The Legend of Taras

Tara coinage, Archaeological National Museum, Naples

According to the legend, the origin of Taranto is linked to the figure of Taras who was, according to Greek mythology, the son of Poseidon and of the nymph Satyrion

 

Poseidon bronze statue – Taranto National Museum

 

 

Taras is the eponymous founder of the Greek colony of Taras (Tarentum, modern Taranto), in Magna Graecia and for this reason, when you are in Taranto, you should visit the harbour near Taranto which is still called Torre Saturo (derived
from Satyrion). It was in Torre Saturo, about 15 km south from Taranto, that seven Spartan colonists first settled in the Taranto region. Later, around 706 B.C., they conquered the Lapygian city of Taranto.
On the coinage of the ancient city of Taras, the son of Poseidon is depicted on a dolphin, sometimes with his father's trident in one hand; the same image is depicted on the modern city’s emblem.