Who are the Oenotrians? – The Oenotrians are a population, who lived in the XNUMXth century BC, formed by the Greek colonizers, to be precise from the second wave that decided to invade Italy, they are a founding part of the history of Cilento. This population, which took its name from the character of Greek mythology Enotro, son of Lycaon, decided to invade Cilento but also in the southern part of Basilicata, as well as in the remaining southern Italy. The choice was motivated by the simple characterization of the climate and landscape which, in part, reminded the colonists of the distant Greek native lands in which they had lived for some time before deciding to move to our country. It should be added that this population was also one of the first to import the concept of civilization and organization of social and civil life into the southern part of Italy: in various writings, albeit marginally, information is reported regarding the different roles and tasks as well as the subdivision of the population and the establishment of villages. All these elements have allowed the Enotri to be able to distinguish themselves throughout the history of Italy for their way of organizing themselves, also giving a strong example to other future populations who will then travel to the same area.
The society of the Enotri period
The society of the Oenotri period was characterized by an oligarchic scheme, so it is important to consider how the monarch was at the head of the various agglomerations of villages.
This figure was responsible for carefully managing every aspect of social life, especially the richest one, consulting only on a few occasions with the other important figures who had the task of governing in Cilento. The population was obviously also made up of the working class, characterized by shepherds and farmers.
The working society of the Enotri period
The working society was made up of shepherds and farmers who managed the immense pastures of the Cilento area where this population lived.
It is not clear whether in addition to these categories there were also traders: since it was a remote era and there are not many documents attesting to the history of the Enotri period, the only information regarding this category of the population focuses precisely on the collection of food and on its cultivation, as well as on pastoralism. Women worked mainly in the fields, taking care of the crops and the family, while the men went to the pastures with the livestock. Homer and Virgil, in their writings, also speak of a population characterized by the presence of many soldiers: the Oenotri militia is known for being one of the most fierce and that land hardly became the object of contention between the various monarchs who attempted to conquer it.
This also highlights a further important fact, namely how the Cilento area was precious and protected by its population, who did everything possible to prevent this land from being in any way altered by styles, uses and other aspects different from those commonly adopted by this population.
Where the Oenotrians lived
Also in the few documents concerning this mysterious population, the Enotri preferred to live in the mountains and not in the plains.
The latter, in fact, was mainly used for work activities, thus avoiding having to change location and therefore create new inhabited centers.
The population built several villages communicating with each other, each of which was characterized by a few people who managed the lands assigned to them independently, always respecting the wishes of the monarch.
This therefore allowed for optimal management of the territory, given that small areas were managed with great attention and above all by a good portion of the population, who preferred to live in separate centers also to avoid conflicts that could have made the military defenses less strong.
(cover photo from: Museo dei Brettii e degli Enotri)
