The territory of Ostuni has been inhabited since the stone age.
Numerous archaeological findings reveal the progress made by the ancient populations throughout the centuries.
Probably some of these populations came from northern Italy crossing the Apennines and the Adriatic Sea, reaching this territory and settling in the area between Fasano (Savelletri) and Villanova.
They radically changed their life-style from being nomads to becoming shepherds and farmers.
The first wooden huts appeared around which they started to make ceramics and levigate the stones.
Around the year one thousand B.C. other populations came to Puglia: the Japigi.
They came from Illiria, from Clay and from Epiro and founded the cities of Barium, Egnathia, Rudiae and Uniae.
Approximately in the same period, the Messapi of Indo-European origin arrived integrating with the Japigi sharing habits, customs and religious traditions.
The Messapi settled on the highest hill of the Ostuni territory.
Some Messapi inscriptions which came to light during the second half of the 19th century, (1875), interpreted by Luigi Pepper and Teodoro Mommsen confirmed the Messapica origin of the Old Town, later to be destroyed by Hannibal, who in turn was overthrown by the Romans who dominated the town until 488 A.D.
Then the Greeks took on the rebuilding of Ostuni.
Around 500 a.d. a Greek colony together with the Messapi gave origin to the magnificent civilization, the Magna Grecia.
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Hannibal |
Hannibal’s armies destroyed Ostuni between the first and second century A.D.
The city, then known by the Greek name of Astu-neon grew due to the presence of the Diocese introduced by the Byzantines during the 10th century.
From this time on, until the arrival of the Normans the information we have about Ostuni is only of religious and ecclesiastic concern.
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Coin with the effige of Teodorico |
What we do know for certain, is that the city remained under Roman dominion until 488 A.D then was occupied by the Ostrogots, whose military leader, Teodorico was entrusted by the Emperor Zenone to conquer Italy. As a result of the Ostrogot domination, several artistic items which adorned churches and temples were transferred to other scared buildings in the territory of Ravenna, which was then the Ostragot capital city.
Also the Goths invaded the town, destroying it even more than the Ostrogots. Their king, Totila, was merciless in the destruction of the town. Another invasion was to be followed, that of the Longobardi, sweeping southwards towards the latter end of the 7
th century. This population establish itself in the Greek-Byzantine territories, maintaining the names imposed by the Romans.
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Totila and St. Benedict - Oil painting by Filippo Napoletano |
