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Concept
Basilicata
Summary
Basilicata (UKbəˌsɪlᵻˈkɑːtə, US-ˌzɪl-, baziliˈkaːta), also known by its ancient name Lucania (luːˈkeɪniə, USalsoluːˈkɑːnjə, luˈkaːnja), is an administrative region in Southern Italy, bordering on Campania to the west, Apulia to the north and east, and Calabria to the south. It has two coastlines: a 30-km stretch on the Tyrrhenian Sea between Campania and Calabria, and a longer coastline along the Gulf of Taranto between Calabria and Apulia. The region can be thought of as the "instep" of Italy, with Calabria functioning as the "toe" and Apulia the "heel".
The region covers about . In 2010, the population was slightly under 600,000. The regional capital is Potenza. The region is divided into two provinces: Potenza and Matera. Its inhabitants are generally known as Lucanians (lucani), and to a lesser extent as basilicatesi and other very rare terms.
In ancient times part of its territory belonged to Magna Graecia being populated by coastal Greek colonies (including Sybaris). Later the region was conquered by the ancient Romans. It was then conquered by the Byzantines, and then by the Normans around the year 1000 with the Hauteville family. Their presence explains the persistence of Gallo-Italic linguistic enclaves of Basilicata, dialects influenced by Gallo-Italic dialects. It was later dominated by the Aragonese and the Spanish. Subsequently it became part of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, to then be annexed to the unified Kingdom of Italy after the Expedition of the Thousand.
The name probably derives from basilikos (βασιλικός), which refers to the basileus, the Byzantine emperor, who ruled the region for 200 years, from 536/552 to 571/590 and from 879 to 1059. Others argue that the name may refer to the Basilica of Acerenza, which held judicial power in the Middle Ages.
During the Greek and Roman eras, Basilicata was known as Lucania. This was possibly derived from leukos (Greek: λευκός), meaning "white", from lykos (Greek: λύκος), meaning "wolf", or from Latin lūcus, meaning "sacred wood".
Official source
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