between Greeks and the Messapi, a population coming from Illiria, an ancient region between Macedonia, Greece and Turkey.

Messapia, which means land between two seas, came to embrace the entire Salento peninsula, from Egnazia to Capo Santa Maria di Leuca, reaching to the north Taranto and Brindisi and stretching south of Taranto as far as the river Bradano.

The map of Soleto

It is possible that the Messapi learnt from the Greeks new vine growing techniques. Vines had in fact been introduced to the area by the Phoenicians in 2000 BC. And numerous ceramics and everyday objects are a witness to it: jugs, jars or ladles to collect wine, craters and cups for feasts in honour of Bacchus.