Centri fortificati indigeni d'età ellenistica della Calabria tirrenica settentrionale: da Torano a Pian della Tirena

The Brettian fortified settlements on the Tyrrhenian coast of the Northern Calabria are less numerous than those on the Ionian coast. Also the related archaeological data are rather unclear. The hinterland settlements such as Torano and Cosenza don’t show us sure evidences useful to define their fortification wall structure. Nevertheless, on the coastline an important role is played by the settlement Pian della Tirena (Nocera Terinese, CZ) situated on the borders of the Lamezia plan. The archaeological researches carried out by the University of Naples Federico II brought to the light the North-western and the South-eastern sectors of the fortification built on the edge of the plateau. Particularly, the North-western one shows some building interventions that underline the importance of this fortification wall until the Roman period. The Brettian fortified settlements are integrated within a complex and articulated territorial system based on the control and management of the natural resources and rivers. In many cases they reveal some settlement patterns inspired by the Western Greek poleis.