When you nominate Napoli Greek, many immediately imagine an ancient place of columns and myths: yet behind this formula lies a layering of history, legend, and identity that has its roots well before the Roman era. The city's story begins with a sort of "first edition": Parthenope, the oldest Greek settlement, anchored in the myth of the siren who gives the capital its name.
Indeed, the origin of Parthenope is not only a poetic story, but also a founding metaphor: a legend that fuses sea and land, song and silence, myth and collective memory. According to ancient sources, the siren Parthenope, defeated by Ulysses, was carried by the waves to the rocks of Megaride, where her body was venerated and, ideally, "transformed" into a city.
Thus, while the modern city develops on the remains of successive eras, the allure of Greek Naples is not merely that of a distant past: it is an invisible thread running through alleys, place names, statues, names, and the collective imagination. In this complex dialogue between myth and excavation, the "origin of Parthenope" becomes a key to interpreting the city's identity, territory, and cultural landscape.
Greek roots: from Cumae to Parthenope
The foundation of Greek Naples is not an isolated event, but is part of the phenomenon of the colonization of Magna Graecia: as early as the 8th century BC, Greek peoples – particularly from Chalcis/Cuma – were seeking new outlets in the Tyrrhenian Sea for commercial and strategic purposes.
According to sources, Parthenope was founded in the late 8th century BC as a Greek sub-colony linked to Cumae, rather than as an independent polis. During the first decades, coastal settlements and seaports (epineion) served as logistical and commercial bases, supporting trade between Cumae and the Tyrrhenian coast.
The chosen location, the promontory of Pizzofalcone / Monte Echia flanked by the islet of Megaride, was not accidental: the natural conformation offered protection from the sea on three sides, control of the coastline, access routes by sea and a connection to inland waters (for example the mouth of the Sebeto).
From the primitive Parthenope to the refoundation in Neapolis
Over time, the original settlement underwent phases of growth and stagnation. Archaic ceramic finds, elements of settlements, and necropolises emerging between the 8th and 7th centuries testify to constant population. The Pizzofalcone necropolis, discovered in 1949, yielded artifacts dating from the mid-7th to the first half of the 6th century BC, attesting to Parthenope's membership in the Cumaean cultural sphere.
However, from the 6th century BC.
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Myth and memory: the origin of Partenope between sirens and rocks
The legend behind Partenope's origins isn't a single tale, but a tangle of different versions, all connected to the siren's mythical allure. Some of the most well-known variants:
- The “classic” version of the mermaid: PartenopeAfter failing to seduce Odysseus with her song, she threw herself into the sea. The currents carried her body to the islet of Megaride, near today's Castel dell'Ovo, where she was buried. The myth thus sealed a link between death, sacredness, and the founding of the city.
- The modern literary interpretation: The writer Matilde Serao proposed a version where Partenope is not a siren but a young Greek woman fleeing from a thwarted love, who arrives on the Neapolitan coast to give birth to a lineage of citizens.
- The "Vesuvius in Love" version: According to a romantic-mythical narrative, Parthenope falls in love with the young centaur Vesuvius. Zeus, jealous, transforms Vesuvius into a volcano, while the siren sacrifices herself, laying her body on the shore, thus sparking the foundation of the city.
These versions, though divergent, share a central element: Greek Naples is also, and above all, a city born from the sea, from song, and from the fusion of marine nature and urban aspiration. The myth of the siren is not merely "legendary," but becomes memory and identity, suggesting that the Neapolitan city felt endowed with a symbolic soul from its very beginnings.
Myth as foundation and collective memory
The myth functions not only as a poetic narrative, but also as a foundational tool: names, monuments, and toponyms (for example, "Partenope," "Megaride," "Castel dell'Ovo") testify to how the legend has merged with the territory. Parthenope's body was once venerated, and in later eras the myth has been revived by writers, poets, and historians to legitimize local identity.
Some inscriptions and invocations dedicated to the siren have been found in archaeological contexts: the figure of Parthenope was perceived not only as a myth, but as a symbolic presence that watched over the city from the sea horizon.
Ultimately, the legend of Parthenope's origins acts as a "narrative framework" that connects nature, myth, and urban space: the city is not merely "founded," but was "born" from the song of the waves and the sacrifice of a legendary creature.
Archaeology and Traces: What Remains of Greek Naples?
The remains of Greek Naples are not without their presence: in various parts of the old city center, tuff blocks, sections of walls, and masonry structures emerge, providing direct evidence of ancient urban planning. The Greek walls were built on natural ravines and would have had defensive axes with moats; the tuff blocks came from local quarries and were transported to the city via main roads such as Via Nuova Poggioreale and Via Casanova.
Some visible remains today include:
- Tufa blocks in the neighborhoods of Via Foria, Rampe Maria Longo, Corso Umberto, near Castel Capuano and near Piazza Bellini.
- The so-called Cippo a Forcella, believed to be part of a Greek city wall gate (Porta Herculanensis / Furcilla), located in Piazza Vincenzo Calenda, in front of the Trianon theatre.
- Sections of Greek walls visible along the ancient decumanus and in the structures beneath buildings in the center, still incorporated into later construction.
Overlapping urban spaces: forum, macellum, via decumani
Archaeology has also revealed the layout of the ancient Greco-Roman city which survives beneath the current road network:
- The Forum/Agora of Neapolis: the area around Piazza San Gaetano preserves traces of the city's civic space. Excavations have shown that the Roman layout mirrored an older, probably Greek, plan, with a central street (the main decumanus, now Via Tribunali).
- Excavations under San Lorenzo Maggiore: here, the Greco-Roman macellum (public market) was uncovered, with remains of Greek foundations (4th century BC) upon which later structures were built. A system of terraces, shops, space for fountains (tholoi), and drainage systems are visible.
- Ancient Port / Maritime Relics: The “Neapolis Station” section of the National Archaeological Museum of Naples displays artifacts from the port—still visible today are the remains of vessels (anchors, wooden parts), testifying to the maritime importance of the Greek and Roman urban center.
- Temple of the Isolimpic Games: a Roman-era structure (2nd–3rd century AD), discovered during construction work on the underground at the Duomo station, but on foundations that recall Greek architectural and cultic models, suggesting a religious and cultural continuity.
- Greek Necropolis of Via Santa Teresa degli Scalzi: a burial ground active between the 5th and 4th centuries BC, discovered during urban works, which yielded tombs with ceramic objects and later Latin inscriptions, demonstrating the site's continued use even after the arrival of the Romans.
Comments (1)
The article explains the history of Greek Naples well, but some parts are unclear. It's not easy to follow all the information, and some dates seem confusing. However, the topic is interesting and worth considering.