Siris, Magna Graecia

Siris was an ancient Greek colony in Magna Graecia, in southern Italy, situated at the mouth of the river of the same name, now called the Sinni, where it flows into the Gulf of Taranto. Founded between about 690 and 660 BC by Ionian colonists from Colophon on land previously held by the native Chones, Siris grew wealthy and prosperous, comparable to neighboring Sybaris, by around 580 to 560 BC. A league of Metapontines, Sybarites and Crotoniats destroyed the city sometime after 550 BC and before 510 BC and expelled its inhabitants. No physical remains have been identified, though the modern comune of Nova Siri in the Province of Matera is thought to preserve its name.