Rhegium

(now Reggio ). A celebrated Greek town on the coast of Bruttium, on the south of Italy, was situated on the straits which separate Italy and Sicily. Rhegium was founded about the beginning of the first Me enian war, 743 B.C. , by Æolian Chalcid i ans from Eubœa, and by Doric Me enians, who had quitted their native country on the commencement of hostilities between Sparta and Me enia. Even before the Persian war Rhegium was sufficiently powerful to send 3000 of its citizens to the a istance of the Tarentines. Dionysius carried on war against the city for a long time, and after two or three unsucce ful attempts he at length took the place, which he treated with the greatest severity. The Rhegians having applied to Rome for a istance when Pyrrhus was in the south of Italy, the Romans placed in the town a garrison of 4000 soldiers, who had been levied among the Latin colonies in Camp an i a. These troops seized the town in 279, killed or expelled the male inhabitants, and took po e ion of their wives and children. When Pyrrhus was driven out of Italy, the Romans took signal vengeance upon these Camp an i ans, and restored the surviving Rhegians to their city.