Netum

Netum or Neetum , was a considerable ancient town in the south of Sicily, near the sources of the little river Asinarus , and about 34 km southwest of Syracuse. Its current site is at the località of Noto Antica , in the modern comune of Noto.

It was subject to Syracuse; a treaty was concluded in 263 BCE between the Romans and King Hieron II of Syracuse, Netum was noticed as one of the cities left in subjection to that monarch. We have no account of the circumstances which subsequently earned for the Netini the peculiarly privileged position in which we afterwards find them: but in the days of Cicero Netum enjoyed the rights of a foederata civitas like Messana and Tauromenium ; while, in Pliny's time, it still retained the rank of a Latin town , a favor then enjoyed by only three cities in the island. Ptolemy is the last ancient writer that mentions the name; but there is no doubt that it continued to exist throughout the Middle Ages; and under the Norman kings rose to be a place of great importance, and the capital of the southern province of Sicily, to which it gave the name of Val di Noto. But having suffered repeatedly from earthquakes, the inhabitants were induced to emigrate to a site nearer the sea, where they founded the modern city of Noto, in 1703.

More information

Comments Statistics

| | Public | Catalan • French • Italian • Spanish