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Group: Oenotrians
People: Milo

Oenotrians

Years: 1100BCE - 334BCE

The Oenotrians ("tribe led by Oenotrus" or "people from Oinotria) are an ancient Italic people who settled a territory of remarkably large dimensions, including the region of Apulia, Basilicata and the northern part of the region of Calabria in southern Italy.The Oenotrians arrived there at the beginning of the Iron Age (11th century BCE) from Greece through the Strait of Otranto together with other people of the same ethnic group.

According to Antoninus Liberalis, their arrival triggered the migration of the Elymians to Sicily.

The settlement of the Greeks with the first stable colonies, such as Metapontum, founded on a native one (Metabon), pushed the Oenotrians inland.

From these positions a war of attrition was begun with the Greek colonies, which they plundered more than once.

From the 5th century BCE onwards, they disappeared under the pressure of the Sabellian people.A possible derivation of the ethnonym Oenotrian would be the Greek oinos "wine", as the Oenotrians inhabited a territory rich in vineyards, with Oenotria (or Enotria) being extended to refer to the entirety of Southern Italy.