Taras: The True Story Behind the Only Colony of Ancient Sparta

Taras: The True Story Behind the Only Colony of Ancient Sparta

The founding of Taras by Spartan settlers represents a pivotal moment in the expansion of Magna Graecia. Credit: Greek Reporter Archive Sparta was famously the hermit kingdom of the Ancient Greek world, but how many people know that Taras—today’s Taranto in Italy—was the only colony it ever founded? While other Greek city-states raced to plant their flags along coastlines stretching from the Black Sea to Spain, the Spartans remained firmly roote…